Convert AAC files to MP3 (itunes issues)

[Norrlands]

I just downloaded a song on itunes, and it won't allow me to convert it to a mp3!!! What gives? It says it is a protected file. What the HE!!. Any way I can convert this, or did I just screw myself out of $0.99? I have a mp3 player that does not support AAC, so this song is now a waste to me. :disgust:

 

[ClueLis]

They don't want you to convert them because Apple puts limits on how you can use the file. You can, however, burn them on a CD, then rip them to MP3, but I forsee you losing a lot of sound quality in the process.

 

[50]

Yeah, I got pisseed when I found out I can't convert the crappy AAC's to Mp3 as well....man I wish I had an ipod

 

[0roo0roo]

you wouldn't want to anyways. recompressing compressed music.. a no no.

 

[Ferocious]

Just if Musicmatch didn't suck so bad.

I would seriously consider the new Dell DJ instead of probably going with the IPOD and Itunes.

 

[Ferocious]

Question.

Say company XYZ came out with a new player that play AAC's as well as MP3's.......would an itunes song work on that player?

 

[LethalWolfe]

Originally posted by: Ferocious
Question.

Say company XYZ came out with a new player that play AAC's as well as MP3's.......would an itunes song work on that player?

AAC is an open standard so all it takes is companies to add support for it. But the songs from iTMS have DRM attached to them by a company named FairPlay so it depends on if companies will license FairPlay's technology in order to play protected AAC files from iTMS. But, AFAIK, an open AAC file (like if you ripped a CD into AAC w/iTunes) will play in any player that supports AAC.


Lethal

 

[DefRef]

Originally posted by: 50Yeah, I got pisseed when I found out I can't convert the crappy AAC's to Mp3 as well....man I wish I had an ipod

"Crappy"? AAC is a better audio format giving higher fidelity at lower bitrates than MP3. I've been reripping my CDs at 128k AAC and they sounds as good as or better than MP3s ripped at 160k with a 20% smaller file size. That'll allow me to squeeze another 400+ songs into my 10GB iPod.

If you think the AAC DRM sucks, you clearly having looked at the WMA DRM that Buymusic.com and Napster, etc. are using - true suck that is. What blows is the incompatibility between retailers and players - Apple only sells AAC files and currently only iPods play 'em, others only sell WMA and iPods don't play those and if you don't pay attention (like this thread's starter didn't) you could be wasting money and this only hurts digital music. If you buy a CD from a band at their gig and a major label CD at Beast Buy, you don't have to worry if it'll play on your CD player - it should be the same for digital music.

As for quality of an MP3 ripped from a CD-RW burned from AAC files - it shouldn't be any lower than a file converted from AAC to MP3 directly. All the steps are digital and the CD step doesn't throw away any more data.