What does Audio sample rate mean?
Audio sample rate counts how many waveform samples are represented each second, commonly expressed in kilohertz. It is different from compressed bitrate, volume and the number of speaker channels.
Why it matters
A higher output setting does not automatically recover detail from a lower-rate source or reverse lossy compression. Playback systems may convert sample rates as part of normal mixing and output. For ordinary viewing, supported automatic handling is a sensible baseline. If sound crackles, runs at the wrong speed or drifts, record the source and output settings rather than assuming the largest available number is the cure.
A practical example
A48 kHztrack and a 48 kbpscompressed track do not describe the same property. One counts samples over time; the other counts data. Keep those units separate when estimating bandwidth or comparing media information supplied by a player.
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Related terminology: Audio passthrough, Audio-described programme edition.
For practical setup and troubleshooting, browse the journal or support guides.