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Matroska File Format with MP3 Audio Encoding

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Format Description Properties Explanation of format description terms

Identification and description Explanation of format description terms

Full name Matroska File Format with MP3 Audio Encoding
Description

Matroska file containing an audio essence encoded as MP3.

Supported encodings are declared via the unique Codec ID in the Matroska Codec Mappings. For MP3 files, the information is the following:

  • Codec ID: A_MPEG/L3
  • Codec Name: MPEG Audio 1, 2, 2.5 Layer III
  • Description: The data contain everything needed for playback in the MPEG Audio header of each frame. Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : 0x0055
  • Initialization: none
Production phase Generally a final-state (end-user delivery) format.
Relationship to other formats
    Has subtype Matroska, Matroska Multimedia Container
    Contains MP3_ENC, MP3 (MPEG Layer III Audio Encoding)
    May contain Video essences and other elements, in various encodings.

Local use Explanation of format description terms

LC experience or existing holdings None
LC preference  

Sustainability factors Explanation of format description terms

Disclosure Both Matroska and MP3 are open standards. See Matroska and MP3 for more details.
    Documentation

The "source" of the Matroska specification is an XML file hosted on the IETF working group's GitHub repository (although that table has not been updated since 2020). This table is also used to generate the semantic data used in libmatroska and libmatroska2.

Specification information is published concurrently in two locations: The Matroska website and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Matroska Media Container Format Specifications datatracker. Since 2018, the in-process specification for version 4 of the Matroska Media Container Format has been published as a sequence of Internet Drafts, available at Matroska Media Container Format Specifications datatracker. An early version of the specification dated January 11, 2009 authored by Alexander NoƩ is available on the Matroska site but it is not clear which versions are covered in this document.

For MP3: (1) MPEG-1: ISO/IEC 11172-3. Information technology -- Coding of moving pictures and associated audio for digital storage media at up to about 1,5 Mbit/s -- Part 3: Audio. (2) MPEG-2: ISO/IEC 13818-3. Information technology -- Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information -- Part 3: Audio.

These MPEG specifications describe the syntax and semantics for three classes of compression methods known as Layers I, II, and III. MP3 is Layer III. See list of ISO documents in Format specifications below; see also MPEG-1 and MPEG-2.

Adoption Adoption is not known to the authors of this website. Comments Welcome
    Licensing and patents See Matroska and MP3
Transparency See Matroska and MP3
Self-documentation See Matroska and MP3
External dependencies See Matroska and MP3
Technical protection considerations See Matroska and MP3

Quality and functionality factors Explanation of format description terms


File type signifiers and format identifiers Explanation of format description terms

Tag Value Note
Filename extension See related format.  See Matroska
Other A_MPEG/L3
Codec ID value defined in Matroska specification
Pronom PUID See note.  See Matroska.
Wikidata Title ID See note.  See Matroska.

Notes Explanation of format description terms

General  
History  

Format specifications Explanation of format description terms


Useful references

URLs


Last Updated: 07/29/2022