This page contains information on the FLAC file extension (Free Lossless Audio Codec), a popular video file format

FLAC FLAC (Audio)

File extension .flac
Category Audio File
Description Free Lossless Audio Codec, or FLAC for short, is an audio compression technique. It is a lossless compression type meaning that the compression takes place without data being discarded. FLAC is an open source codec. FLAC is a format that is recommended to those backing up a CD collection because the sound quality will remain high, whereas MP3 compression will result in a deterioration compared to the original.
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Technical Details Using FLAC to compress an audio file to approximately 50% of its original size. The main benefits of a FLAC file in addition to it being lossless is that it can be used for streaming, and decoding is fast, allowing for real time decoding to take place. A FLAC file also contains several data integrity checks in the header file. The metadata associated with the audio has been future proofed also to allow new fields to be defined without impacting existing decoders.
Associated programs
  • Windows Media Player
  • VLC Media Player
  • Real Player
Developed by Xiph.Org Foundation
MIME type
  • audio/x-flac
  • audio/flac
Useful links

FLAC Convert FLAC file

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

FLAC Converter Audio