There are many ways in which we can enjoy a good song or any sound file. These different ways in which they are offered to us are called formats, and they give the content different characteristics. Very prominent are the two formats that we will see today: mp3 and mp4.
Despite being known to be audio tracks, the truth is that the latter is not exactly in audio format. But, come on, that’s something we’re going to look at next when we see What are each of them and what are their differences?.
As an addition we have also included, and at the end of the article, a double classification of audio format typesso that you can know exactly where they are and what their characteristics are based on said classifications.
What is the MP3 format and what features does it have?
MP3 is an audio format used to store compressed sound data, obtaining tracks that can be played on certain devices. both portable and desktop (computers, DVD players, consoles, speakers and other home sound systems…). Its extension is .mp3.
Its development comes hand in hand with Moving Picture Experts Group and was born to be part of the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 standards. Although, it is worth mentioning that what was initially sought was the transfer of musical data through the use of telephone lines. It was in 1992 when the ISO it goes on to consider it an audio compression standard.
It is a format that is patented and that includes a lossy algorithm. Considering the format classifications that we will see later, we have that this is a lossy compressed proprietary audio format.
compression of this type of audio format can be done with different bitrates per second (bit/s), obtaining results, as is logical, of different quality and size and requiring more or less time for it.
Compression can be performed up to the point of obtaining tracks reduced up to 15 times with respect to the original. This makes, together with other of its characteristics, that it is a very popular format due to that versatility.
Its structure includes several plots, which have:
- A header: Indicates to the player that a valid frame is started, beginning the execution of the file.
- The corresponding file datawhich are made up of MPEG-bitwhich will be used by the player for said execution.
These aspects form a sequence call Stream Elemental. Each of these frames, with its corresponding header and data, is independent, and can be cut and reproduced on any device.
His greatest milestone comes to be the first of the formats that became popular with the use of the internetWell, it served, and continues to serve, for file exchangeboth in P2P networks as well as on platforms for buying tracks and music clips.
So much so that it is considered a universal standard, being one of those with a greater variety of devices that can reproduce it, being able to reproduce it practically anywhereeither in a physical player or in a digital one.
What is the MP4 format and what features does it have?
MP4, or MPEG-4 part 14, is a container that includes both an audio track and a video, encoded in different formats. The result is a single file based on MOVwhich is a video format. .
It also works with a compression algorithm that allows a very good audio-video optimizationoffering a high final quality. Compression can be given up to 16:1.
Main differences between mp3 vs mp4 audio formats
Let’s see what is clearly different between mp3 and mp4 as file playback formats:
- Function. They are developed for listening to music and viewing videos and images respectively. This offers us the clear and main difference: they don’t even have the same objective, although we can easily use the mp4 to listen to songs, of course.
- Form. The .mp3 format is a mere compression of audio files. In contrast, .mp4 is based on MOV, a video format, being a container that includes both an audio track and a video (or image) track that are produced by encoding, offering a single final product.
- compression and csound quality. The mp3 compression is much higher, so the loss of quality is too. For this reason, mp4 is sometimes used only to listen to music (even if it is played in conjunction with video), thus preserving high quality.
- Players. The MP4 player is a complete container that includes a higher compression of the mp4 files (not the data), so they offer a high storage capacity. Under similar conditions, the mp3 player can accommodate less content.
How many types of audio formats are there?
Audio formats can be classified based on whether the data stored in them are they compressed or not and, if so, whether or not they have loss.
Uncompressed audio formats
- The main one is PCMwhich is filed as .wav (based on a RIFF) for Windows systems and as .aiff (based on IFF) for MACs. Both versions are flexible and allow the storage of multiple combinations of bitrate or sample rate, making them ideal to make recordings.
- CDA it is small and used to access the different parts of a Compact Disc.
- BWF is a standard format that the European Union created to replace .wav. allows the meta-data storage. It is used in professional editing programs.
- BWF is a format that has a time stamp and that is easily synchronized with images.
Compressed audio formats
- Lossy Compressed Audio Formats: When encoding the data, a part of it disappears, it is lost. This occurs because a process is carried out which, because it is shorter in time, reduces the quality of the result but you get other benefits like sbe faster when opened and take up less space.
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- We have already seen that the .mp3 falls into this category.
- ACC offers files of greater lightness and same quality than the previous one. It became popular as the use of iTunes spread.
- OGG is a free version from .mp3 or .ACC, so there is no patent restriction. Ideal for being open but worse supported for not being so well known.
- Lossless compressed audio formats: These are formats that require a longer processing time, making efficient use of the space they need and achieving a compression ratio 2:1. They use the same number of bits for both sound and silence compression.
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- The best known and used is FLACbeing A THE C the corresponding one for Apple. It’s lighter than an uncompressed file, but for obvious reasons it’s still big, keeping the original audio quality.
- MP3HD turns out to be a improved version of MP3, with high quality, typical of a .wav. Offers compatibility with MP3 players.
Open or proprietary audio formats
Finally, we leave another interesting classification, which results from knowing if these audio formats are open or proprietary.
She is serious:
- Proprietary or closed formats. They are protected by rights or patents with the main purpose of preventing their operation, their parts or their design from being known.
- Open formats. The data organized by open standards is stored without restrictions regarding its access.
- Free open formats. There is freedom regarding the use we give it.
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