Shorten (file format)

Shorten ( SHN ) is a digital method for lossless audio data compression.

Shorten is a format for space-saving storage of PCM wave files at 44.1 kHz 16 -bit Stereo with low complexity and therefore is fast and requires little memory. Shorten files use the file name extension. Shn.

The format is technically outdated. Newer audio codecs ( FLAC, Monkey's Audio ( " APE " ), True Audio, WavPack ) offer enhanced functionality to compress effectively surpass Shorten in speed, are more flexible, stand on significant platforms available that offer a clearer / more clear licensing situation will be continued to develop and provide support for metadata, ReplayGain.

History

The Shorten algorithm and its reference implementation originally developed 1992/1993 by Tony Robinson, first at the University of Cambridge and later with Soft Sound Ltd. The last version was published by him 2.3a version. The source code was made available under a generous non- commercial license.

There are many free versions and developments to integrate search information for a rapid light any reproduction positions, so-called seek tables or settle in a separate file to be in the direct reproduction of a Shorten file fast (er) s Pounce any positions within a to enable file without complete decoding of any previous data.

Since that time stood as a free alternative format, it quickly reached high popularity. Although the process is no longer on the state of the time and has numerous weaknesses, Shorten remains a popular format, mainly because it is well established in bootleg exchanger communities as etree as lossless compressed is method and many concert recordings are encoded in this format. It is estimated the cross-platform availability and the large number of experienced users. But here is now partly changed to more modern formats.