3. Lossy algorithms provide greater compression rates and are used in mainstream consumer audio devices.
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6. Editing Audio engineers use lossless compression for audio editing to avoid digital generation loss.
7. High fidelity playback Audiophiles prefer lossless compression formats to avoid compression artifacts.
8. Mastering of casual-use audio media High quality master copies of recordings are used to produce lossily compressed versions for digital audio players. As formats and encoders improve, updated lossily compressed files may be generated from the lossless master.
9. As file storage and communications bandwidth have become less expensive and more available, lossless audio compression has become more popular.
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11. Lossy audio compression Lossy audio compression is used in an extremely wide range of applications. In addition to the direct applications (mp3 players or computers), digitally compressed audio streams are used in most video DVDs; digital television; streaming media on the internet; satellite and cable radio. Lossy compression typically achieves far greater compression than lossless compression (data of 5 percent to 20 percent of the original stream, rather than 50 percent to 60 percent), by discarding less-critical data.
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13. Usability Usability of lossy audio codecs is determined by: Perceived audio quality Compression factor Speed of compression and decompression