Editing Windows Media Audio (section)

===Windows Media Audio Professional===
[[Image:WMA10ProOptions.PNG|thumb|Screenshot of Windows Media Encoder 9 Series, displaying new encoding options for Windows Media Audio 10 Professional.]]
'''Windows Media Audio Professional''' (WMA Pro) is an improved lossy codec closely related to WMA standards. It retains most of the same general coding features, but also features improved entropy coding and quantization strategies as well as more efficient stereo coding. Notably, many of the WMA standard's low bitrate features have been removed, as the core codec is designed for efficient coding at most bitrates. Its main competitors include [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]], [[HE-AAC]], [[Vorbis]], Dolby Digital, and DTS. It supports 16-bit and 24-bit sample bit depth, sampling rates up to 96&nbsp;kHz, and up to eight discrete channels ([[7.1|7.1 channel surround]]).<ref name="Windows Media Audio 9 Professional">{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/codecs/audio.aspx#WindowsMediaAudio9Professional |title=Windows Media Audio Codecs: Windows Media Audio 9 Professional |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=2007-08-16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901193343/http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/codecs/audio.aspx#WindowsMediaAudio9Professional |archive-date=2007-09-01 }}</ref> WMA Pro also supports [[dynamic range compression]], which reduces the volume difference between the loudest and quietest sounds in the audio track. According to Microsoft's Amir Majidimehr, WMA Pro could theoretically go beyond 7.1 surround sound and support "an unlimited number of channels"; however, Microsoft chose to limit its current capability to eight (7.1 discrete channels).<ref name="winsupersite">{{cite web|url=http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/wm9series.asp|title=Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Windows Media 9 Series reviewed|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528090443/http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/wm9series.asp|archive-date=2007-05-28|access-date=2007-06-24}}</ref>

The codec's bit stream syntax was frozen at the first version, WMA 9 Pro.<ref name="wmav9series">{{cite web|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/f/c/6fc03c60-5d5b-42c0-bcce-5e184fa56741/2_Audio_Video.ppt|title=Windows Media Audio & Video 9 Series|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928022926/http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/f/c/6fc03c60-5d5b-42c0-bcce-5e184fa56741/2_Audio_Video.ppt|archive-date=2007-09-28|access-date=2007-08-08}}</ref> Later versions of WMA Pro introduced low-bit rate encoding, low-delay audio,<ref name="wmalowdelay">{{cite web|url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa390496.aspx|title=Low-Delay Audio|website=msdn2.microsoft.com|access-date=30 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417175047/http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa390496.aspx|archive-date=17 April 2008}}</ref> frequency interpolation mode,<ref name="streamingmedia.com Windows Media Best Practices">{{cite web |author=Smith, Tony |title=Best Practices for Windows Media Encoding |date=2007-02-21 |url=http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=9510&page=2&c=4 |access-date=2007-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831100606/http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=9510&page=2&c=4 |archive-date=2007-08-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and an expanded range of [[sampling rate]] and [[Audio bit depth|bit-depth]] encoding options. A WMA 10 Pro file compressed with frequency interpolation mode comprises a WMA 9 Pro track encoded at half the original sampling rate, which is then restored using a new compression algorithm.<ref name="edn">{{cite web|url=http://www.edn.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6391444&industryid=22043|title=Voices: Microsoft's Amir Majidimehr: a window to the world of digital media - 11-23-2006 - EDN|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070430153905/http://www.edn.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6391444&industryid=22043|archive-date=2007-04-30|access-date=2007-06-07}}</ref> In this situation, WMA 9 Pro players which have not been updated to the WMA 10 Pro codec can only decode the lower quality WMA 9 Pro stream. Starting with WMA 10 Pro, eight channel encoding starts at 128&nbsp;kbit/s, and tracks can be encoded at the native audio CD resolution (44.1&nbsp;kHz, 16-bit), previously the domain of WMA Standard.

Despite a growing number of supported devices and its superiority over WMA, WMA Pro still has little hardware and software support. Some notable exceptions to this are the [[Microsoft Zune]] (limited to stereo),<ref name="zunefaq">{{cite web|url=http://www.zune.net/en-us/support/howto/start/providecontent.htm|title=Zune.net: How-To - Provide Content for Zune|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819115547/http://www.zune.net/en-us/support/howto/start/providecontent.htm|archive-date=2007-08-19}}</ref> [[Xbox 360]],<ref name="xboxfaq">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/xboxteam/default.aspx|title=Spring '07 Video Playback FAQ|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213124920/http://blogs.msdn.com/xboxteam/default.aspx|archive-date=2008-02-13|access-date=2007-08-08}}</ref> [[Windows Mobile]]-powered devices with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile,<ref name="winmobilefaq">{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/windowsmobile/faq.aspx|title=Windows Media Player Mobile FAQ|website=[[Microsoft]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914112132/http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/windowsmobile/faq.aspx|archive-date=2007-09-14}}</ref> newer [[Gigabeat|Toshiba Gigabeat]] and [[Motorola]] devices,<ref name="msmotorolawmapro">{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/feb06/02-13MotorolaMSCollabPR.mspx|title=Motorola and Microsoft Plan to Bring More Choice to Mobile Music Fans|website=[[Microsoft]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024172933/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/feb06/02-13MotorolaMSCollabPR.mspx|archive-date=2007-10-24|access-date=2018-12-06}}</ref><ref name="digitallifestyles">{{cite web|url=http://digital-lifestyles.info/2006/02/13/motorola-dis-apple-expect-more-microsoft-music-phones-3gsm/|title=Motorola Dis Apple, Expect More Microsoft Music Phones: 3GSM|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927230600/http://digital-lifestyles.info/2006/02/13/motorola-dis-apple-expect-more-microsoft-music-phones-3gsm/|archive-date=2007-09-27|access-date=2007-08-08}}</ref> and devices running recent versions of the [[Rockbox]] alternative firmware.<ref name="rockbox">{{cite web |title=New WMA Audio Codecs |url=https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/NewWMAAudioCodecs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106054756/https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/NewWMAAudioCodecs |archive-date=2011-01-06}}</ref> In addition, WMA Pro is a requirement for the [[WMV HD]] certification program.<ref name="wmvhd">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bing.com/?form=HPFBBK&ssd=20230121_0800&mkt=en-ID|title=Info|website=Bing}}</ref> On the software side, [[Verizon]] utilizes WMA 10 Pro for its V CAST Music Service,<ref name="verizonwmapro">{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jan06/01-05WMVCASTPR.mspx|title=Verizon Wireless Chooses Microsoft Windows Media to Power Its New V CAST Music Service|website=[[Microsoft]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070615201708/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jan06/01-05WMVCASTPR.mspx|archive-date=2007-06-15|access-date=2018-12-06}}</ref> and [[Windows Media Player|Windows Media Player 11]] has promoted the codec as an alternative to WMA for copying audio CD tracks.<ref name="winvistawmp11">{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/mediaplayer11.mspx|title=Windows Vista Features Explained Windows Media Player 11|website=[[Microsoft]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070913180242/http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/mediaplayer11.mspx|archive-date=2007-09-13}}</ref> WMA Pro is supported in Silverlight as of version 2 (though only in stereo mode). In the absence of the appropriate audio hardware, WMA Pro can automatically [[Downmixing|downmix]] multichannel audio to stereo or [[Monophonic sound|mono]], and 24-bit resolution to 16-bit during playback.

A notable example of WMA Pro being used instead of WMA Standard is the NBC Olympics website which uses WMA 10 Pro in its low-bitrate mode at 48 kbit/s.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}