Sonnox Fraunhofer Codec Toolbox - Manual (Page 6)

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4 Terminology
Bit rate
Number of bits transmitted or processed per unit of time. This is expressed here in kilobits
per second, or kbps.
CBR
Constant Bit Rate – bit rate remains the same for the duration of the audio signal
VBR
Variable Bit Rate – bit rate changes over time, based on the complexity of the signal. In this
case, the VBR value expressed is an average over the length of the file.
Encoder
In this context, an encoder converts an uncompressed LPCM audio stream into a smaller,
compressed format through the use of lossy compression (HD-AAC excluded).
Decoder
In this context, a decoder converts a compressed audio stream back into an uncompressed
LPCM audio stream.
Metadata
Categorical information about a file, such as the song Title, Artist and Album
Tag
One specific piece of metadata, such as the song Title
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