Details: File format summary

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Properties

Summary
Name	FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)
Version	1.2.1
Other names
Identifiers	MIME: audio/flac PUID: fmt/279
Family
Classification	Audio
Disclosure
Description	FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, an audio format similar to MP3, but lossless, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. The basic structure of a FLAC stream is: •The four byte string "fLaC" •The STREAMINFO metadata block •Zero or more other metadata blocks •One or more audio frames The first four bytes are to identify the FLAC stream. The metadata that follows contains all the information about the stream except for the audio data itself. After the metadata comes the encoded audio data.
Orientation
Byte order
Related file formats	None.
Technical Environment
Released	17 Sep 2007
Supported until
Format Risk
Developed by	None.
Supported by	None.
Source	The National Archives and Records Administration / The National Archives and Records Administration
Source date	29 Jul 2010
Source description	Further information about this file format can be obtained at: http://flac.sourceforge.net/documentation_format_overview.html
Last updated	28 Aug 2012
Note