FLAC+format

**__What is FLAC format? __**
 FLAC  stands for //Free Lossless Audio Codec//, a leading compression technique that preserves original audio quality while reducing file size. FLAC is an open-source, royalty-free  format  that has been adopted widely for its many advantages in digital audio reproduction.

FLAC stands out as the fastest and most widely supported lossless audio codec  ,   and the only one that at once is non-proprietary, is unencumbered by patents, has an open-source reference implementation, has a well documented format and API, and has several other independent implementations. FLAC   surpasses MP3 quality by preserving the original soundscape in exact detail. The FLAC format reduces the original file size by roughly 30-60% with no loss of quality, hence it is a //lossless// format. This differs from the MP3 format which is a //lossy// format, or a format that loses quality in the conversion process. One of the great strengths of FLAC is its very fast decoding time, or ability to stream even on modest hardware. Technical specifics in the framed architecture also allow it to be error resistant, in that each frame has the information it needs to decode itself. If a frame is corrupted, the data lost in the stream is a mere blip. This differs from other types of lossless formats where the entire stream would essentially become corrupted. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Other audio formats, such as MP3, AAC, and WAV lose audio quality. FLAC reduces storage quality by an average of 46%. After an audio file has been converted to FLAC, it can be listened to in the exact same quality as before it was compressed. ==<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> **__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Why not use ZIP instead? __**  == <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">    <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">ZIP compresses audio without losing quality also. However, ZIP compressors only compress the file 10-20%, whereas FLAC compresses about 30-50%. ==<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">**__Comparison with other lossless codecs__**   == <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Comparisons of lossless codecs typically look at compression ratio and speed. However, a proper evaluation of lossless codecs looks at other attributes as shown in the table below. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">

||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES ([|OSI] approved license) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES ([|XMMS], [|Winamp], [|AlsaPlayer], [|Y! Music Engine], [|MacAmp Lite], [|dBpowerAMP], [|Foobar2000], [|QCD], [|Apollo], [|many more]) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES ([|Squeezebox], [|Sonos], [|PhatBox], Kenwood MusicKeg, [|iAudio], [|ReQuest], [|Olive], [|Escient], [|TrekStor], [|dozens more]) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">NONE ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, *BSD, Solaris, OS/2, BeOS, Amiga OS, others || ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES ([|OSI] approved license) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES (Winamp, foobar2000, dBpowerAMP, [|more]) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">maybe (some portables via [|Rockbox] firmware replacement) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">NONE ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, *BSD, Solaris, others || ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES (non-[|OSI] license) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES (Winamp, XMMS) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">maybe (some portables via [|Rockbox] firmware replacement) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">non- commercial only ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Linux, Windows, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, *BSD, Solaris, others || ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES (non-[|OSI] license) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES (Winamp, MediaJukebox, dBpowerAMP, more) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">? ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Windows, Linux console source || ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES ([|iTunes]) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES ([|iPod] only) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">unavailable ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Windows, Mac OS X || ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES ([|OSI] approved license) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no (?) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">NONE ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Linux, Windows, other UNIX || ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES ([|OSI] approved license) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES (XMMS) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">? ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Linux, Windows, other UNIX || ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES (Winamp, XMMS) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">? ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Windows, Linux || ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">YES (Winamp, XMMS) ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">? ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Windows, Linux || ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">no ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">free for non-commercial use ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Windows || Table provided by: http://flac.sourceforge.net/comparison.html#alternate_links **__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Hardware Devices Supporting FLAC content __** ==<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">  == <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">**__ References __** 1. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-flac.html <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">2. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/04/sansa-fuze-updated-to-support-ogg-and-flac/ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">3. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flac <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">4. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://flac.sourceforge.net/index.html 5. http://wiibrew.org/wiki/MPlayerWii 6. http://dl.qj.net/LightMP3-v1.7.1-(FLAC-bugfix)-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/15529/catid/151 7. http://symbianoggplay.sourceforge.net/
 * = ===**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Codec **=== ||= ===**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Source Available? **=== ||= ===**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Player Support? **=== ||= ===**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Hardware Support? **=== ||= ===**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">License Cost **=== ||= ===**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">OS support **=== ||
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">flac v1.2.1
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">WavPack v4.41
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Shorten v3.2
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Monkey's Audio v4.01
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Apple Lossless
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Ogg Squish 0.98
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Bonk 0.5
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">optimFROG 4.21
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">La 0.3c
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Tak 1.0.3b
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">ScanDisk Sansa Fuze, Clip (with updated firmware) [2]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">iPod - 1st through 5.5th generation, iPod Mini and 1st generation iPod Nano (not the shuffle, 2nd/3rd gen nano, classic or touch), using third party Rockbox firmware.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Toshiba iriver and Gigabeat
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Nintendo Wii, when running the Wii Homebrew application MPlayerWii.[5]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Microft Xbox when running the thrid party Xbox Media Center or Boxee
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Sony PlayStationPortable when running LightMP3[6]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Mobile devices or Phones based on Symbian OS, with either S60, Series 80 or Series 90 UI platforms[7]