MPEG and FLAC explained
MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 program streams are the formats behind Video CDs and DVDs. They are decades old and very inefficient by modern standards.
FLAC compresses audio losslessly, typically to about half the size of WAV. Decompressed, it is bit-for-bit identical to the original — the compression is mathematical, not perceptual.
- Where MPEG files come from
- DVD rips, old camcorders and broadcast archives.
- Where FLAC is used
- Hi-fi music libraries and archival rips of physical media.