DIGITAL MUSIC
There are several different music file formats, and it can be confusing
keeping track of them all, and the services that use them. If you are
having difficulty saving or playing music files then it could be the music
player you are using is incompatible with the file format in use.
Here are the main formats:
- MP3 - probably the most popular format. Many newer formats
offer improved sound quality, but MP3's main benefit is that it's compatible
with the widest range of portable music players and cannot impose any usage
limitations through DRM.
- WAV - uncompressed, CD-quality music files, which means they take
up more disk space. As such, they're not really suitable for portable
music players or for downloading from the web.
- WMA stands for Windows Media Audio. The Microsoft developed
format is one of the most popular for digital music. Its main benefit is
widespread compatibility with digital music players. WMA is popular with
the music industry because it allows for the inclusion of strict built-in
copyright protection.
- AAC (sometimes referred to as MP4) is Apple's preferred music file format, and any song downloaded
from iTunes will be in this format. It offers better sound quality and
smaller file sizes than MP3, but is not compatible with any portable players
other than the iPod.
- ATRAC3 is Sony's digital audio format, first used in old MiniDisc
players and now employed in the company's current digital music players.
- Ogg Vorbis is based on free, open source technology and offers
pretty good sound quality. It's relative obscurity, however, means that
compatibility issues frequently arise.
back to top