iTunes Formatting Question

[Fireproofradiator]

Okay, one from my ex-girlfriend - I'm trading this info for a photo of her wearing an improvised moustache of some kind so think hard everyone.

Can you download stuff from iTunes in MP3 format? Under 'Edit', then 'Preferences' and the tab 'advanced' there's the chance to change the 'import using' setting under the 'importing' tab, but I'm imagining that's to set the format of files you import rather than that of the ones you buy.

Any thoughts, kind people?

[EvilBoris]

All itunes files come in the AAC format mp4 whatnot, you can't choose to buy them in MP3, I think the import option only refers to when you copy them from a CD or import them into the itunes library from another format (such as WMA)

[Number45]

Pretty sure it's all AAC from iTunes. That importing setting is for when you're ripping from CD.

[Fireproofradiator]

Yup, it's looking that way - the thing I outlined above is just for importing as I'd imagined. That's rubbish if you've got an MP3 player rather than an iPod of course, but therin lies part of the reason why Apple's app and music player are doing so well I guess...

[Number45]

Absolutely. It's iPod + iTunes for a reason.

[Fireproofradiator]

Thanks for help gents...

[SuperCoolAl]

Well, using AAC has it's advantages. It does offer better quality at the same bitrate than MP3. iTunes songs aren't locked to the iPod because they are in AAC, it's because they are in Protected AAC format. My mobile phone can play unprotected AAC

So players can support AAC if they want, just not the protected format. I personally have an iPod nano, so I rip all my CDs in 192kbps VBR AAC and it sounds great. I don't buy music off the store though, as it's only offered at a low bitrate, and I like physically owning the CD.

[talizker]

You can burn the downloaded AAC files to CD and rip them back to (unprotected) MP3 if you need to.

[SubparMario]

I like how you get bummed for actually handing over the cash. Have these lower quality and more restricted tracks than you can source for free.

The day it's lossless, DRM free and significantly cheaper than a CD, I might just consider buying something from the iTunes store.

[JP]

One of the good things about the iPod is that you can flash it to play FLAC files. Doing that you can encode your music in a lossless format and not be restricted to one copy of it and only play it on iTunes/iPod.

[NekoFever]

One of the good things about the iPod is that you can flash it to play FLAC files. Doing that you can encode your music in a lossless format and not be restricted to one copy of it and only play it on iTunes/iPod.

You do know that iTunes let you import CDs in Apple Lossless format, right? No sense in messing around with flashing it unless you have to.

[JP]

I do but...Apple Lossless is restricted to Apple software only whereas FLAC is completely open source and transferable to other programes including Linux so you could have your music collection on your PC/PS3 and iPod if you wanted to and be able to transfer it without restriction.