MP3
The full name of MP3 is Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer III. Simply put, MP3 is an audio compression technology. Since the full name of this compression method is MPEG Audio Layer3, people call it MP3 for short. MP3 uses MPEG Audio Layer 3 technology to compress music into files with a smaller capacity at a compression rate of 1:10 or even 1:12. In other words, it can compress the file to a smaller size with little loss of sound quality. To a small degree. And it also maintains the original sound quality very well. It is precisely because of the small size and high sound quality of MP3 that the MP3 format has become almost synonymous with online music. The MP3 format of music per minute is only about 1MB in size, so each song is only 3-4 megabytes in size. Use an MP3 player to decompress (decode) MP3 files in real time, so that high-quality MP3 music can be played.
WMA: The most powerful enemy
WMA (Windows MediaAudio) format is a heavyweight player from Microsoft. It has a tough background and its sound quality is better than MP3 format and even better than RA. format, which is the same as the VQF format developed by Japan's YAMAHA company. It achieves a higher compression rate than MP3 by reducing data traffic but maintaining sound quality. The compression rate of WMA can generally reach about 1:18. One advantage is that content providers can add copy protection through DRM (Digital Centers Management) solutions such as Windows Media Centers Manager 7. This built-in copyright protection technology can limit the playback time, number of plays, and even the playing machine, etc. This is good news for music companies that are troubled by piracy. In addition, WMA also supports audio streaming (Stream) technology, suitable for online playback on the Internet. As Microsoft's pioneer in seizing online music, it can be said that it is technologically leading and has strong popularity. What's more convenient is that there is no need to install an additional player like MP3, and the Windows operating system and Windows Media Player are seamless. Bundling allows you to directly play WMA music as long as you install the Windows operating system. The new version of Windows Media Player 7.0 adds the function of directly converting CD discs to WMA sound format. In the new operating system Windows XP, WMA is the default Encoding format, everyone knows what happened to Netscape, and now the "wolf" is coming again. WMA is a format that allows you to adjust the sound quality during recording. In the same format, the sound quality is comparable to CD, and the compression rate is higher and can be used for network broadcasting. Although it is not very popular on the Internet now, it has been recognized and strongly supported by more and more sites due to Microsoft's large-scale promotion. In the field of online music, it is close to *.mp3. In terms of online radio, it is also becoming more popular. Divide the world created by Real. Therefore, almost all audio formats feel the pressure of WMA format.
RealAudio flowing melody
RealAudio is mainly suitable for online music appreciation on the Internet. Most users are still using 56Kbps or lower rate Modem, so typical playback Not the best sound quality. Some download sites will prompt you to choose the best Real file based on your Modem speed. There are currently several real file formats: RA (RealAudio), RM (RealMedia, RealAudioG2), RMX (RealAudioSecured), and more. The characteristic of these formats is that the sound quality can change with different network bandwidths, allowing listeners with richer bandwidth to obtain better sound quality while ensuring that most people can hear smooth sound.