1938
Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)
First digital recording technique invented by Alec Harley Reeves
1971
First Commercial PCM Recording
First commercially available digital recordings released
Early 1990s
WAV Format
Uncompressed format with universal compatibility
1998
Shorten (SHN)
One of the first lossless compression algorithms
2000
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)
Open-source with typical 2:1 compression ratio
2000
Monkey's Audio (APE)
Known for high compression ratios for audiophiles
2004
ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec)
Integrated with Apple ecosystem products
Modern Era
MQA and DSD Formats
High-resolution audio with more efficient storage