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Comparison of
Various Audio Codecs
Audio codecs are file formats or computer programs that are
used for compressing and decompressing digital audio data.
They decompress the files according to their respective audio
file formats or streaming audio formats are usually
implemented as libraries that interface with different
multimedia players.
Sometimes, the term audio codec is used for reference to
hardware implementation and in sound cards. This means that
audio codec here means the device that is used for encoding an
analog audio file. There are basically two types of audio
compression systems; lossless and lossy audio codecs.
As the name suggests, lossless compression implies that after
the compression and decompression of audio data, you end up
with the same data that was first put in. You can get an idea
of lossless compression by looking at zip files where you have
the same file content before and after zipping files. FLAC,
Monkey’s Audio, WavPack, uncompressed Wave and OptimFROG are
all examples of lossless audio codecs.
When you play lossless files, you find the same digital signal
that was present in the original audio source. Another
advantage of lossless audio codecs is that no matter how many
times you compress it; there is no loss in audio data. However
there is a disadvantage here that you don’t save as much as
you would with lossy compression codecs.
Lossy compression is quite common and famous form of audio
compression where you don’t actually get the same data after
compression, as there was before audio compression. This is
okay if pieces of data in pictures and audio files that go
missing will not be that obvious in the compressed file. There
are many forms of lossy codecs today like Sorenson, RealVideo,
Indeo and Cinepak.
With the help of lossy codecs, you can achieve ratios of 80%
or more by discarding data from the original stream of data.
It basically discards what is considered to be the least
important information found in an audio file. This is why
audio tracks that are stored in lossy formats are found to be
much smaller than the tracks that are found in lossless
formats.
However on playing back this lossy audio file, you find that
it does not deliver the same digital signal as the original
source. This is because some parts of the music are altered or
removed so that the compression of the audio file into a
smaller file is possible.
Basically current standards for audio codecs are set based on
numerous other features like its support in different devices,
support with different software, its licensing, if it is free
or paid and archiving. In lossless codecs, the ability of
using and recovering data in the future is something that is
important for setting audio codec standards.
At present, FLAC is the most widely supported audio codec
because it is a non-proprietary file format, has an
open-source reference implementation, is not encumbered by
patents and has a very well documented format.
FLAC is the preferred file format with owners of CDs and other
media who wish to archive their audio collections. With a FLAC
copy, there is no worry of loss, damage or wearing out of the
original audio tracks as the copy will be an exact back up for
the audio file.
Usually lossless compressions are compared for standards using
only its compression ratio and speed. When looking at speed,
FLAC is considered to be the fastest amongst lossless codecs
because of its low complexity and support by many electronic
devices.
According to compression ratio standards, FLAC has a
compression ratio that is within 3% of most of the complex
codecs. As the compression ratios of lossless codecs is found
in a narrow range, you find that the difference between the
best and worst to be between 7% and 4% in practical codecs.
Source:
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