COMPRESSED FILES
2004
Sound files that have been reduced in size using any one of a variety of available digital codec (compression/ decompression algorithm) schemes. Compression of audio files is widely used to reduce the time and bandwidth required to download or play sound files over the Internet. To compress files, a codec converts certain parts of the original audio signal, such as silence, into more compact code. The file is then decompressed upon playback to restore the original signal elements.