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Musepack
Musepack or MPC is an open source lossy audio codec, specifically optimized for transparent compression of stereo audio at bitrates of 160–180 (manual set allows bitrates up to 320) kbit/s. It was formerly known as MPEGplus, MPEG+ or MP+. Development of MPC was initiated in 1997 by Andree Buschmann and later assumed by Frank Klemm, and as of 2004 is maintained by the Musepack Development Team (MDT) with assistance from Buschmann and Klemm. Encoders and decoders are available for Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, and plugins for several third-party media players available from the Musepack website, licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) or BSD licenses, and an extensive list of programs supporting the format. Technical details Musepack was developed using the MP2 codec as a starting point, but many features have since been added, including: * subband selectable M/S encoding (as in AAC) * Huffman coding (as in MP3 and AAC, but more efficient) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Codec Listening Test
A codec listening test is a scientific Experiment, study designed to compare two or more lossy sound reproduction, audio codecs, usually with respect to perceived fidelity or compression efficiency. Most tests take the form of a double-blind comparison. Commonly used methods are known as "ABX test, ABX" or "ABC/HR" or "MUSHRA". There are various software packages available for individuals to perform this type of testing themselves with minimal assistance. Testing methods ABX test In an ABX test, the listener has to identify an unknown sample X as being A or B, with A (usually the original) and B (usually the encoded version) available for reference. The outcome of a test must be statistically significant. This setup ensures that the listener is not biased by their expectations, and that the outcome is not likely to be the result of chance. If sample X cannot be determined reliably with a low p-value in a predetermined number of trials, then the null hypothesis cannot be rej ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Audio File Format
An audio file format is a file format for storing digital audio data on a computer system. The bit layout of the audio data (excluding metadata) is called the audio coding format and can be uncompressed, or audio compression (data), compressed to reduce the file size, often using lossy compression. The data can be a raw bitstream in an audio coding format, but it is usually embedded in a container format or an audio data format with defined storage layer. Format types It is important to distinguish between the audio coding format, the Container format (digital), container containing the Raw audio format, raw audio data, and an audio codec. A codec performs the encoding and decoding of the raw audio data while this encoded data is (usually) stored in a container file. Although most audio file formats support only one type of audio coding data (created with an audio codec, audio coder), a multimedia container format (as Matroska or Audio Video Interleave, AVI) may support multiple ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Windows Media Audio
Windows Media Audio (WMA) is a series of audio codecs and their corresponding audio coding formats developed by Microsoft. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework. Audio encoded in WMA is stored in a digital container format called Advanced Systems Format (ASF). WMA consists of four distinct codecs. The original WMA codec, known simply as ''WMA'', was conceived as a competitor to the popular MP3 and RealAudio codecs. ''WMA Pro'', a newer and more advanced codec, supports multichannel and high-resolution audio. A lossless codec, ''WMA Lossless'', compresses audio data without loss of audio fidelity (the regular WMA format is lossy). ''WMA Voice'', targeted at voice content, applies compression using a range of low bit rates. Development history The first WMA codec was based on earlier work by Henrique Malvar and his team which was transferred to the Windows Media team at Microsoft. Malvar was a senior researcher and manager of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MP2 (format)
MP2 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer II or MPEG-2 Audio Layer II, sometimes incorrectly called Musicam) is a lossy audio compression format. It is standardised as one of the three audio codecs of MPEG-1 alongside MPEG-1 Audio Layer I (MP1) and MPEG-1 Audio Layer III (MP3). The MP2 abbreviation is also used as a common file extension for files containing this type of audio data, or its extended variant MPEG-2 Audio Layer II. MPEG-1 Audio Layer II was developed by Philips, CCETT and IRT as the MUSICAM algorithm, as part of the European-funded Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) project. Alongside its use on DAB broadcasts, the codec has been adopted as the standard audio format for Video CD and Super Video CD media, and also for HDV. On the other hand, MP3 (which was developed by a rival collaboration led by Fraunhofer Society called ASPEC) gained more widespread acceptance for PC and Internet applications. MP2 compresses less than MP3, but therefore also has less computational demands ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
APEv2 Tag
APE tags comprise one extant convention used to store information (metadata) about a given digital audio file. Each APE tag constitutes a discrete element that describes a single attribute of the file's contents. Each consists of a key/value pair; the key is simply a label that names the attribute, such as , , , or , etc.), and associated with it is a corresponding value, namely, some information descriptive of this file, in terms of the attribute in question (e.g., for ). APE tags can be used with .ape-formatted recordings, as well as with sound files of other audio file formats. Essence A sound file, such as an .ape- or .mp3-formatted file, may, in addition to its payload audio data, also contain metadata that provide descriptive or statistical information about its audio content. When APE (v1) tags are used, they will appear at the end of the file, following the data; i.e., the digitized audio stream. Placing the tags at the end of the file, rather than at the beginni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lossy Compression
In information technology, lossy compression or irreversible compression is the class of data compression methods that uses inexact approximations and partial data discarding to represent the content. These techniques are used to reduce data size for storing, handling, and transmitting content. Higher degrees of approximation create coarser images as more details are removed. This is opposed to lossless data compression (reversible data compression) which does not degrade the data. The amount of data reduction possible using lossy compression is much higher than using lossless techniques. Well-designed lossy compression technology often reduces file sizes significantly before degradation is noticed by the end-user. Even when noticeable by the user, further data reduction may be desirable (e.g., for real-time communication or to reduce transmission times or storage needs). The most widely used lossy compression algorithm is the discrete cosine transform (DCT), first published by N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Core Pocket Media Player
The Core Pocket Media Player (TCPMP) is a software media player which operates on portable devices and Windows-based PCs. It is discontinued, but still available from the official mirror site. Supported operating systems include Palm OS, Symbian OS, and Microsoft Windows, CE, and Mobile. It is also available on Microsoft's Zune HD via a hack called Liberate. TCPMP also has hardware accelerated playback for ATI and Intel 2700G mobiles, such as the Tapwave Zodiac and Dell Axim X50v/X51V. Development of the free version of the software was discontinued by CoreCodec in favour of the commercially licensed CorePlayer, though TCPMP is still regarded as one of the more versatile media players for PocketPC and Palm OS mobile devices. History According to the CoreCodec.com website as of September 2002, the development team planned to continue development and releases of the open source version of the player "offsite"; this code would also be incorporated into the commercial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MPEG-1 Audio Layer II
MP2 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer II or MPEG-2 Audio Layer II, sometimes incorrectly called Musicam) is a lossy audio compression format. It is standardised as one of the three audio codecs of MPEG-1 alongside MPEG-1 Audio Layer I (MP1) and MPEG-1 Audio Layer III (MP3). The MP2 abbreviation is also used as a common file extension for files containing this type of audio data, or its extended variant MPEG-2 Audio Layer II. MPEG-1 Audio Layer II was developed by Philips, CCETT and IRT as the MUSICAM algorithm, as part of the European-funded Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) project. Alongside its use on DAB broadcasts, the codec has been adopted as the standard audio format for Video CD and Super Video CD media, and also for HDV. On the other hand, MP3 (which was developed by a rival collaboration led by Fraunhofer Society called ASPEC) gained more widespread acceptance for PC and Internet applications. MP2 compresses less than MP3, but therefore also has less computational ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ATRAC
Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding (ATRAC) is a family of proprietary audio compression algorithms developed by Sony. MiniDisc was the first commercial product to incorporate ATRAC, in 1992. ATRAC allowed a relatively small disc like MiniDisc to have the same running time as a CD while storing audio information with minimal perceptible loss in quality. Improvements to the codec in the form of ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus, and ATRAC Advanced Lossless followed in 1999, 2002, and 2006 respectively. Files in ATRAC3 format originally had the extension; however, in most cases, the files would be stored in an OpenMG Audio container using the extension . Previously, files that were encrypted with OpenMG had the extension, which was replaced by starting in SonicStage v2.1. Encryption is no longer compulsory as of v3.2. Other MiniDisc manufacturers such as Sharp and Panasonic also implemented their own versions of the ATRAC codec. History ATRAC was developed for Sony's MiniDisc format. ATR ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psychoacoustics
Psychoacoustics is the branch of psychophysics involving the scientific study of the perception of sound by the human auditory system. It is the branch of science studying the psychological responses associated with sound including noise, speech, and music. Psychoacoustics is an interdisciplinary field including psychology, acoustics, electronic engineering, physics, biology, physiology, and computer science. Background Hearing is not a purely mechanical phenomenon of wave propagation, but is also a sensory and perceptual event. When a person hears something, that something arrives at the ear as a mechanical sound wave traveling through the air, but within the ear it is transformed into neural action potentials. These nerve pulses then travel to the brain where they are perceived. Hence, in many problems in acoustics, such as for Auditory system, audio processing, it is advantageous to take into account not just the mechanics of the environment, but also the fact that both the ear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High Fidelity
High fidelity (hi-fi or, rarely, HiFi) is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat (neutral, uncolored) frequency response within the human hearing range. High fidelity contrasts with the lower-quality " lo-fi" sound produced by inexpensive audio equipment, AM radio, or the inferior quality of sound reproduction that can be heard in recordings made until the late 1940s. History Bell Laboratories began experimenting with various recording techniques in the early 1930s. Performances by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra were recorded in 1931 and 1932 using telephone lines between the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and the Bell labs in New Jersey. Some multitrack recordings were made on optical sound film, which led to new advances used primarily by MGM (as early as 1937) and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metadata
Metadata (or metainformation) is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data itself, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including: * Descriptive metadata – the descriptive information about a resource. It is used for discovery and identification. It includes elements such as title, abstract, author, and keywords. * Structural metadata – metadata about containers of data and indicates how compound objects are put together, for example, how pages are ordered to form chapters. It describes the types, versions, relationships, and other characteristics of digital materials. * Administrative metadata – the information to help manage a resource, like resource type, and permissions, and when and how it was created. * Reference metadata – the information about the contents and quality of Statistical data type, statistical data. * Statistical metadata – also called process data, may ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
