Audio Formats and Quality
A variety of factors will affect the quality
of a digital audio files — for example, the sampling bitrate (how often
the audio signal is sampled, expressed as KbpsAn abbreviation for Kilobits per second or Kilo (thousand) bits per second; used to indicate a data transfer rate.)
and how it is compressed. Higher sample rates result in better
sound quality but larger files. Compressed files are smaller but have
slightly less quality than uncompressed files. Different compression formats
can also affect the quality.
The following formats are available in RealPlayer
for saving CD tracks (importing) or recording from analog sources:
|
Format
|
File Extension
|
Available Quality Levels
|
Comments
|
|
AAC Audio
Secure AAC
|
.m4a
.m4p
|
96 - 320 Kbps Stereo
|
AAC encoded MPEG-4 audio. Compatible with iTunes and
the iPod.
|
|
RealAudio
|
.ra
|
32 - 320 Kbps Stereo
|
Highest quality, native format from RealNetworks (currently
RealAudio 10).
|
|
RealAudio Lossless
|
.ra
|
705 Kbps
|
A compressed, losslessLoses no data, all information in the original file or track is preserved.
format that uses only half the space on your hard disk
that a typical WAV file needs. Good for an archive copy of a CD track.
|
|
MP3
|
.mp3
|
56 -320 Kbps Stereo, 32 Kbps Mono
|
With a special plug-in for RealPlayer, you can import and create high bitrate MP3
(128-320 Kbps, near CD quality).
|
|
Windows Media Audio
|
.wma
|
192 - 64 Kbps Stereo
|
Compressed video format used by Microsoft and others.
|
|
WAV Audio
|
.wav
|
1411 Kbps Stereo
|
Raw, uncompressed files.
|
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Services and features will be added as they become available.
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