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Is there a difference between * .aif and * .caf files?

Is it safe to rename the aif file to caf and use it with Core Audio, or is this a bad idea? I assume that both of them are basically the same thing (ignoring things like number of channels, bit rate and bit depth).

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The file formats are the same, the extension is the only difference.

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They are not the same, unfortunately.

Based on information provided by Wikipedia, Apple and others:

  • CAF (Core Audio Format), an audio storage container, was developed by Apple Inc. to overcome the limitations of older digital audio formats such as WAF, AIFF. CAF audio format is compatible only with Mac OS X 10.4 and higher; Mac OS X 10.3 requires the installation of QuickTime 7.
  • The CAF audio file cannot be added to iTunes, iPod, iPhone or iPad. It is not supported by Windows computers.
  • A .caf container can contain many different audio formats, metadata tracks, and other data. It is not limited to a 4 GB file size, such as older digital audio formats. A single .caf file can theoretically save hundreds of years of recorded audio by using 64-bit file offsets.
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