...
- WMA: A few files are Windows Media Audio (WMA) formatted. Current we will not be able to accept or use any of these files.
- MP3: A number of oral histories have been kept as mp3 files, these will kept in their original format and further changes will be from the mp3MP3.
Current Format:
- WAV: The current standard format used for all Oral Histories is the WAV file. This is a lossless uncompressed audio file. This format has uses from a preservation standpoint but takes up more space than other audio options, We will not use this in our application.
...
For simplicity’s sake we should focus on only a limited number of audio formats. One will be mp3, to support old oral histories and for broad compatibility for streaming/download use by most users. To support lossless storage of audio files (WAVs and others) we will use Fully Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) files. If WAV files exist along with MP3 files, the WAV files should take precedence given they are lossless and uncompressed and are therefore of a higher quality than the compressed lossy MP3 format. Such files will need to be converted to the FLAC format for ingestion into the Digital Collections.
Benefits:
- The flac file standard reduces the size of a WAV file to 50-60% of the size of the original file. This cuts down storage costs and data transfer costs and time.
- FLAC is also a well supported audio standard with an open source license.
...