What Are Format And Bit Rate; What Is Audio Format - Sony Walkman NW-A805 Operation Manual

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Advanced Features

What are Format and Bit Rate?

What is audio format?

The format of a song refers to the method used by SonicStage to store the
song's audio information when songs are imported to SonicStage from the
Internet or audio CDs.
Common formats include MP3, WMA and ATRAC, etc.
MP3: MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer3) is a common audio compression
technology developed by the MPEG working group of the ISO (International
Organization for Standardization).
MP3 can compress audio files to about 1/10 the size of standard CD audio files.
WMA: WMA (Windows Media Audio) is a common audio compression
technology developed by Microsoft Corporation. The WMA format produces
the same sound quality as that of the MP3 format with smaller file size.
ATRAC: ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) is a general term used
to refer to ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus and ATRAC Advanced Lossless formats.
ATRAC3 is an audio compression technology that satisfies the demand for
both high sound quality and high compression rates. ATRAC3 can compress
audio files to about 1/10 the size of standard CD audio files. ATRAC3plus, a
more advanced version of ATRAC3, can compress audio files to about 1/20 the
size of standard CD audio files. "ATRAC Advanced Lossless" is an audio
compression technology for recording without deterioration. To maintain
playback compatibility with conventional devices, this technology records data
by compressing CD music data to approximately 30-80%* of its original size in
combination with audio compression technology "ATRAC3" or "ATRAC3plus. "
* Compression rate depends on song.
AAC: AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is a common audio compression
technology developed by the MPEG working group of the ISO (International
Organization for Standardization). The AAC format produces the same sound
quality as that of the MP3 format, with a smaller file size.
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