WavPack

File Format
Name	WavPack
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Audio and Music WavPack
Extension(s)	.wv, .wvc
Released	1998

WavPack is a compressed audio file format, and associated open source software.

Though the compression algorithm is fundamentally lossless, there is a standard way to reduce the sample precision if desired, to make it a lossy format. The "lost" information does not have to be thrown away; in "hybrid" mode it is saved in a companion .wvc file.

The v4.0 format, while loosely based on previous versions, has undergone major redesign.

In addition to being a standalone format, WavPack is one of the compression methods permitted in ZIP files (as of ZIP spec version 6.3.2), where it is compression type 97. It's not one of the commonly-found types, though, since most ZIP files stick to the more widely implemented formats, mostly DEFLATE (#8).

Specifications

• WavPack 4.0 File / Block Format

Software

• WavPack Windows binaries
• WavPack binaries for various *nix platforms
• Software supporting WavPack
• WavPack 4.60 Library Documentation

Sample files

• dexvert samples — audio/wavPack

Links

• WavPack web site
• Wikipedia article
• WavPack section from David Salomon's book 'Data Compression: The Complete Reference' (PDF link)