M4A vs. MP3 format, questions about kbps

[Danabw]

Just got an IPOD, and am in the process of digitizing (finally!) my music collection.

The default format for ripping CDs in iTunes is M4A (from AAC encoder)...PTE doesn't appear to recognize that format, and I suspect other tools like my video editing SW may not. So I'm setting the rip format back to MP3, which (at 160 kbps) appears to create larger files, which is unfortunate.

So I'm looking for advice:

- MP3 still the best all-around format?

- Compatiblity the only issue w/M4A

- 120 vs. 160 kbps worth the additional file size for non-audiophile listening. I love music, but have an average to slightly above average audio system.

Appreciate any advice.

Thanks,

Dana

[alrobin]

Dana,

IMO, mp3 seems to be the most popular "standard" at the moment, even though other formats are slightly more efficient or may have other advantages such as higher quality.

I would stick with mp3, unless you want to go with a "free" format such as Ogg. I don't know if the IPOD will recognize the latter, though. And, I would stick with 128 kbps as I find it more than adequate for Hi Fi. However, you might want to consider the fact that in a few years you may be having to convert your collection to yet another format, and the greater the bit rate, the better the fidelity of the conversion.

Storage of your collection is probably a greater consideration than format. Be careful what CD's or DVD's you save them on, and be sure you have back-ups. You will probably want to re-copy everything every 2 to 5 years, just to make sure the collection is archivally safe. Hard-drives can and do crash, too, so if you are storing on your HD, you should back that up, too.

This is my opinion at the present time - music "standards" are in such a state of change and development at the moment, though, that next year we probably won't even recognize the equipment and software on the market. But, like everything else in this business, we will learn to accept and appreciate the advantages and make the necessary adjustments.

For those who would like a summary of various options, with a short discussion about the issues involved, dbPowerAmp have a good page here on their Web Site .

[Danabw]

Thanks, Al, those were good points...particularly conversion, which I hadn't thought of...

I store everything on hard drives in the computer, and back up all data/images/music, etc. every night to one of two other hard drives (I swap them out monthly in an external drive enclosure), so I'm relatively safe in terms of data backups. I'm even paranoid enough to remove one of the backup hard drives to work, and when we go on vacation I hide the other back HD in strange places in the house in case we're broken into and the computer is stolen. :-)

My wife thinks I need counseling, but (and I almost hope for this to prove my point) someday we'll have some sort of major computing problem and then I'll be golden boy when all our data is safe... :-)