FLAC
Technology & Computing abbreviation · File Format
| Stands for | Free Lossless Audio Codec |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, a file format abbreviation.
Open, royalty-free audio format that compresses audio without any loss of quality, typically to 50 to 70 percent of the original size. Audiophiles and download stores use it for CD-quality and high-resolution music.
Example: Bandcamp lets me download the album in FLAC, so I get CD quality in smaller files.
Usage notes
Josh Coalson released FLAC 1.0 in 2001, and the Xiph.Org Foundation has hosted it since 2003. Decoding a FLAC file reproduces the original samples bit for bit, unlike MP3 or AAC. Windows 10, Android and iOS 11 added native playback. It supports up to 32-bit samples and multichannel audio, with metadata stored in Vorbis comment tags. Pronounced "flack".
Related abbreviations
More file format abbreviations
- EML – Email message file
- EPS – Encapsulated PostScript
- EPUB – Electronic Publication
- EXE – Executable file
- EXIF – Exchangeable image file format
- FBX – Filmbox
- FLV – Flash Video
- GIF – Graphics Interchange Format
- glTF – GL Transmission Format
- GPX – GPS Exchange Format
- GZ – gzip compressed file
- H.264 – ITU-T H.264 video coding standard