I just realized that some of my music files exist in duplicates, with a *m4a and a *.m4p version. How did that happen, what's the difference between the two? Files are larger in the former format.
Fairly concise explanation here. Basically .m4a is an Mpeg4 audio file, .m4p is an Mpeg4 audio file including Apple's DRM restrictions.
Thank you. I am wondering if that happened when I upgraded my library to DRM-free versions. Maybe it kept some of the old ones?
That's one way to put it. Another way would be to say that it's a piece of shit, shoddy, bloated piece of crapware. Edit: ^^^^ - Oookay. Enjoy.
Well, I'd offer a few suggestions on better software for music, but you've chosen to lock yourself into a single vendor. It's pretty ingenious to ensure a lack of need for quality control on your software when you lock your customers into it's exclusive use.
Funny. I put those m4a files onto a DVD and they play fine on my Alpine head unit in my truck. I didn't know that Alpine was a subsidiary of Apple for me to be locked into one vendor. -steve
m4a files don't include their DRM. The vast majority of iTunes purchases are still m4p. Funny too how you pay .30 more per song for the 'privilege' of playing 'your' music in your player of choice.
You're more than a little out of date, as of April 1 there will be 8 million songs on iTunes that are DRM free, and the entire store will be DRM free sometime in 2009. There will a premium paid for DRM free songs, but in many cases they won't really cost any more than they do today. A large portion of the store will have songs reduced to 69 cents. Some will remain at 99 cents, others will go up to $1.29 depending on the label.
I was a Apple Hater until I got an iTouch as a gift. I don't see them as the devil anymore. Yes, you can get better deals on music purchases. But if you're willing to go through enough trouble you can still bargain shop and import them to iTunes. It's just that most the time I don't see the effort being worth the difference.
I got an iPod and a creative Zen. There are things I like about each of them. The iPod is easier to use, but I like the Zen for it's compatibility with Rhapsody, three people in the family, three authorized players, $15 a month for more music that they can possibly listen to.
TwistedDuc Do help me understand your point of view... I'd like to see another application that manages music, with the same amount of features, better. itunes will manage ANY media file, not just stuff bought from the itunes store, so you're not locking yourself into anything. And as mentioned, much of the music (resisting saying most all, but honestly everything I've been buying has been) is DRM FREE as of a few months ago through iTunes... Find a bigger store, find an application that integrates directly to it that will support virtually every type of audio/video file and interface to virtually any media player...
