|
|
WMA
Format |
| WMA is a file format developed by Microsoft
to compete with MP3. The letters stand for Windows Media Audio
and the file format ends with the .wma extension. |
| WMA is better
than MP3 |
The latest release of WMA technology is
version 8 which is the best yet. I believe WMA files produce better
sounding files than MP3 at similar bitrates. My entire music collection
is encoded in WMA 8 format at 128kbps and it satisfies my picky ears.
The drawbacks of WMA is that it is a proprietary format meaning that
Microsoft charge whatever fees they wish to developers that want to
incorporate support for the format in their software. The format also
incorporates differing levels of copyright protection which angers
some users, limiting them to what they can do with their own music.
However for simple encoding and archiving for a jukebox collection,
it suffices. |
| Making WMA Files |
| Making WMA files requires a WMA encoder. Windows
Media Player comes with a free CD ripper and WMA encoder, enabling
you to easily convert CD audio to WMA on your computer. For more advanced
WMA converting and organizing tools, see our WMA converter section. |
