WavPack 4.0 Beta Release 2, including sources Options

[bryant]

The second beta release of WavPack 4.0 includes the following:

• stable format (beta1 files okay too; beta1 decoder obsolete)
• decodes and plays legacy WavPack files (vers 1.0 to 3.97)
• sources available with new decoding library

download win32 executables plus winamp2/5 & foobar2000 plugins
download sources

This post has been edited by bryant: May 14 2004, 08:06

[glauco]

TEST MACHINE

Intel Pentium 4 2,4 GHz. 512 MB DDR RAM (266). HDD Maxtor 80 GB 5400 rpm.


TEST FILES

40 files of 1:40 each, fragments of popular songs by Aerosmith, Babyface, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Metallica, Mike Oldfield, Phil Collin, Queen, Santana, The Cranberries, U2 and many more.


TEST NOTES

Note that, as the fragments are from the middle of the songs, they are quite loud, without the quieter parts of the beginNing and the end. Thus, the compression ratio is worse than what can be reached with the whole file; or, if you prefer, representative of the "worst case" scenario.

Also note that for the fastest compression and decompression modes the HDD can be the speed limitation factor. In this test a virtual RAM disk was created, but in some modes it's not enough.


WAV

size: 705601760 bytes ; play time: 66 min 40 seg


APE 3.97

extra high

size: 461848484 bytes ; compress ratio: 65,45 % ; compress time: 281 seg ; speed: 14,23 x Real Time ; decompress time: 281 seg


normal

size: 467814038 bytes ; compress ratio: 66,30 % ; compress time: 132 seg ; speed: 30,30 x Real Time ; decompress time: 132 seg


APE 3.99

extra high

size: 461140873 bytes ; ompress ratio: 65,35 % ; compress time: 287 seg ; speed: 13,39 x Real Time ; decompress time: 287 seg

normal

size: 467440393 bytes ; compress ratio: 66,24 % ; compress time: 114 seg ; speed: 35,08 x Real Time ; decompress time: 114 seg

(oddly, this mode my build is noticebly slower when there is actual printing in the shell)


FLAC 1.10

-5

size: 483974150 bytes ; compress ratio: 68,59 % ; compress time: 100 seg ; speed: 40 x Real Time ; decompress time: 56 seg ; speed: 71,42 x Real Time


Wavpack 3.97

-h

size: 469534294 bytes ; ompress ratio: 66,54 % ; compress time: 157 seg ; speed: 25,47 x Real Time ; decompress time: 157 seg

(default)

size: 479243959 bytes ; compress ratio: 67,92 % ; compress time: 68 seg ; speed: 58,8 x Real Time ; decompress time: 68 seg

-f

size: 503378455 bytes ; compress ratio: 71,34 % ; compress time: 36 seg ; speed: 111 x Real Time ; decompress time: 36 seg


Wavpack 4.0 beta 2

-h

size: 469887121 bytes ; compress ratio: 66,59 % ; compress time: 152 seg ; speed: 26,31 x Real Time ; decompress time: 120 seg ; speed: 33,33 x Real Time

(default)

size: 479514963 bytes ; compress ratio: 67,95 % ; compress time: 85 seg ; speed: 47,05 x Real Time ; decompress time: 67 seg

New assymetric modes

-hx4

size: 469180661 bytes ; compress ratio: 66,49 % ; compress time: 2130 seg ; speed: 1,88 x Real Time ; decompress time: 120 seg ; speed: 33,33 x Real Time

-x4

size: 475361364 bytes ; compress ratio: 67,37 % ; compress time: 1399 seg ; speed: 2,86 x Real Time ; decompress time: 67 seg ; speed: 59,7 x Real Time

-fx6

size: 485107697 bytes ; compress ratio: 68,75 % ; compress time: 704 seg ; speed: 5,68 x Real Time ; decompress time: 51 seg ; speed: 78,46 x Real Time


SOME CONCLUSIONS

Wavpack 4 combines all the good points of MonkeyAudio AND Flac and much more:

· Good compression ratios
· Fast compression and decompression
· Fast seeking
· Lossless and hybrid modes
· Symmetric and asymmetric modes
· Public source
· Quality based VBR modes (in the near future, I hope).

If you have a fast CPU, you system is probably HDD limited. Then the fast modes are not any faster for you.

Asymmetric -x4 has the same decoding speed of flac, but more compression. Asymmetric -fx6 has the more decoding speed of flac, with roughly the same compression.