WMA vs AAC vs MP3 iPod etc.

[florida_guy]

I was already to buy an iPod and then I ran across this...

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...1525987,00.asp

and this...

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...49735%2C00.asp

and a few others.


I found out something I didn't know. If you buy an iPod you must buy your online music from iTunes and you can only play their format AAC on the iPod.

I made the mistake of going with Beta because it was a superior technology. When I buy an iPod or whatever I plan to buy a lot of online songs. I don't want to get burned again.

I'd appreciate any knowledge or thoughts you have on this subject.

[rtresco]

Originally posted by florida_guy
I was already to buy an iPod and then I ran across this...

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...1525987,00.asp

and this...

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...49735%2C00.asp

and a few others.


I found out something I didn't know. If you buy an iPod you must buy your online music from iTunes and you can only play their format AAC on the iPod.

I made the mistake of going with Beta because it was a superior technology. When I buy an iPod or whatever I plan to buy a lot of online songs. I don't want to get burned again.

I'd appreciate any knowledge or thoughts you have on this subject.

Don't personally have one, but the iPod specs from Apple's website says the device also supports the MP3 format.

Check it out.

[jay]

Originally posted by rtresco


Don't personally have one, but the iPod specs from Apple's website says the device also supports the MP3 format.

Check it out.

That's correct, it'll support mp3. Only iTunes store music is only AAC, which I read somwhere has been adopted as the audio codec for the next standard of DVD movies. Worst comes to worst, you could burn your AAC music as audio CDs, then re-rip it as mp3s, or run the AAC through any of several AAC to MP3 converters that are available.

[PNW-Pilot]

I have a ipod. It will play both mp3 and aac. The ipod is the best mp3 player/jukebox, i'd check other sites and get reviews, it sound like a web site has some bad vibes with apple.

[jay]

Originally posted by PNW-Pilot
I have a ipod. It will play both mp3 and aac. The ipod is the best mp3 player/jukebox, i'd check other sites and get reviews, it sound like a web site has some bad vibes with apple.

Nope, just florida_guy doing his due diligence. Remember, he posted over 1200 times in an 8 month period before he finally bought a Pilot, countless times in the various DVD threads, and only a few times in the iPod thread.

[florida_guy]

Originally posted by rtresco


Don't personally have one, but the iPod specs from Apple's website says the device also supports the MP3 format.

Check it out.

Yes, but you can't buy MP3's from the online music stores because it doesn't have any copy security built in.

[jay]

Originally posted by florida_guy

Yes, but you can't buy MP3's from the online music stores because it doesn't have any copy security built in.

So? Where are you going with that thought? I rip my CDs as mp3, and buy iTunes music as AAC, and they happily co-exist. I sensed that your concern is about AAC as a format going away, much like beta, hence the comment about it being adopted as a new standard for audio on DVD movies.

Getting stuff digitized helps preserve it in the long run, but no one can offer assurances that things won't change. I don't listen to 78s or 45s anymore. And I'm not trying to be flip, either. I know how tough it's been, and the money I've invested, migrating my music from format to format. But alas, in the end you "place your bets and you take your chances."

Apple is leading the way, has since the iPod introduction two years ago, and we can hope they don't screw it up. There have already been 50 million iTunes songs downloaded in the AAC format. I think it's a viable format, particularly with what I'm sensing of the acceptance of the Windows version of iTunes.

[florida_guy]

Originally posted by jay
Worst comes to worst, you could burn your AAC music as audio CDs, then re-rip it as mp3s, or run the AAC through any of several AAC to MP3 converters that are available.

In the links I've posted above the guy mentions that solution. I agree with him that that is very time consuming and not something I'd want to do. Not to mention the fact that you are then compressing a compressed song and further degrading it's quality. That's why this has become an issue to me.

[jay]

Originally posted by florida_guy

In the links I've posted above the guy mentions that solution. I agree with him that that is very time consuming and not something I'd want to do. Not to mention the fact that you are then compressing a compressed song and further degrading it's quality. That's why this has become an issue to me.

So you have to ask yourself, which format are the competitors to the iTunes store using? Then you have to decide if iTunes, which clearly dominates the market now, will continue that domination.

[florida_guy]

Originally posted by jay
So? Where are you going with that thought? I rip my CDs as mp3, and buy iTunes music as AAC, and they happily co-exist. I sensed that your concern is about AAC as a format going away, much like beta, hence the comment about it being adopted as a new standard for audio on DVD movies.

Getting stuff digitized helps preserve it in the long run, but no one can offer assurances that things won't change. I don't listen to 78s or 45s anymore. And I'n not trying to be flip, either. I know how tough it's been, and the money I've invested, migrating my music from format to format.

As to your question... I am planning to buy a lot of songs online once I get a player. From what I've read the WMA format that all the other online music stores are using is more likely to become the defacto standard with Apple out by itself again (like Sony tried to do with Beta).

With the WMA format you won't be stuck having to buy an iPod or going through the laborious process of burning to CD changing the songs compression format and further degrading it's quality in the process.

And maybe Apple will eventually support WMA on the iPod. I guess what I'm really trying to decide is what format I want to buy my online songs in based on my best guess of what the future holds. Then I can decide which player to buy.

Until today I didn't know that you couldn't play AAC on any other player without having to rip it to a CD first.

[florida_guy]

Originally posted by jay
So you have to ask yourself, which format are the competitors to the iTunes store using? Then you have to decide if iTunes, which clearly dominates the market now, will continue that domination.

Yup. That pretty much sums it up. The guy in the article I posted links to makes some strong arguments why they may not continue to dominate. What to do, what to do.

[florida_guy]

Originally posted by jay
I sensed that your concern is about AAC as a format going away, much like beta, hence the comment about it being adopted as a new standard for audio on DVD movies.

It's not the AAC that is the biggest concern but Apples proprietary copy protection scheme that prevents others from supporting.

[jay]

Originally posted by florida_guy

Yup. That pretty much sums it up. The guy in the article I posted links to makes some strong arguments why they may not continue to dominate. What to do, what to do.

I've not bought a lot of iTunes music, but have ripped all my CDs as mp3s. I certainly understand the issue though. When I got fed up and moved back to the Apple platform 26 months ago, I had to re-rip all my music, as I'd used WMA on my Windows box.

And Microsoft is working on its iPod killer, but from the early press (at least to an Apple bigot like me) it looks like another overweight clunker, potentially subject to recurring blue screens, if you know what I mean.

[florida_guy]

Originally posted by jay
I've not bought a lot of iTunes music, but have ripped all my CDs as mp3s. I certainly understand the issue though. When I got fed up and moved back to the Apple platform 26 months ago, I had to re-rip all my music, as I'd used WMA on my Windows box.

And Microsoft is working on its iPod killer, but from the early press (at least to an Apple bigot like me) it looks like another overweight clunker, potentially subject to recurring blue screens, if you know what I mean.

Thanks very much for your input Jay. I appreciate it.

This is another one of those long term commitment decisions that I don't want to screw up on. I don't know it was until today. I thought it was a no brainer.

[JFHughesNJ]

Take a look at the Neuros. http://www.neurosaudio.com. I have been using one since December and am real happy. Lot's of neat features - built in FM Transmitter that lets you broadcast your music on a FM frequency. Just tune your radio to the same channel and listen away. HiSi - let's you record a small clip from a song you hear and when you sync the device, it will identify the song for later downloading.

The Neuros also plays MP3, WMA and Ogg files. It blows the Ipod away. If you want a nice piece of jewlery that also is an MP3 player, buy the Ipod. If you want a serious MP3 device that acts as a second hard drive, records live, plays multiple formats, broadcasts on an FM Frequency, and is noticably cheaper prices (although bigger) buy the Neuros.

If the size of the device turns you off, why do we all drive the nice, big, expensive Honda Pilots

Of you can use the Blitzsafe connected to your stock Pilot radio for an even better connection to car speakers.