This page contains information on the AAC file extension (Advanced Audio Coding), a popular video file format

AAC AAC (Audio)

File extension .aac
Category Audio File
Description AAC is similar to MP3. It essentially cuts out, or compresses, information that the human ear cannot pick up thereby making digital files smaller and more easily managed and therefore quicker to download. AAC is about half the size of MP3 but with better quality. It is at least one tenth the size of CD digital data. Apple are the biggest users of this format and if you have an iPod or iPhone then you will have come across this format as it is iTunes default audio format.
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Technical Details AAC is similar in concept to MP3 but goes further. It too compresses digital audio files but to a bigger degree. It is also part of the MPEG-4 standard, it is most widely used to create small digital audio files. The current variant is specified in ISO/IEC standard 14496-3. Like MP3, AAC is a lossy algorithm. The human hearing system cannot hear quiet sounds in the presence of loud sounds of a similar frequency; for example, a voice conversation cannot be heard while an aeroplane flies low overhead. This is known as auditory masking, this allows the discarding of data with minimal loss of quality.
Associated programs
  • iTunes
  • Windows Media Player
  • RealPlayer
  • KMPlayer
  • VideoLAN VLC Media Player
Developed by A combination of Fraunhofer IIS, AT&T Bell Laboratories, Dolby and Sony Corporation
MIME type
  • audio/aac
Useful links

AAC Convert AAC file

Using Zamzar, it is possible to convert AAC files to a variety of other formats

AAC Converter Audio