RC [Fri, 24 Sep 2004 05:53:11 -0700]:
"wylbur37" wrote ...
Each WAV file is saved with certain parameters.
The following is a typical example of such parameters ...

PCM, 44.1kHz, 16bit, stereo, 172 kbps

I know what the "44.1kHz" (sampling rate) means,
and what the "172kbps" (bitrate) means.

"172kbps" sounds like a highly compressed format such as

More likely, the person doesn't understand or appreciate
using proper units:

176,400 bytes per second is the CD data rate

176400/1024 = 172.266 KB/sec (not kbps, wrong on two counts)


For the curious, 176400 bytes/sec = 44100 Hz x 2 ch x 2 bytes/sample/ch.

176400 bytes 44100 samples 2 channels 2 bytes
----------- = ------------ x x ---------
sec sec sample / channel

Channels and samples cancel, leaving bytes and sec. 176400 bytes/sec.
In kbps, that's 176400*8= 1411200/1000= 1411.2 kbps.

Here, LITTLE k (as in kbps) is 1000. Little b is bits.
BIG K, as in KB, is 1024. Big B is bytes.

Usually, you only see kb -OR- KB, but not kB, nor Kb. Why?
Because bits are usually described in 1000s (k) of,
and bytes in 1024s (K) of. The K symbol was purposely
made "close to" the standard metric k symbol (kilo = 1000)
since 1024 is "close to" 1000, but a little more (capital K).

(You'd have known this if you didn't skip that day.)

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