I was wondering if Apple would release the MP4 iTunes so I could fit more songs on my iPod and my iMac. i thought that iTunes 3 and iPod 1.2 would have this, but Apple will make us wait longer like normal, hope its soon. And do you think if this happens the new software will convert the existing mp3's? that I really wonder and would like to see soon! Any thoughts?
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Any MP4 iTunes Soon?
- Thread starter swahilibill
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You can already have mp4 music on your iTunes, its just that it won't play on your iPod. Hope they let us do this soon.
And.. there is absolutely no point in converting mp3 to mp4 because mp3 is already compressed audio. If you wanna do it so bad, get QTPro 6.
irmongoose
And.. there is absolutely no point in converting mp3 to mp4 because mp3 is already compressed audio. If you wanna do it so bad, get QTPro 6.
irmongoose
MPEG4 vs. MP3
Ok, before this thread gets too much further, consider the following:
iTunes already supports PLAYING MPEG4 (AAC audio) encoded music files. This is b/c iTunes uses QuickTime to do playback, anything QuickTime will play, iTunes will play. Encoding is a different story.
iTunes will ONLY encode MP3 (and aiff), it should be relatively simple for Apple to incorporate MPEG4 (AAC) encoding, but I think they're waiting until their encoder is up to snuff
To answer Yamdataro's question, the answer is none (sorta). A 128kbps MP3 and a 128kbps MPEG4 (AAC) and a 128kbps OGG file and a 128kbps WMP8 file will all be the same size (or very close). Encoding at 128kbps means every second of audio is taking 128kilobits, that's the space the encoder has to work with, no more, maybe less. However, the gain you get from MPEG4 (or the new MP3Pro) is that you can encode the same file at a much lower bitrate (say 64kbps) and still get the same or better quality (assuming you encoded from the original and not the MP3 encoded file). Hope that answers that question.
One more thing. Apple might be waiting on AAC support because they know if they toss it into iTunes now what most people will do is batch encode their current MP3 collection into MPEG4 (AAC). This won't work too well. You have to re-encode from the original to get any real gain in quality/bitrate. I can just hear everyone now, "this MPEG4 thing sucks, doesn't sound ANY better than my MP3". You can't make a compressed file sound BETTER than your original.
Enjoy
Ok, before this thread gets too much further, consider the following:
iTunes already supports PLAYING MPEG4 (AAC audio) encoded music files. This is b/c iTunes uses QuickTime to do playback, anything QuickTime will play, iTunes will play. Encoding is a different story.
iTunes will ONLY encode MP3 (and aiff), it should be relatively simple for Apple to incorporate MPEG4 (AAC) encoding, but I think they're waiting until their encoder is up to snuff
To answer Yamdataro's question, the answer is none (sorta). A 128kbps MP3 and a 128kbps MPEG4 (AAC) and a 128kbps OGG file and a 128kbps WMP8 file will all be the same size (or very close). Encoding at 128kbps means every second of audio is taking 128kilobits, that's the space the encoder has to work with, no more, maybe less. However, the gain you get from MPEG4 (or the new MP3Pro) is that you can encode the same file at a much lower bitrate (say 64kbps) and still get the same or better quality (assuming you encoded from the original and not the MP3 encoded file). Hope that answers that question.
One more thing. Apple might be waiting on AAC support because they know if they toss it into iTunes now what most people will do is batch encode their current MP3 collection into MPEG4 (AAC). This won't work too well. You have to re-encode from the original to get any real gain in quality/bitrate. I can just hear everyone now, "this MPEG4 thing sucks, doesn't sound ANY better than my MP3". You can't make a compressed file sound BETTER than your original.
Enjoy
I have some Acc files in my iTunes, and they do have good sound quality, worrying about it on the iPod, however, is a little silly. MP3 sounds good already, good enough that you would have to be carrying around some pretty nice headphones to tell the difference from an iPod.
My girlfriend is a sound engineer, so I have nice headphones, but $400 for earsets is a little much for most people.
The real advantage is size, and I can see where you'd want it, but I think waiting is the right idea. You can load up 100o songs, and you can't listen to them by the time your battery needs recahrging. IT only takes a few minutes to resync the pod, just change up your selection untill the encoder is super good, then start ripping again.
My girlfriend is a sound engineer, so I have nice headphones, but $400 for earsets is a little much for most people.
The real advantage is size, and I can see where you'd want it, but I think waiting is the right idea. You can load up 100o songs, and you can't listen to them by the time your battery needs recahrging. IT only takes a few minutes to resync the pod, just change up your selection untill the encoder is super good, then start ripping again.
You're right. I compressed some of my MPEG-2 files down to half size when I converted them to MP4. It works better the bigger your file. Small MPG files don't work as well. 
Re: MPEG4 vs. MP3
Thanks for answering my question keltorsori.
I understand that if you go for the same bit rate, you get the same sized file. And if we go for the same sound quality, MPEG 4 is like 50% smaller? Well, 50% is a liittle bit too optimistic maybe, but it literally sounds good!
I've never tried MPEG 4 music. I'd better do some experiments I guess.
Thanks for answering my question keltorsori.
I understand that if you go for the same bit rate, you get the same sized file. And if we go for the same sound quality, MPEG 4 is like 50% smaller? Well, 50% is a liittle bit too optimistic maybe, but it literally sounds good!
I've never tried MPEG 4 music. I'd better do some experiments I guess.
Re: Re: MPEG4 vs. MP3
If you're an audiophile, you won't be happy with MPEG4 (AAC) or MP3 at any bitrate. However, most people have found that you can achieve comparable (if not better) sound quality than a 128kbps MP3 at 64-96kbps for a MPEG4 (AAC) file.
Also, if you wonder why I keep writing MPEG4 (AAC) instead of just MPEG4, its because MPEG4 is not a compression format (there is a video codec, but that's a different issue), it is a media container (like QuickTime or Windows Media ASF). The actual MPEG4 file can be anything, video tracks, audio tracks, picture track, with different codecs for each thrown in. For an MPEG4 to be cross-platform and format compliant though, most will stick with the MPEG4 video codec and AAC for audio as these are the agreed upon standards. MP3 is actually short of MPEG-1 (which was a compression format and container) Audio Layer 3 (think of it as version 3).
Hope it helps
If you're an audiophile, you won't be happy with MPEG4 (AAC) or MP3 at any bitrate. However, most people have found that you can achieve comparable (if not better) sound quality than a 128kbps MP3 at 64-96kbps for a MPEG4 (AAC) file.
Also, if you wonder why I keep writing MPEG4 (AAC) instead of just MPEG4, its because MPEG4 is not a compression format (there is a video codec, but that's a different issue), it is a media container (like QuickTime or Windows Media ASF). The actual MPEG4 file can be anything, video tracks, audio tracks, picture track, with different codecs for each thrown in. For an MPEG4 to be cross-platform and format compliant though, most will stick with the MPEG4 video codec and AAC for audio as these are the agreed upon standards. MP3 is actually short of MPEG-1 (which was a compression format and container) Audio Layer 3 (think of it as version 3).
Hope it helps
has anyone actually tried compressing into Mpeg-4? i did...and found the quality to be CRAP...i even had it on the highest setting...i was compressing from a .mov file that was in highest quality and it was VERY pixelated...i have not tried this from raw video footage yet...though i will soon...when i get around to importing something.
iTunes and .mp4
i think that we will see .mp4 encoding in iTunes and playback of .mp4's on the iPod when the next release will come out of iTunes. Jobs said that the next release of iTunes (with Rendezvous support) at the keynote will be 6-12 months (can't remember exactly) down the road.
i think that we will see .mp4 encoding in iTunes and playback of .mp4's on the iPod when the next release will come out of iTunes. Jobs said that the next release of iTunes (with Rendezvous support) at the keynote will be 6-12 months (can't remember exactly) down the road.
I reciently reconpressed a very poor quality, PC made .mov (213mb) and exported it as .MP4. The Quality jumped 4 fold, the sound was better, the problem was that it was now 390mb, I was trying to save HD space, not waste it, so the crappy .mov has stayed untill I have time to try it again with different Settings.
TEG
TEG
that sounds like total BS to me...once something is bad quality you can't make it that much better unless you have the original raw video file.