Audio Codecs
A codec (Coder/Decoder) converts an analog signal to a digital bitstream, and another identical codec converts the digital bitstream back into an analog signal.
Codec's are used to encode audio for storage on digital mediums, such as CD's and computer files.
Audio codec's are also used to transmit audio over digital transmission lines, such as SPDIF.
Audio Codecs
Audio codecs generally fall into two groups, codecs that use lossy compression and those that use lossless compression.
Lossy Audio Codecs
Audio codecs which use lossy compression include:
Lossless Audio Codecs
Audio codecs which use lossless compression include:
- Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
- Apple Lossless (ALAC)
- Direct Stream Transfer (DST)
- LA (Lossless Audio)
- Lossless Predictive Audio Compression (LPAC)
- Lossless Transform Audio Compression (LTAC)
- Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP)
- Monkey's Audio APE
- OptimFROG
- RealAudio Lossless
- RKAU
- Shorten (SHN)
- The True Audio (TTA)
- WavPack lossless
- WMA Lossless
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- FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is an audio format similar to MP3, but it is a lossless encoding format, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. FLAC is unique as it is the fastest and most widely supported lossless audio codec, and the only one that at once is non-proprietary, [...]...
- AC3 (Audio Coding 3)
AC3, or Dolby AC-3, is a lossy audio format created by Dolby Digital that is used in cinemas, television broadcasts, DVDs, Blu-Ray Discs, and game consoles. While AC3 was never designed to replace MP3 files, it has grown in popularity in the PC audio industry and is now recognized and supported by many media players [...]...
- Musicam
Musicam (MPEG-1 Audio Layer II) is a lossy audio format that was created alongside MPEG-1 Audio Layer I and Audio Layer III. While MPEG-1 Audio Layer III (MP3) is a very popular audio format that is used for PCs, gaming, and stereo applications, Musicam is still the primary audio format used in audio broadcasting systems [...]...
- AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)
Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) is a standard compression and encoding format for digital audio. AAC is part of the MPEG-4 standard, which was established by the Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG), the committee that developed the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 standards that are used all over the world in CD-ROM and DVD discs and other technologies. [...]...
- Digital Audio Cables
The cables and connectors used to interface various components in sound systems play a key role in enhancing any audio experience. Digital Audio Cables Today’s audio devices no longer use analog signals to create sound. They use digital signals derived from data, namely 0′s and 1′s. The term ‘analog’ is used for phonographs and audio [...]...