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Significance of WMA Conversion for Mac Folks
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Rockville, MD
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Questions:[list=1][*]What exactly is the deal with Windows Media Audio (WMA) format conversion with iTunes?[*]Isn't this Windows-only?[*]How does it help us Mac people?[*]Can we convert WMA to MP3 or ACC (using a Wintel machine) and then send it to our Macs on a CD, over a network, or via e-mail?[/list=1]
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA
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1. The deal is this...Microsoft wanted to push Windows Media format and kill off the MP3 format. So Windows Media Player on XP won't rip CDs to MP3 format without users purchasing extra software. The default format for ripped CDs is WMA. So the average Windows person who has ripped their CD collection has a bunch of WMA files. This tends to keep them from using iTunes, because until now, iTunes couldn't deal with their preexisting WMA collection. Now it can.
2) Yes. It's a Windows only solution to a Windows only problem.
3) This helps Mac people by helping to promote iTunes and the iTunes music store. It also helps prevent WMA from becoming the defacto standard audio format in the future.
4) Yes, you can convert WMAs on a PC and send them to your Mac. Or you can send the WMAs to your Mac and convert them there using EasyWMA.
Chris
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Dec 2000
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Originally posted by chabig:
Or you can send the WMAs to your Mac and convert them there using EasyWMA.
Nice. Now all we need is something like that for WMV...
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA
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Sometimes audio files have the wmv extension. If that's the case, just change it to wma and the conversion will work.
Chris
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Rockville, MD
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Is there anywhere I can buy & download WMA/WMV files online for something comparable to the 99¢ they charge at iTMS?
I would prefer to use iTMS exclusively, but when a song simply isn't available there but is available elsewhere....
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Mac Elite
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Originally posted by selowitch:
Is there anywhere I can buy & download WMA/WMV files online for something comparable to the 99¢ they charge at iTMS?
www.napster.com
www.buymusic.com
However these would have DRM on them, which would prevent you frmo converting them to MP3, or any other format for that matter. (Without cracking them first, in which case, you might as well just illegally download it)
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Rockville, MD
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Originally posted by thePurpleGiant:
www.napster.com
www.buymusic.com
However these would have DRM on them, which would prevent you frmo converting them to MP3, or any other format for that matter. (Without cracking them first, in which case, you might as well just illegally download it)
So basically, if I insist on doing everything legally (✓) and I want to use iTunes exclusively (✓), then I can't buy songs anywhere but iTMS? That's a shame.
(Last edited by selowitch; May 6, 2004 at 10:30 PM.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jun 1999
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No. You can always buy the CD.
And it's no worse than the Windows Media whores who will lock you in to Windows Media where you will have fewer rights than Apple gives you.
Chris
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jun 1999
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Did I say "whores"? I meant Windows Media STORES. 
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Rockville, MD
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Originally posted by chabig:
No. You can always buy the CD.
Well, yes, that's true.
And it's no worse than the Windows Media whores who will lock you in to Windows Media where you will have fewer rights than Apple gives you.
Also true. But I like the convenience and savings of downloading songs one at a time.
iTMS is wonderful, but I'd naturally love to have the widest possible selection.
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Addicted to MacNN
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I'd love to have the widest possible selection.
I agree. Now I haven't been checking the other online stores, but we know ITMS has 700,000 songs now and it's still growing. I doubt there are many songs on the other online stores that aren't available on ITMS. It doesn't have all of the songs available on CD yet, but I bet it has everything the other stores have.
Chris
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: .no
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Originally posted by chabig:
4) Yes, you can convert WMAs on a PC and send them to your Mac. Or you can send the WMAs to your Mac and convert them there using EasyWMA
I get really poor results from EasyWMA.. Converted files sound like crap.
Luckily I don't need it anymore 
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Mac Elite
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Aiken, South Carolina, USA
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Did you change the output settings (kps) before you converted them?
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Washington, DC
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To be blunt, Apple and Microsoft are pushing their own formats.
Neither are all that popular.
Microsoft sucks more because unlike Apple, they are FORCING their format on others. iTunes will encode in MP3 at high quality with no cost to the end user. Microsoft pushes WMA and forces you to pay for an upgrade with the ability to create high quality MP3s. Basically they are creating a user base of WMA users because of their OS dominance.
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