|
Click Here
for more Articles
|
|
|
|
Alternatives
to Digital Audio
|
|
by:
Hans Dekker
|
Although
MP3 is the most popular format for encoding music, it is by no means
the only one. There are two basic methods for compressing audio –
lossless and lossy, and for each of these methods there are many
formats.
Lossless compression means that none of the audio data is removed
during compression. Lossy compression means that audio data is
permanently removed from the audio file. Lossy compression results in
smaller files, but there is no way to rebuild the audio data to its
original format. MP3 is an example of lossy compression.
Lossy Compression Formats
There are many alternatives to MP3 when it comes to encoding audio
files. Microsoft reportedly developed the WMA format to avoid the
licensing costs associated with MP3. WMA files can be played with the
Windows Media Player that is included with the Windows operating system
as well as many other audio players. It features similar encoding rates
to MP3 and similar file sizes.
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is the format preferred by Apple and is
used for its popular iTunes and iPod products. AAC files can be smaller
than MP3 files because it uses more efficient encoding technology. A 96
kpbs AAC file is similar in sound quality to a 128 kbps MP3 file.
Ogg Vorbis is another type of lossy compression and uses .OGG as the
file extension. It is an open-source product and unlike MP3, there are
no patent restrictions on its use.
Lossless Compression
For the audio purist who insists on the best quality sound possible,
lossless compression offers CD quality sound. The tradeoff is larger
files sizes – while MP3 can compress audio in the range of 80% - 90%,
lossless compression typically compresses the file by half.
Popular lossless formats include FLAC, Monkey’s Audio, and SHN
(Shorten). These formats are supported by many audio players and are
popular for archiving CD collections as well as for trading music.
About the author:
Hans is editor of the Audio
Howto Section of the Selected Audio
Review Guide
|
|
