https://wiki.xiph.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Paul-goller&feedformat=atomXiphWiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T02:02:04ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.40.1https://wiki.xiph.org/index.php?title=FLAC&diff=5623FLAC2006-07-23T10:01:52Z<p>Paul-goller: /* The Project */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''FLAC''' stands for '''Free Lossless Audio Codec'''. FLAC is an [[audio compression]] [[codec]] that is [[lossless data compression|lossless]]. Unlike [[lossy data compression|lossy]] codecs such as [[MP3]] and [[Vorbis]], it does not remove any information from the audio stream.<br />
<br />
On January 29th, 2003, Xiphophorus (now called the [[Xiph.org Foundation]]) announced the incorporation of FLAC under their xiph.org banner, to go along with [[Ogg]] Vorbis, Ogg [[Theora]], and [[Speex]].<br />
<br />
== The Project ==<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of: <br />
* the stream format <br />
* libFLAC, a library of reference encoders and decoders, and a metadata interface <br />
* libFLAC++, an object wrapper around libFLAC <br />
* flac, a command-line wrapper around libFLAC to encode and decode .flac files <br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for .flac files <br />
* input plugins for various music players ([[Winamp]], [[XMMS]], [[Foobar2000|foobar2000]], and more in the works) <br />
<br />
"Free" means that the specification of the stream format is in the [[public domain]] (the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance), and that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any patent. It also means that the sources for libFLAC and libFLAC++ are available under Xiph.org's [[BSD license]] and the sources for flac, metaflac, and the plugins are available under the [[GPL]].<br />
<br />
== Comparisons ==<br />
<br />
FLAC is distinguished from general lossless algorithms such as [[ZIP file format|ZIP]] and [[gzip]] in that it is specifically designed for the efficient packing of audio data; while ZIP may compress a CD-quality audio file 20&ndash;40%, FLAC achieves compression rates of 30&ndash;70%. <br />
<br />
While lossy codecs can achieve ratios of 80&ndash;90+%, they do this at the expense of discarding data from the original stream. Though FLAC uses a similar technique in its encoding process, it also adds "residual" data to allow the decoder to restore the original waveform flawlessly.<br />
<br />
FLAC has become the preferred lossless format for trading live music online. It has a smaller file size than [[Shorten]], and unlike MP3, it's lossless, which ensures the highest fidelity to the source material, which is important to live music traders. It has recently become a favorite trading format of non-live lossless audio traders as well.<br />
<br />
FLAC compiles on many platforms: most [[Unix|Unices]] (including [[Linux]], *[[BSD]], [[Solaris Operating Environment|Solaris]], and [[Mac OS X]]), [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[BeOS]], and [[OS/2]]. There are build systems for [[autoconf]]/[[automake]], MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
== More information ==<br />
<br />
* [[FLACDecoders]]: List of decoders<br />
* [[FLACEncoders]]: List of encoders<br />
<br />
== Non-PC playback support ==<br />
<br />
FLAC is supported by a wide range of devices such as:<br />
<br />
* Rio Karma http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/rioaudio/<br />
* iAudio http://www.iaudio.com<br />
* PhatNoise Phatbox<br />
* PhatNoise Home Media Player<br />
* Kenwood Music Keg<br />
* SlimDevices Squeezebox http://www.slimdevices.com<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://flac.sourceforge.net/ Project homepage]<br />
*[http://mikewren.com/flac/ Unofficial FLAC installer for Windows]<br />
*[http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC] [[GUI]] frontend to encode/decode FLAC on [[Mac OS X]]<br />
*[[Wikipedia: FLAC]]</div>Paul-gollerhttps://wiki.xiph.org/index.php?title=FLAC&diff=5622FLAC2006-07-23T09:59:26Z<p>Paul-goller: /* The Project */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''FLAC''' stands for '''Free Lossless Audio Codec'''. FLAC is an [[audio compression]] [[codec]] that is [[lossless data compression|lossless]]. Unlike [[lossy data compression|lossy]] codecs such as [[MP3]] and [[Vorbis]], it does not remove any information from the audio stream.<br />
<br />
On January 29th, 2003, Xiphophorus (now called the [[Xiph.org Foundation]]) announced the incorporation of FLAC under their xiph.org banner, to go along with [[Ogg]] Vorbis, Ogg [[Theora]], and [[Speex]].<br />
<br />
== The Project ==<br />
<br />
The FLAC project consists of: <br />
* the stream format <br />
* libFLAC, a library of reference encoders and decoders, and a metadata interface <br />
* libFLAC++, an object wrapper around libFLAC <br />
* flac, a command-line wrapper around libFLAC to encode and decode .flac files <br />
* metaflac, a command-line metadata editor for .flac files <br />
* input plugins for various music players ([[Winamp]], [[XMMS]], [[Foobar2000]], and more in the works) <br />
<br />
"Free" means that the specification of the stream format is in the [[public domain]] (the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance), and that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any patent. It also means that the sources for libFLAC and libFLAC++ are available under Xiph.org's [[BSD license]] and the sources for flac, metaflac, and the plugins are available under the [[GPL]].<br />
<br />
== Comparisons ==<br />
<br />
FLAC is distinguished from general lossless algorithms such as [[ZIP file format|ZIP]] and [[gzip]] in that it is specifically designed for the efficient packing of audio data; while ZIP may compress a CD-quality audio file 20&ndash;40%, FLAC achieves compression rates of 30&ndash;70%. <br />
<br />
While lossy codecs can achieve ratios of 80&ndash;90+%, they do this at the expense of discarding data from the original stream. Though FLAC uses a similar technique in its encoding process, it also adds "residual" data to allow the decoder to restore the original waveform flawlessly.<br />
<br />
FLAC has become the preferred lossless format for trading live music online. It has a smaller file size than [[Shorten]], and unlike MP3, it's lossless, which ensures the highest fidelity to the source material, which is important to live music traders. It has recently become a favorite trading format of non-live lossless audio traders as well.<br />
<br />
FLAC compiles on many platforms: most [[Unix|Unices]] (including [[Linux]], *[[BSD]], [[Solaris Operating Environment|Solaris]], and [[Mac OS X]]), [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[BeOS]], and [[OS/2]]. There are build systems for [[autoconf]]/[[automake]], MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.<br />
<br />
== More information ==<br />
<br />
* [[FLACDecoders]]: List of decoders<br />
* [[FLACEncoders]]: List of encoders<br />
<br />
== Non-PC playback support ==<br />
<br />
FLAC is supported by a wide range of devices such as:<br />
<br />
* Rio Karma http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/rioaudio/<br />
* iAudio http://www.iaudio.com<br />
* PhatNoise Phatbox<br />
* PhatNoise Home Media Player<br />
* Kenwood Music Keg<br />
* SlimDevices Squeezebox http://www.slimdevices.com<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://flac.sourceforge.net/ Project homepage]<br />
*[http://mikewren.com/flac/ Unofficial FLAC installer for Windows]<br />
*[http://www.danrules.com/macflac/ MacFLAC] [[GUI]] frontend to encode/decode FLAC on [[Mac OS X]]<br />
*[[Wikipedia: FLAC]]</div>Paul-goller