Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Windows Media Audio
open-in-new
<p>Windows Media Audio (WMA) is a series of <a href="/facts/Audio_codec/DkXoa6YP">audio codecs</a> and their corresponding <a href="/facts/Audio_coding_format/qHAhppfD">audio coding formats</a> developed by <a href="/facts/Microsoft/nGIDDXdx">Microsoft</a>. It is a <a href="/facts/Proprietary_software/9zcskxYL">proprietary</a> technology that forms part of the <a href="/facts/Windows_Media/Sprcm0PQ">Windows Media</a> framework. WMA consists of four distinct codecs. The original WMA codec, known simply as <i>WMA</i>, was conceived as a competitor to the popular <a href="/facts/MP3/yrBpxUSD">MP3</a> and <a href="/facts/RealAudio/Hv3XWbRS">RealAudio</a> codecs. <i>WMA Pro</i>, a newer and more advanced codec, supports <a href="/facts/Surround_sound/9FXUKVvs">multichannel</a> and <a href="/facts/High-resolution_audio/FYFhuVpR">high-resolution audio</a>. A <a href="/facts/Lossless_compression/LS702KsN">lossless codec</a>, <i>WMA Lossless</i>, compresses audio data without loss of audio fidelity (the regular WMA format is <a href="/facts/Lossy_compression/jHW7DDv3">lossy</a>). <i>WMA Voice</i>, targeted at voice content, applies compression using a range of low <a href="/facts/Bit_rate/ppUNMmVd">bit rates</a>. Microsoft has also developed a <a href="/facts/Digital_container_format/mSfwwdSA">digital container format</a> called <a href="/facts/Advanced_Systems_Format/F6qRRGJa">Advanced Systems Format</a> to store audio encoded by WMA. </p>