audiofragment

An audiofragment is a fragment or excerpt of audio data that represents a contiguous time interval within a larger source, such as a recording, stream, or file. The term is used both informally and in technical contexts to describe a discrete, addressable portion of audio that can be processed, transmitted, or edited independently of the rest of the data. It applies to both uncompressed PCM data and compressed formats.

In storage and streaming applications, fragments enable partial retrieval and adaptive delivery. A fragment has a defined start time and duration, and may correspond to a fixed window (for example a few seconds) or to formal boundaries such as frames or packets. In compressed formats, a fragment may consist of one or more encoded frames or packets.

Different formats implement fragmentation in different ways. Fragmented MP4 (fMP4) and other ISO Base Media File Format variants delimit audio fragments within a single media file, while streaming protocols such as DASH and HLS request and deliver segments or fragments on demand. In continuous audio streams, a fragment may simply be a time window of samples in PCM data.

Common applications include editing, where a user selects audio fragments to cut or loop; analysis and indexing, where fragments mark events in time; and playback systems that fetch fragments to support seeking and bandwidth adaptation. In software libraries, an audiofragment is typically represented as a data structure with fields for start time, duration, sample rate, channel count, and a reference or offset to the underlying data.

See also: fragment, segment, clip, sample, frame, MP4, DASH, HLS.