Windows Media Audio
| Windows Media Audio | |
|---|---|
| File extension : |
.wma
|
| MIME type : | audio / x-ms-wma |
| Developed by: | Microsoft |
| Type: | ASF |
Windows Media Audio ( WMA ) is a proprietary audio - codec from Microsoft and part of the Windows Media platform.
WMA is used for audio data compression and is usually used with lossy compression , comparable to the MP3 process. The codec supports up to 24 bit / 96 kHz with a variable bit rate of up to 768 kb / s and surround sound with up to 7.1 channels. There is also a version that is explicitly designed for source material with voices ( Windows Media Audio Voice , ACELP ), as well as the lossless codec Windows Media Audio Lossless .
The standard lossy compression method of WMA is based on the same principle as MP3 compression: after conversion into a frequency-amplitude domain, masking effects (near frequencies that are indistinguishable) or tones that are generally not audible ( hearing limit ) are deleted . This saves storage space.
WMA -encoded audio streams are usually in ASF - container embedded. In the case of a pure audio file, the file names usually have the extension .wma . The content type is audio/x-ms-wma.
WMA also supports the integration of DRM copy protection, which is why the format can be found in many online music shops .
In addition to Windows Media Player and other DirectX -based software players, some standalone hardware players can also decode WMA .
More audio codecs
Other methods and formats of digital audio data compression are: AAC , ATRAC , MP3 , Musepack , Opus , Vorbis , Speex .