Fact · Transcription
The Library of Congress says linear PCM captures audio without lossy compression, and that its fidelity is enhanced by higher sample rates and sample sizes.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“Linear PCM captures and encodes audio without lossy compression. Fidelity for LPCM is enhanced by higher sample rates and sample sizes.”
Sustainability of Digital Formats: Linear PCM audio, Library of Congress, n.d., Description.
Open the original- What it measures
- The Library of Congress recommends uncompressed linear PCM for preserving audio, which is the reason to keep the original recording in that form.
- What it does not show
- A preservation description written for archives. It does not say what sample rate a transcription tool needs, and higher rates make larger files.