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Celestial Traveler
Random Observer



Registered: 03/03/11
Posts: 7,639
Loc: Idaho
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What is FLAC and should I download FLAC or mp3?
#23795313 - 11/02/16 05:37 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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I've been downloading some music recently with the ability to choose between FLAC and mp3. Are the only differences between the two formats that mp3 takes up less file space, and FLAC has better sound quality?
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thebug76
2 years in.



Registered: 05/31/15
Posts: 557
Loc: North of the equater and ...
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FLAC is Free Lossless Audio Codec. It is able to provide a perfect copy with half the disk space. Quality is the same.
-------------------- Bug
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Celestial Traveler
Random Observer



Registered: 03/03/11
Posts: 7,639
Loc: Idaho
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Re: What is FLAC and should I download FLAC or mp3? [Re: thebug76]
#23795762 - 11/02/16 08:20 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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So why would anyone ever choose the mp3 option over FLAC?
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thebug76
2 years in.



Registered: 05/31/15
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Loc: North of the equater and ...
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Some players can't play a flac file. That's probably the only reason mp3 even still exists.
-------------------- Bug
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beforethedawn
Registered: 06/19/16
Posts: 1,859
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Re: What is FLAC and should I download FLAC or mp3? [Re: thebug76]
#23801036 - 11/04/16 04:01 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Use VLC Media Player, plays FLAC. I think maybe MP3 is still used because of disk space requirements.
-------------------- Hostile humankind Can't you see you're fucking blind?
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beforethedawn
Registered: 06/19/16
Posts: 1,859
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Re: What is FLAC and should I download FLAC or mp3? [Re: thebug76]
#23801356 - 11/04/16 05:57 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
thebug76 said: FLAC is Free Lossless Audio Codec. It is able to provide a perfect copy with half the disk space. Quality is the same.
Did you mean MP3 is less disk space? Pretty sure FLAC takes more than mp3, usually about 20mb total per song.
-------------------- Hostile humankind Can't you see you're fucking blind?
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thebug76
2 years in.



Registered: 05/31/15
Posts: 557
Loc: North of the equater and ...
Last seen: 3 months, 26 days
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Re: What is FLAC and should I download FLAC or mp3? [Re: beforethedawn]
#23801464 - 11/04/16 06:25 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
beforethedawn said:
Quote:
thebug76 said: FLAC is Free Lossless Audio Codec. It is able to provide a perfect copy with half the disk space. Quality is the same.
Did you mean MP3 is less disk space? Pretty sure FLAC takes more than mp3, usually about 20mb total per song.
This article states that it provides a bit-perfect copy with half the space.
https://www.cnet.com/news/what-is-flac-the-high-def-mp3-explained/
-------------------- Bug
Edited by thebug76 (11/04/16 06:26 PM)
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beforethedawn
Registered: 06/19/16
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Re: What is FLAC and should I download FLAC or mp3? [Re: thebug76]
#23802234 - 11/05/16 12:21 AM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Oh it's LESS than MP3? Interesting! Well that's cool, I'd go the FLAC then. A lot of my discographies are FLAC. Sound much betta.
-------------------- Hostile humankind Can't you see you're fucking blind?
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PatrickKn


Registered: 07/10/11
Posts: 20,564
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Re: What is FLAC and should I download FLAC or mp3? [Re: beforethedawn]
#23802249 - 11/05/16 12:36 AM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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FLAC is half the size of the data that is on a CD, not half the size of an MP3. FLACs are still much larger than MP3s.
MP3s should sound the same as FLACs if they are properly transferred from the original (digital) files the song was recorded on (and if they are in a high enough bit rate). FLACs are good because they will not degrade when you turn them into MP3s or WAVs (or whatever else), however taking and MP3 and turning it into a WAV file will lead to lost and distorted sounds, even if they are minor. They can be moved into other formats as many times as you want, hence "lossless".
If you had an MP3 as your original sound file, you'd lose or distort sound every time you say... uploaded to youtube or soundcloud for example. FLAC is essentially the source sound file bit for bit that you would get off a CD and without the distortion of constant format changes that a regular file might if it were passed around a lot.
Edited by PatrickKn (11/05/16 12:44 AM)
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beforethedawn
Registered: 06/19/16
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Re: What is FLAC and should I download FLAC or mp3? [Re: PatrickKn]
#23802417 - 11/05/16 03:13 AM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Oh I see. Ta.
-------------------- Hostile humankind Can't you see you're fucking blind?
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Byrain

Registered: 01/07/10
Posts: 9,664
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Re: What is FLAC and should I download FLAC or mp3? [Re: beforethedawn]
#23802887 - 11/05/16 10:06 AM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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I would suggest ogg vorbis for lossy and flac for lossless. I only use mp3 if that is the only format I can find the music in.
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