Sustainability of Digital Formats
 Planning for Library of Congress Collections

Format Description Categories >> Browse Alphabetical List>> Back

Identification and description

Full name	Matroska File Format with LPCM Audio Encoding
Description	Matroska file containing an essence encoded as Linear Pulse Code Modulated audio.
Production phase	Middle state, used for storage or archiving
Relationship to other formats
Has subtype	Matroska, Matroska Multimedia Container
Contains	LPCM, Linear Pulse Code Modulated Audio
May contain	Video essences and other elements, not described at this time.

Local use

LC experience or existing holdings	None
LC preference

Sustainability factors

Disclosure	Both Mastroska and LPCM are open standards. Matroska is an offshoot of the Multimedia Container Format project.
Documentation	The Matroska specification is published online at http://www.matroska.org/technical/specs/index.html. The history of PCM is varied and extends back to at least the 1930s. For a discussion of its history and documentation see LPCM.
Adoption	Modest adoption of this combination of Matroska and LPCM. One example can be found on the website of the Canadian Archivematica project.
Licensing and patents	See Matroska and LPCM
Transparency	See Matroska and LPCM
Self-documentation	See Matroska and LPCM
External dependencies	See Matroska and LPCM
Technical protection considerations	See Matroska and LPCM

Quality and functionality factors

File type signifiers

Tag	Value	Note

Notes

General
History

Format specifications

• Matroska Specification (http://matroska.org/technical/specs/index.html ).
• Menu page for Audio Engineering Society standards. (http://www.aes.org/publications/standards/). Includes AES3-2003 (AES standard for digital audio -- Digital input-output interfacing -- Serial transmission format for two-channel linearly represented digital audio data) and AES5-2003 (AES recommended practice for professional digital audio -- Preferred sampling frequencies for applications employing pulse-code modulation).
• Site with access to Multimedia Programming Interface and Data Specifications 1.0. (http://www.tactilemedia.com/info/MCI_Control_Info.html). The document concerns the use of LPCM in WAVE files and was produced by the IBM Corporation and the Microsoft Corporation, August 1991.
• Menu page for IEC standards. (http://webstore.iec.ch/webstore/webstore.nsf/artnum/023623). Includes IEC 60908 Ed. 2.0 Bilingual, Audio recording - Compact disc digital audio system.

Useful references