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Format

Broadcast WAVE

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Summary

Name
Broadcast WAVE
Version
0 Generic
Identifiers
  • MIME: audio/x-wav
  • PUID: fmt/1
Format type
Audio
Family
WAVE
Disclosure
Full
Description
Broadcast WAVE is a chunk-based audio format developed by the European Broadcasting Union, and based on the Microsoft WAVE format, which is in turn based on the generic Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) specification developed by Microsoft and IBM. Structurally, a BWAVE file is composed of a number of chunks, each comprising a four character code chunk identifier, the chunk size, and the chunk data. It comprises a RIFF header with a WAVE data type identifier, followed by a series of chunks. Every file must include a Broadcast Audio Extension chunk, containing metadata required for exchange of information between broadcasters, a Format chunk, which describes the format of the audio data, and a Data chunk, containing the audio data itself. BWAVE files which contain MPEG-encoded audio data must also include a Fact chunk, containing file-dependent information about the audio data, and an MPEG Audio Extension chunk, containing extra information required to describe the MPEG encoding. A BWAVE identified as generic by DROID likely uses an encoding format unknown to PRONOM, or perhaps a structural difference, and users are encouraged to let the PRONOM team know should this occur.
Release date
01 Jan 1997
Format encoding
Binary
File extensions
wav
Submitted by
Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives

Relationships

Has lower priority than
Has priority over
Is previous version of

Internal signatures

BWAVE Generic 0

Description
RIFF header, WAVE ID, BEXT chunk (Version=0)

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
52494646{4}57415645*62657874{350}0000
Endianness
Little-endian

Changelog

  • V81

    Release date
    18 February 2015

    • Updated

      Broadcast WAVE 0 Generic: Updated format name and simplified signature.

  • V78

    Release date
    23 September 2014

    • Updated

      Broadcast WAVE 0: Added signature variant for files that conform to WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE and gave priority over Waveform Audio (WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE). Submitted by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

  • V69

    Release date
    19 July 2013

    • Updated

      Broadcast WAVE 0: Corrected priority information.

  • V68

    Release date
    1 May 2013

    • Added signature

      Broadcast WAVE 0: Added further signature variants in collaboration with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.