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Each format has something to offer, whether it’s greater compatibility, higher compression or better audio quality, but understanding which format you should be using and why isn’t easy. In this Instant Expert we’ll run through the main formats and tell you the pros and cons to help you choose the best format for your needs.
Format: MP3
Compression: Turns a 4-minute song into a 3.75MB file at a bit-rate of 128Kbps. Roughly 80 per cent quality.
Supported software players: Most, including Windows Media Player, MusicMatch Jukebox, WinAmp and iTunes.
Supported portable players: Most, including models from Creative Labs, iRiver and Apple.
Digital rights management (built-in copyright control): Because it’s been around since the late Eighties, before global music piracy became such a problem, MP3 offers no DRM features as standard.
Pros: The first and still most popular music compression format.
Cons: The quality isn’t as good as offered by other formats especially at lower sampled rates.
Format: WMA
Compression: Turns a 4-minute song into a 3.75MB file at a bit-rate of 128Kbps. Approximately 95 per cent quality.
Supported software players: Windows Media Player, MusicMatch Jukebox and WinAmp.
Supported portable players: Includes models from Creative Labs, iRiver and Sanyo.
Digital rights management: Created by Microsoft it uses the company’s robust Windows Media DRM, which is popular with online music stores such as Napster and MusicMatch.
Pros: Good-quality sound at a size comparable to MP3s.
Cons: It isn’t supported by Apple’s iPod, the most popular portable player.
Format: Ogg Vorbis
Compression: Turns a 4-minute song into a 3.69MB file at a bit-rate of 128Kbps. Approximately 95 per cent quality.
Supported software players: Winamp, foobar2000 and Sonique.
Supported portable players: Includes models from iRiver, the Rio Karma and Commodore’s eVic.
Digital rights management: Doesn’t actually offer its own DRM.
Pros: It’s patent-free, open-source and anyone can use it at no cost whatsoever.
Cons: It’s not supported in many hardware players.
Published on 31 October 2007
