libvorbis ☆

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Description:
Vorbis general audio compression codec

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Multimedia

Tags: audio codec multimedia lossy-compression audio-encoding

Install: brew install libvorbis

About:
Libvorbis is the reference implementation of the Vorbis audio codec specification, designed for efficient, high-quality audio compression. It provides a fully open, royalty-free alternative to proprietary formats like MP3 and AAC, enabling developers to integrate lossy audio encoding and decoding capabilities into their applications. Its primary value lies in delivering excellent audio fidelity at competitive bitrates while maintaining complete licensing freedom.

Key Features:

High-quality perceptual audio coding with efficient compression ratios
Fully open and royalty-free with no patent licensing concerns
Flexible and modular architecture supporting various encoding modes
Reference implementation of the official Vorbis I specification

Use Cases:

Encoding and decoding audio for open-source media players and applications
Streaming audio over the web in a patent-unencumbered format
Game development for cross-platform audio assets without licensing fees

Alternatives:

libmp3lame – The de facto MP3 encoder; patent-encumbered but has wider legacy hardware support.
libopus – More modern codec with lower latency and better speech quality, but less compatible with older software.
fdk-aac – High-quality AAC encoder; requires a non-commercial license for distribution, unlike Vorbis.

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Oct 27, 2024 12:49pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	7459d16b