SPH File – What is .sph file and how to open it?
SPH File Extension
NIST SPHERE Audio File – file format by NIST
NIST SPHERE Audio File (SPH) is an audio file format developed by NIST. It is a lossless audio format that supports multiple channels, sampling rates, and bit depths. SPH files are typically used for storing high-quality audio data.
SPH File Format
A SPH file is a NIST SPHERE Audio File developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It is a binary format designed for storing audio data and metadata, commonly used in speech and audio processing applications. SPH files adhere to the NIST SPHERE (Speech Processing, Hearing, and Enhancement Research and Evaluation) standard, ensuring a consistent and well-defined file structure.
Technical Details
SPH files typically consist of a header section, which contains metadata such as the sample rate, number of channels, and bit depth, followed by the actual audio data. The data is stored in little-endian format, with each sample represented as a 16-bit integer in the format of a PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) signal. The header section also includes information about the audio source, recording parameters, and any additional annotations or comments. SPH files support both mono and stereo audio, with a maximum sample rate of 48 kHz and a bit depth of 16 bits.
Opening SPH Files on Windows
To open SPH files on Windows, you will need a dedicated software player or converter. One popular option is the freeware Audacity, an open-source audio editing and recording software. Audacity supports importing, exporting, and editing SPH files, making it a convenient choice for working with this file format.
After installing Audacity, you can open SPH files by dragging and dropping them onto the software’s interface or using the File > Open menu. Once the file is loaded, you can play, edit, or export it in various audio formats. Other audio software that supports SPH files on Windows include VLC Media Player, Adobe Audition, and Foobar2000.
Opening SPH Files on Mac
For Mac users, several options are available for opening SPH files. One method is to use the free and open-source software SoX (Sound eXchange). SoX is a versatile command-line tool that can convert SPH files to other audio formats. To convert an SPH file using SoX, open a terminal window and navigate to the directory containing the file. Then, type the following command:
sox input.sph output.wav
Replace “input.sph” with the name of your SPH file and “output.wav” with the desired output file name. This will convert the SPH file to a WAV file, which can be opened with most audio players on Mac.
NIST SPHERE Audio File (SPH File)
NIST SPHERE Audio File (SPH) is a lossy audio file format developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for storing audio data in a compressed form. It was designed to be used for speech recognition applications and is widely used in the field of speech processing. SPH files are commonly found in research and development projects related to voice recognition, speaker recognition, and other audio-based applications.
SPH files employ a proprietary compression algorithm that reduces the size of the audio data while maintaining a high level of speech intelligibility. This compression approach involves removing redundant information from the audio signal, allowing for more efficient storage and transmission. Additionally, SPH files can contain metadata, such as speaker information, audio recording conditions, and other relevant details, which can be useful in research and analysis tasks.