Skip to main content
Service phase: Beta

This service is still in development. Give us your feedback or view this page on the current PRONOM service.

Format

Broadcast WAVE

Summary

Name
Broadcast WAVE
Version
0 PCM Encoding
Identifiers
  • MIME: audio/x-wav
  • PUID: fmt/703
Format type
Audio
Family
WAVE
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.
File extensions
wav
Source
National Library of New Zealand / National Library of New Zealand

Relationships

Has priority over

Internal signatures

BWAVE PCM 0

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

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
52494646{4}57415645*62657874{350}0000*666D7420{4}0100
Endianness
None

BWAVE PCM 0 variant

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

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
52494646{4}57415645*666D7420{4}0100*62657874{350}0000
Endianness
None

Changelog

  • Updated in V105

    Release date
    29 June 2022

    Broadcast WAVE 0 PCM Encoding: Added priority over fmt/142 to prevent double identification with DROID (as is already the case with fmt/141). Submitted by Docuteam AG.

  • Added in V81

    Release date
    18 February 2015

    Broadcast WAVE 0 PCM Encoding: New signature submitted by National Library of New Zealand.

    Broadcast WAVE 0 PCM Encoding: Full entry added.