Not sure what format to rip your music into for your digital music player? This article looks into the issue.
Ripping CD's can also offer higher quality. ITunes and some other stores sell music encoded at a data rate of 128 kilobits per second. (EMusic, Rhapsody and Yahoo use 192 kbps.) Typical CD's are encoded at a rate of about 1,400 kbps. AAC and WMA use sophisticated data-compression technologies that allow them to maintain audio quality at lower data rates than CD's or even MP3's can, but no one claims that a 128 kbps download is equivalent to a compact disc.
Those who have already ripped a lot of CD's into either the Apple or Microsoft format have the option of converting their music from one format to another. ITunes software, for example, can find WMA files on a computer and convert them to AAC. Windows Media Player does not have a similar ability to change AAC to WMA, but other programs can handle this. For instance, Switch, a free program from NCH Swift Sound (nch.com.au) can convert more than a dozen audio formats, including AAC, MP3 and WMA
The article points out that Switch will convert formats, but the music will take a hit in the process.
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