MM4 - still no support for lossless M4A encoding?

[ksteele]

Could you please add support for lossless M4A (ALAC) to MM4? Currently, 210 kbps VBR is the highest bitrate MM4 offers in the M4A format.

This will allow me to encode my music in an uncompressed format for use on the iPod and get rid of DBPowerAmp which I currently use for this functionality.

[pmh]

Any reason FLAC isn't sufficient?

[nohitter151]

Any reason FLAC isn't sufficient?

Doesn't work on iPod.

[ksteele]

Yes, what nohitter151 said.

I actually have all my music in FLAC. Problem is, a stupid iPod is the only music device that my car supports. By support, I mean I can skip tracks using my steering wheel controls and the artist and title appear on the display of the factory radio.

I refuse to listen to compressed music, so I have to convert all my FLAC to lossless M4A (using DBPowerAmp) and sync to my iPod with MM.

I'm getting off on a tangent here, but most of today's young people who have been raised on MP3's don't even realize there is a quality difference in MP3's and a uncompressed CD (which they have never purchased). With storage space so cheap and Internet connections becoming faster, I'm hoping there will be no need for compressed music in the future. Now if we can only get recording studios to stop recording music so loud that they limit the dynamic range, music may start sounding good again.

http://www.cdmasteringservices.com/loudnessvideo.htm

Stepping off soapbox...

[msherman]

I'm a flac geek, too, but do you really think that you can hear the artifacts introduced by the mp3 encoder while sitting in a running car?

[pmh]

I'm a flac geek, too, but do you really think that you can hear the artifacts introduced by the mp3 encoder while sitting in a running car?

It depends on the song but I know that unless everything is ripped to >256k I notice the warbles & "mushy" sound that ripping t MP3s can give.

Since my last post I've reripped All my CD's to lossless (FLAC) & investigated ALAC. Now that MM4.0 is golden it's a good time to ask for ALAC support just to let the devs know that we'd really like to see in in 4.1.

[nohitter151]

FYI it is being targeted for 4.1.
http://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=4797

[ksteele]

Great news....thanks for the update!

[halla2000]

Are there any updates on ALAC encoding for Mediamonkey - it is still not available in any of the current betas. Will it be available in version 4.1?

[nohitter151]

As I already posted, it's planned for inclusion in 4.1.

[phenixdragon]

And when is 4.1 coming out?

[rovingcowboy]

When they get to it, right now i think it is still in beta testing or 4.1.1700 is?

[nohitter151]

And when is 4.1 coming out?

It's in public beta testing right now, but the MM team hasn't released the beta codec pack which adds ALAC encoding functionality. Not sure what they're waiting for.