Comments on: Will Amazon Overtake iTunes? (Updated) Sony BMG Caves

By: T

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:56:22 +0000

Thanks to Andy and Uncle Ruckus. I only listen to mp3s on my Ipod so that explains why I couldn’t hear the difference.

By: Uncle Ruckus

Uncle Ruckus — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:08:53 +0000

Itunes seems to be ahead of the competition once again
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/01/08/rumour-fox-to-include-itunes-files-with-dvds-starting-15th-jan/

With technology it is never the best product, it is the first to market with a usable product.

By: Uncle Ruckus

Uncle Ruckus — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:51:46 +0000

If you are listening to music via headphones sound quality is irrelevant. Just buy some nice earbuds and call it a day. You have to think about it for a second, you having music played less than a half inch from your ear canal. An example is listening to music in the bathroom due to echos it sounds bad this is caused by bad acoustics. MP3’s rather they are DRM or not is compressed and has frequency’s removed this equals poor sound quality but great for sound less than an inch from your ear. If you want true high quality music played on your MP3 player find one that supports FLAC spend about 100 plus dollars on earbuds and now you have true quality music via your MP3 player, but odds are your ears will not know the difference, but you will feel better.

If you play MP3’s over a high quality home stereo (audiophile) you will notice the difference in sound quality. If you are using a mid to low quality home stereo equipment you can’t hear the difference.

By: La Shawn

La Shawn — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:05:31 +0000

I’ve read about those unlocking tools. What about the sound quality, though?

By: Kentucky Packrat

Kentucky Packrat — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:04:12 +0000

Apple’s DRM isn’t even all that effective. It just took me one trip through Google to find tools that will use iTunes to read the unencrypted (but NOT decoded) AAC out of the FairPlay locked container and put it into an unlocked file. I’m not going to disclose much more because this might violate the US’s DMCA, and I don’t want to encourage anyone.

By: Uncle Ruckus

Uncle Ruckus — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:45:12 +0000

As long Ipods hold a commanding market share Amazon’s music service does not stand a chance to over take iTunes. The average Ipod user has no clue about DRM (never will) unless they want to get a new MP3 player from another manufacturer besides Apple. Which a sales person will explain the problems with converting ones music files, the average user will stick to current brand they have.

Apple beat everyone to the market with a usable MP3 player and music service for the novice. They are are now at the point of maintaining customer loyalty. This is why you see iTune gift cards everywhere. This format war (DRM) is about marketing and perceived ease of use. Apple has a big stake in DRM just as the record companies do. Just think back to the VHS vs BetaMax wars it is never about quality more so about amount of content and consumer perceived ease of use. I do not want to call the DRM issue overblown. But, it only impacts a small fraction of music listeners. If your a true audiophile DRM was never an issue to begin with.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:06:20 +0000

T,
You can hear the difference on hi-fi equipment. Listening to them on iPods or in the car appears, emphasis on appears, to be unaffected. Read the RS article, do some tests then report back.

By: T.

T. — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 08:23:09 +0000

All these devastating sound quality losses people claim to get when they don’t rip at the highest mp3 level? I call bull. I sincerely doubt 95% of the population can hear a significant difference between 96 or 128 and 192 mp3 or mp4s unless they have the hearing of a dog.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 05:52:57 +0000

One reason I hesitate on shifting everything to MP3 or what have you is the loss of audio fidelity. But when I do rip, I go for the highest rate to minimize the loss. Still doesn't sound as good as analog or a high quality CD. Anyhoo, Rolling Stone has a good series on The Death of High Fidelity, which I think is a must-read for the serious music lover.

By: Tony Iovino

Tony Iovino — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 02:21:06 +0000

Seems we’re going back to the future– the 50’s– where a hit song didn’t mean that you (or your coke dealer) could retire, where the money was made in performances–and where how you looked mattered less than how well you played.

Not a bad thing after all.

By: CGHill

CGHill — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 20:12:59 +0000

One problem with Sony has been that they’ve wanted you to use their online store, called Connect, and download from there. (I have a Walkman and their SoundStage software, which tends to harp on the place.) But Connect is now dead – Sony gave it up – and copying non-DRMed MP3 files to the Walkman presents no problems.

I have not been particularly vexed by Apple’s DRM, though I’ve not had to put it to any severe tests. (Any track I wanted to use elsewhere, I burned to a CD using iTunes and then ripped with another product, usually Audiograbber.)

Interestingly, my iTunes installation on my work box has about 2400 tracks, though the majority of them came from my own collection (I have literally a wall full of LPs), and there are more purchases from Amazon than from Apple. (Amazon’s downloader will actually install tracks into iTunes, a stroke of near-genius.)

By: Nicole

Nicole — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:57:41 +0000

A note about iTunes and DRM, Steve Jobs has made it clear that iTunes only places DRM on the music files because it is required by the record companies themselves. As soon as someone would let him, he took DRM off music. Apple won't be far behind. In your post you make it seem as if Apple wants to put DRM on their music downloads, which they don't. For more info see Steve Jobs Thoughts on Music.

By: La Shawn

La Shawn — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:30:02 +0000

Thanks for commenting kaekae. I read about the AAC coding and that MP4 is not an Apple-owned format. Lest anyone get the wrong impression, I’ll update the post to reflect that.

By: kaekae

kaekae — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:06:42 +0000

actually, iTunes DRM free ones are also in AAC format (.MP4). A universal format that is often considered the successor to MP4. AAC/MP4 is not a proprietary format to Apple. Wikipedia and other sites have alot of information about the different formats.