.BIT File Extension
FinalCrypt Encrypted Data File
| Developer | Ron de Jong |
| Popularity |
3.7 | 23 Votes |
What is a BIT file?
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BIT files are created by FinalCrypt and can only be opened by FinalCrypt using the key file used to encrypt the BIT file. Data in a BIT cannot be recovered without the key file, so it is important that it is stored in a safe location and backed up.
Although BIT files are encrypted, they still can be identified by the first 70 bytes in the file. This data is the Message Authentication Code (MAC), which is saved in plain text and may be saved in MAC_V1 or MAC_V2 version.
Programs that open BIT files
Xilinx Bitstream File
| Developer | Xilinx |
| Popularity |
3.1 | 16 Votes |
File generated by BitGen, a program used for generating bitstreams required by Xilinx FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays); saved in a binary format and contains the configuration information for the circuit; used for uploading the configuration data to the FPGA device, which can be completed using the iMPACT GUI provided with the Xilinx software.
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BIT files are one of the files generated in a sequence of files used for designing and configuring an FPGA. For example, a Verliog (.V) HDL design file can be used to generate an .NGC netlist file, which is then converted into a .NGD file, and then from the NGD file to a bitstream BIT file.
NOTE: The BitGen program is included with the Xilinx ISE software package.
Programs that open BIT files
MP3 Audio File
| Developer | Moving Picture Experts Group |
| Popularity |
2.2 | 6 Votes |
A BIT file may also be an .MP3 audio file with the .bit file extension, which was used in the early 1990s before being replaced by the .mp3 extension in 1995. It is saved in a compressed MPEG format that uses "Layer 3" audio compression (MP3) to reduce its file size without losing much quality. BIT files are most often used to save songs, but may also store other types of audio recordings, such as interviews or narrations.
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The MP3 format was originally released in 1993 by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and the .bit file extension was initially assigned to MP3 audio files. However, in 1995, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (Fraunhofer IIS) changed the extension to .mp3 when they released their MP3 encoding technology, "l3enc." Fraunhofer IIS then released WinPlay3 for Windows in September 1995, which enabled users to encode and playback MP3 files.
MP3 soon became the standard format for storing music since it could compress audio to a fraction of the size of other common audio file formats at the time, such as .WAV and .AIF files, without significant loss in quality. This was especially important due to the limited storage space offered by computer hard drives at the time.
Since the .bit extension was used before the MP3 format became widely adopted, you will most likely never encounter a BIT audio file. However, if you do come across a BIT file you can play it with an audio player that supports the MP3 format, such as Microsoft Windows Media Player, Apple iTunes, or VideoLAN VLC media player.
NOTE: If you are unable to open a BIT file with an audio player that supports the MP3 format, you may have to manually change the .bit file extension to .mp3.