iOS FLAC Support Coming?

[The Computer Audiophile]

Thanks to one of the CA readers for letting me know about this development.

 

http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/06/06/inside-ios-11-early-flac-audio-playback-comes-to-ios-via-new-files-app

[mjb]

It would be especially nice to have FLAC support in macOS too, but unfortunately there's no news of that yet.

[Albrecht]

4 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Thanks to one of the CA readers for letting me know about this development.

 

http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/06/06/inside-ios-11-early-flac-audio-playback-comes-to-ios-via-new-files-app

Interesting development, when ALAC is so prevalent in their system. I have long felt that their shift to streaming means the gradual end of AIFF. AIFF and the old tradition of having your own music that you've purchased, in your house, (by album), is the antithesis of the new system of renting streaming music.

FWIW, no compressed file is allowed inside my house: I would never ask one of my players to unpack and play.

Cheers,

 

[Ralf11]

I am surprised to hear someone say lossless compression is a problem.

[Speed Racer]

I hope he meant "lossy compressed" and not "compressed". Both FLAC and ALAC are lossless compressed and, obviously, should not be an issue.

[tmtomh]

49 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

I am surprised to hear someone say lossless compression is a problem.

 

There are way too many people at CA (although IMHO even 1 is way too many when it comes to this issue) who say lossless compression is a problem.

[Speed Racer]

36 minutes ago, tmtomh said:

 

There are way too many people at CA (although IMHO even 1 is way too many when it comes to this issue) who say lossless compression is a problem.

 

What is their logic, flawed as it might be?

[wgscott]

1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

I am surprised to hear someone say lossless compression is a problem.

 

You new in town, stranger?

[wgscott]

28 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

 

What is their logic, flawed as it might be?

 

The claim is that the processing involved in uncompressing a losslessly compressed file creates audible noise and perhaps signal degradation (despite the unpacking occurring prior to playback).  There are also more extreme versions that claim even bit-identical files can sound different upon playback, depending upon their previous history, including the power supply used for ripping a CD on a computer, for example, or what protocol was used for internet transfer.  Also there is a suggestion that wav sounds different (usually better) than aiff, and both of these sound better than flac, which is better than alac.  Then of course there is the question of how metadata impact the sound quality, big/little endian, degree of defragmentation, and so on.

[MarkS]

?

[AudioDoctor]

Here we go...

 

< starts making the popcorn.

[MarkS]

6 minutes ago, wgscott said:

 

The claim is that the processing involved in uncompressing a losslessly compressed file creates audible noise and perhaps signal degradation (despite the unpacking occurring prior to playback).  There are also more extreme versions that claim even bit-identical files can sound different upon playback, depending upon their previous history, including the power supply used for ripping a CD on a computer, for example, or what protocol was used for internet transfer.  Also there is a suggestion that wav sounds different (usually better) than aiff, and both of these sound better than flac, which is better than alac.  Then of course there is the question of how metadata impact the sound quality, big/little endian, degree of defragmentation, and so on.

 

?

[Speed Racer]

4 minutes ago, wgscott said:

 

The claim is that the processing involved in uncompressing a losslessly compressed file creates audible noise and perhaps signal degradation (despite the unpacking occurring prior to playback).  There are also more extreme versions that claim even bit-identical files can sound different upon playback, depending upon their previous history, including the power supply used for ripping a CD on a computer, for example, or what protocol was used for internet transfer.  Also there is a suggestion that wav sounds different (usually better) than aiff, and both of these sound better than flac, which is better than alac.  Then of course there is the question of how metadata impact the sound quality, big/little endian, degree of defragmentation, and so on.

 

Seriously? That makes the cable wars look downright reasonable!!

[wgscott]

It's all here.  Part of the history.  Just dig around a bit.

[ted_b]

Or just do FLAC uncompressed and be done with it.

[Speed Racer]

1 minute ago, ted_b said:

Or just do FLAC uncompressed and be done with it.

 

Why?? Compressing a file is going to have no affect on sound quality.

[wgscott]

7 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

 

Why?? Compressing a file is going to have no affect on sound quality.

 

 

[jamesg11]

2 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

 

Why?? Compressing a file is going to have no affect on sound quality.

Just in case ... some measurements, sometime, prove you're wrong ...

[Speed Racer]

35 minutes ago, jamesg11 said:

Just in case ... some measurements, sometime, prove you're wrong ...

 

Lossless compression? Do you have a link to some valid science?

 

I'd be more worried about Sun spots.

[firedog]

3 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

 

Why?? Compressing a file is going to have no affect on sound quality.

You had to post that?  Here comes the argument again....

 

[firedog]

3 hours ago, ted_b said:

Or just do FLAC uncompressed and be done with it.

ted-

you forgot that just having either a flac shell (as opposed to a wav shell) or having metadata written to the file (flac) can cause changes in SQ......

[Speed Racer]

I can't wait to hear how a bit perfect file can sound different depending on the power supply used on the CD drive used to rip the file. Anyone that floats that idea has zero idea how computers work....

[Miska]

Just remember that using an uncompressed file increases amount of data to be transferred from the storage, which itself tends to be more noisy process than decompression...

 

Anyway, given the amount of DSP processing I run in the computer, decompressing FLAC doesn't make a slightest difference compared to the amount of work that happens after the decompression.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Let's not go down this path again. Keep this topic about possible FLAC support in iOS. 

[GregWormald]

FLAC is currently easily playable on an iPhone. There is even a free app for it in the iTunes store. 

 

A quick search for iOS or iPhone and FLAC will give you options.

 

Greg