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Posted by Broadway Blue on 10/22/06 01:09
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
> Per Broadway Blue:
>> Why would the OP buy an AAC file format track from iTunes if he
>> wanted an MP3 file format track? If it's on iTunes, the track must be
>> available online somewhere else in MP3 format surely?
>
> Ignorance - at least that's my own excuse.
>
> Not realizing how proprietary a format AAC was, I ripped my entire CD
> collection to it shortly after buying my iPod.
>
> Now I know better and rip only to MP3.
>
> But this whole discussion begs a question:
>
> I've heard it said that AAC was just the audio portion of MP4 with
> Apple's DRM wrapper around it.
>
> True?
No. What is nowadays called MP4 isn't really AAC files. But they are
part of the same MPEG group.
> If so, the question: Assuming that MP4 is portable (maybe not as
> portable as mp3, but at least not proprietary)... shouldn't somebody
> by now have written a utility to strip of the DRM wrapper from a
> non-protected AAC file (i.e. one that the user ripped, not one
> that's PW protected from Apple) and create an MP4 from it with no
> loss in quality?
AAC wasn't invented by Apple Corp, and is actually an officially
recognised audio standard. (MPEG-4) However, Apple use the AAC file
format for music sold through iTunes and use a DRM format called
'Fairplay' to protect those files. The DRM can be stripped off those
files, not easily though. Whilst non-protected AAC files can be played
on quite a few different media players, a PSP and mobile phones. Plus I
think even Nero can convert in to the AAC format now too. (?) So it's
not only iTunes that will play normal AAC files. But if you rip only to
MP3 now, carry on, it won't matter what or who plays AAC files! For me,
MP3's are much more versatile and it's the format I use too.
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