Intelligent Sound

Proprietary formats are file formats with an opaque presentation of data and unlike open formats; their specifications are not publicly available. They are generally controlled by a private person or organization and can be protected with patents or copyrights. The copyrights provide the exclusive control over the technology to the license holder. These formats are developed by software companies to encode data produced by their applications since they prevent Reverse engineering.

The different types that constitute the format are listed below.

mp3 - MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3) is an audio-specific encoding format that uses a form of lossy data compression. A common audio format for consumer audio storage, it is popular for downloading and storing music. MP3 files are compressed to around one-tenth the size of an equivalent PCM file and provide good quality audio by eliminating inaudible portions of the audio file.

1. wma – Windows Media Audio was developed by Microsoft and designed with DRM abilities for copy protection. The audio data compression technology is a proprietary technology and a part of the Windows Media framework. It consists of four distinct codecs - WMA, WMA Pro, WMA Lossless and WMA Voice.
2. atrac – It is a family of proprietary audio compression algorithms that was developed by Sony. Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding has a .wav file extension. It is used in many Sony-branded audio players.
3. ra – Real Audio was developed by RealNetworks and uses a variety of audio codecs. These audio codecs can be used over dialup modems and high-fidelity formats for music. The format can also be used as a streaming audio format that is played at the same time as it is downloaded. They have a .ra file extension.
4. ram – It is a text file containing a link to the Internet address where the Real Audio file is stored. It has a .ram file extension and doesn’t contain any audio data in itself.
5. dss – Digital Speech Standard files are old and poor codecs. They are Olympus proprietary formats that allow additional data to be held in the file header.
6. msv – It is a format for voice files that are Memory Stick compressed. It was developed by Sony.
7. dvf – It is a proprietary format developed by Sony, for compressed voice files. The format is commonly used by Sony dictation recorders.
8. IVS – The version was developed by 3D Solar UK Ltd with DRM, for use in music downloaded from Tronme Music Store and interactive music and video player.
9. m4p – The multimedia container format is a proprietary version of AAC in MP4 with DRM. The format was developed by Apple for music downloaded from iTunes Music Store.
10. iklax – It is a multi-track digital audio format that allows various actions on musical data, like mixing and volume arrangements.
11. mxp4 – The format allows play of different versions of the same song. The Musinaut proprietary format also allows interactivity sessions between the artist and the end user.
12. 3gp – The multimedia container format contains proprietary formats like AMR, AMR-WB or AMR-WB+ and some open formats too.
13. amr – The AMR-NB audio is primarily used for speech.
14. awb – The AMR-WB audio is primarily used for speech.