Re: [ARSCLIST] FLAC?

[Rob Poretti <r.poretti@xxxxxxxxxx>]

FLAC is commonly known to be a good lossless CODEC, but there are other
options for lossless CODEC's.  Although they claim otherwise, FLAC is not
very well supported.  If you're a WinAmp user, then you're all set.  If you
use  QuickTime or Windows Media Player (and I use both - QT for Mac, WMP for
PC), then you're out of luck.

I might consider lossless wma since it is well supported by Microsoft.
(Listen, there are pro's and cons for Microsoft, as there are pros and cons
for open-source.  BTW: FLAC is open-source.)  

There are other losses CODEC's out there as well, but the issue is, how much
software/hardware support are you going to get from a specific CODEC?  So
the question you have to consider is one of "access".

Good luck...

Rob Poretti
Sascom - Toronto
vox.905.825.5373    fax.905.469.1129     cel.905.580.2467
www.sascom.com  www.cube-tec.com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List 
> [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of McCormick, Kathleen
> Sent: October 26, 2006 10:49 PM
> To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [ARSCLIST] FLAC?
> 
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I am wondering if any one has experience with or 
> comprehensive information on FLAC (free lossless audio codec) 
> and its effect on audio. Here is the information page 
> <http://flac.sourceforge.net/faq.html>.
> 
> Our systems administrator is pushing hard for us to use FLAC 
> to save and store audio files (as a replacement for wav) and 
> seems impervious to my hesitations (and subsequent 
> explanations) about any type of compression for digital audio 
> (I'm speaking here of our preservation/archival copies), even 
> so called lossless compression. 
> 
> If FLAC really does what it sells itself as doing and has no 
> negative impact on audio, then it's something to look into 
> but I need more information before I'm willing to believe 
> that this is no effect.
> 
> I appreciate the help and information.
> 
> 
> Katie McCormick
> Reference Archivist & 
> Coordinator for the Oral History Program
> Special Collections Dept., J. Murrey Atkins Library
> UNC - Charlotte
> 
> "Whatever we do we may fail, but if we do nothing, failure is 
> guaranteed."
> 
>