By Peter Nisbet

FILE FORMATS

There are several audio file formats in common use. There are fewer video file formats, but audio video file extensions can be confusing. This is just a brief description of what the more commonly used audio and video file formats and systems are.

AAC:Advanced Audio Coding This is the audio file format used by Apple for the iTunes Music Store, and it may appear with the M4A filename extension. It is better than MP3 for sound quality. It was developed as part of the MPEG4 group owned by Dolby (see below).

AU: This audio file format is the standard used by Java, Sun and Unix.

MPEG: Moving Pictures Expert Group There are a number of MPEG types now, described below.

MPEG-1: This is used in digital cameras and camcorders for small video clips. VHS quality playback can be expected from MPEG-1.

MPEG-2: Used for digital satellite TV, professional movie recording and recording of home DVD recordings. Provides provision for multi-channel surround sound recordings.

MPEG-3: MPEG-3 was propose as an entity, but eventually merged into MPEG-2.

MPEG-4: This is the newest MPEG system and is used for streaming internet content. It is also used in portable video recorders and for internet downloads. Required for DivX. It improves digital broadcasting and interactive graphics and multimedia.

MP3: Digital audio files, most commonly used to store and playback music. It compresses the files to about 10% of a normal audio file, and a normal music track will be about 5 -6 MB in size. MP3 stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, not MPEG-3 as many people think. A typical MP3 audio file is near CD quality.

OGG: An audio file format supporting a variety of codecs, the most popular of which is the audio codec Vorbis. However, MP3 files are much more broadly supported than Vorbis.

RA: Real Audio This format is designed for streaming audio over the Internet. It is a self-contained file format with all the audio information stored within the file itself.

WAV: The simplest of the audio file formats, developed by Microsoft and IBM, and built into Windows 95. It is an uncompressed audio file format with large file sizes (10 x MP3), and does not need further processing to play. The WAV file consists of three blocks of information: The RIFF block which identifies the file as a WAV file, The FORMAT block which identifies parameters such as sample rate and the DATA block which contains the actual data, or music sample.

WMA: Windows Media Audio A digital system invented by Microsoft, and is used in portable digital audio players. Using WMA, a file can be programmed so that it cannot be copied, and can be used to protect copyright.

WMF: Windows Media Format These are audio-video files comprising WMA and video codecs. They provide high quality and media security for streaming and download and play applications on computers.

WMV: Windows Media Video Used in the Windows media Player, this is used to stream and download and play audio and video content.

When dealing with audio and video file formats, you will sometimes notice the term ‘codec’. A codec is simply short for encoder-decoder (or compressor - decompressor). A main function of a codec is to compress audio or video data streams so that transmission of digital audio samples and video frames can be speeded up and storage space reduced.

The objective of all codecs is to reduce the file size to a minimum while maintaining audio and video quality. A quick indication of the codec’s place in the path of transmission and reception is:

Video device (e.g. camcorder) - video capture card - video digitized - codec (compresses digital info) - result (MPEG2, AVI, WMV etc) - codec (decompress) - video frames - display device.

Between the two codecs the compressed result is transferred to the display device transmitted, stored on file, etc). So to condense the flow even further, we could basically describe it as:

raw data - codec - transmit - codec - play

This is simplistic, but it shows where the codecs are used. Therefore, in order to play a movie, video or piece of music of a certain format, you need a codec in your computer to allow you to decompress the file and play it.

Here is some free software which checks what codec a video system uses, and what codec your system needs to play it:

Codec Tool.

The different video file formats are required to meet the requirements of various video devices. Similarly, audio file formats are designed to meet the needs of the specific delivery methods and storage and playback devices introduced by large corporations such as Microsoft, Sony and Apple. Thus, Sony invented the UMD (Universal Media Disk) for the PSP (Playstation Portable), and Apple introduced AAC (M4A) for its iPod.

Peter Nisbet is the author of many articles on audio and video file systems, their transmission, playback and conversion. More information is available on his websites http://www.legalandfree.com and http://www.online-free-movies.com

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By Mansi Aggarwal

MPEG, or Moving Picture Experts Group, is a jointly working group comprised of the International Standards Organization and International Electro-Technical Commission (ISO/IEC) to standardize the coding of moving pictures and the associated audio in a digital compressed format.

MPEG-2 uses very sophisticated compression techniques to compress audio and video in order for it to be burned on a DVD. You can purchase and download hardware and software MPEG Encoders to burn a DVD.

MPEG-2 is the process needed to encode video and audio information for a DVD burner, by burning the information onto a DVD disc with time stamps. The process of an MPEG encoder for burning DVDs is done using codec’s to encode the video and audio and save it in smaller pieces to be transformed into a frequency space and then quantized.

MPEG-3 is one of the discontinued encoding processes for digital media, and is often confused for MPEG-1 (what we know as MP3). MP3 encoding has quickly become the standard for digitizing music around the world, and listening to it on your computer, laptop or personal MP3 Player. Most people burn mp3 songs to CDROMS, however for digital archiving, some people burn the files to DVD as well.

To burn a DVD, you need a DVD burner, an MPEG Encoder, a blank DVD-R (recordable) disc and the audio and video that you wish to burn onto the DVD-R.

MPEG Encoders can be bought as hardware or software and downloaded to transform and compress your audio and video file into MPEG format so that it can be burned onto a DVD using a DVD Burner. The process itself is quite complex and took a team of specialists to perfect. However, the process is streamlined where you as the end user are only expected to follow short, simple commands by the software to burn your encoded data.

You can search the internet for a suitable MPEG encoder and also for a DVD burner that will best suit your needs. Your local computer shopping store will also have a variety of DVD burners with some expert advice on which products will best work for what information you are looking to encode and burn.

And lastly, when in doubt about which MPEG compression algorithm to use to encode your data, “google” it. Chances are that you are not the only person who has had a question regarding MPEG encoding and DVD Burning. By doing your research early, you can ensure your next burn will go smoothly!

By David Chandler

MP3 is the latest and the most popular audio format that is used now. This acronym stands for MPEG Layer 3. It is a compressed audio format with a compression ratio of up to 12: 1. The sound quality of the audio in this format is very high. A normal audio file, which is 1200 KB in size, can be stored in just 100 KB if it is using the MP3 format. The size of the audio files is very small when compared to other formats of audio files. This makes it easily portable.

Where to get MP3 audio files?

MP3 audio files are widely available in CDs now. Almost any album that is released in the world is also sold in the MP3 audio format. These albums in the MP3 formats are also available in some websites that are dedicated for MP3 downloads. You can also purchase these MP3 CDs at any audio store meant for that purpose.

MP3 downloads

Free MP3 downloads are also available in some of the websites. You need to become a member of these sites for a fee to download unlimited number of songs in the MP3 format. Some of the sites charge you for each song that is downloaded. Free MP3 downloads for testing the quality of the audio is usually provided by most of these websites. Websites like www.napster.com allow free MP3 downloads if you have MP3 players from select manufacturers. You can download directly to the player by using the software provided by the website.

How to play a MP3 audio file?

To play a MP3 audio you need separate players whether it is software or a physical player that can be carried. MP3 software players are used in your PC to play MP3 audio. Physical players from many branded manufacturers are available in the market to play these MP3 audio files.

MP3 Ringtones

With the advent of the mobile phones, it has become a fashion to make your mobile call you with your favorite songs as Ringtones. Youngsters particularly teenagers are more interested in using Ringtones of the songs they like. This has picked up in such a manner that MP3 Ringtones are now being sold in websites. Many websites sell Ringtones in the MP3 format. The mobile you are using should be capable of playing the Ringtones in the MP3 format to use these MP3 Ringtones. These websites provide you with an interface to select the model of the mobile phone you have and then download MP3 Ringtones that suit your mobile phone model.

For more information, visit The MP3 Info Center

David Chandler
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