Tracks won't fit on 1 CD - but they do on the pre-recorded version

iPlod wrote:
I've bought an album from the iTunes store and now want to burn it to CD. However, I get a message saying there are too many tracks for 1 CD. But how come the version in the shops comes on a single CD?

I can't say for certain but here are two guesses.

1. The iTunes version may have come with a bonus track making the total more than the shop version
2. CDs that you use a in a computer might have less capacity than the ones use in the factory. As an example in the old days, computer CDs in the past held 650MB or 72 minutes, today it is more common for them to hold 700MB or 80 minutes, and the factory made audio CDs could be slightly more. Some computer CD burning software has a feature called 'over-burning' whereby you can risk trying to squeeze that little bit more on to a disc. (No iTunes does not support over-burning.)

In order to help judge if iTunes is telling the truth, when you select the playlist you created to burn, what is the total number of minutes shown?

Before burning, look at the bottom of the playlist at the total time.

If it is over 80 minutes, you've got too much stuff to burn on a standard 700 MB CD blank.

If the time is comfortable under 80 minutes but iTunes says it won't fit, then you have encountered one or another iTunes burning bug. If so, post back with specifics.

iPlod wrote:
iTunes says "1.3hrs". Total playing time of all tracks is 79m 28s.

That "should" fit, but per my previous mention of "comfortably under 80 minutes," 79m 28s is cutting too close.

To your question about the 800MB / 90 min CD blanks, iTunes cannot handle them. It also cannot handle "overburning." You might consider Nero or another burning program.

Okay.. I'm having the same problem. I am very well aware of the size limitations. Today, tried to burn Audio CD from play list 1 hr, 8 minutes in length. I get the dreaded "The songs on this playlist will not fit on one Audio CD" error.

That error won't go away until I delete songs down to the 55 minute or so level. This is baffling. I've burn many many CD's using Itunes.

What I don't know is this:
If a song is stored in a higher bit rate resolution (160 kbps, or 192 kbps) does the translation from MP3 to audio CD format likewise include a 'higher' bit rate (i.e. is the file size larger for a "converted-to-audio-from-a-mp3" 192kbps song than for a 128kbps)

Does the metadata also store in the audio CD? i.e. if the song has the small photo attached for the album cover picture, does that get sent to the CD as well? How about Lyrics.. I know some of my songs have text lyrics attached to them.. does that count against my storage limit?

Anybody been here before? thanks in advance for your responses...
zip.

If a song is stored in a higher bit rate resolution (160 kbps, or 192 kbps) does the translation from MP3 to audio CD format likewise include a 'higher' bit rate (i.e. is the file size larger for a "converted-to-audio-from-a-mp3" 192kbps song than for a 128kbps)

Yes.
An audio CD is converted to 2 channel, 16 bit PCM at 44.1khz.
This is why you look at the time of the playlist and not the size of the playlist when burning an audioCD and you look at size, not time, for an MP3/data CD/DVD.

Does the metadata also store in the audio CD?

No, nothing else.

Chris, thanks for your reply. I don't think I asked my question that well.
If itunes converts 1 minute of 128kbps MP3 to 2 channel, 16bit PCM resolution at 44.1 khz samples per channel (let's call this the CD audio Red Book standard, ok?) then isn't 1 minute of 192kbps MP3 converted EXACTLY the same file storage size?

I'm still in the same place. Why do I have one play list on itunes that will not burn on a single CD while I have another play list LONGER IN LENGTH that burns fine.
Play list XXX 18 Songs, Length: 1 hr:3min:49 seconds NO GO
Play List YYY 19 Songs, Length: 1 hr:14min:56 seconds Records Fine on 1 CD

This makes no sense to me at all. Both disks came out of the same package, when I do a NERO test on the drive, on the disks, everything is fine.

Target disk: 1 layer, Supported speeds 40X thru 4X, blank capacity: 79:59.74 Manufacturer ID:19m17s06f Disk status: empty. All disks I am burning on came from same lot, same container. Tried numerous times to burn the play list in question.

I'm just trying to understand what is wrong, that generates the error "The songs on this playlist will not fit onto one Audio CD"

Frankly I doubt the error code is all that succinct. I guess I can nibble into the MP3 file structure and look at the headers in a binary viewer for each of the MP3 files to look for errors, but I'm still baffled. Note: I can burn the same songs onto a single CD using NERO, but thats a total pain in the butt because of how the songs are organized in hard drive. Sure would like to have a single functioning piece of software. I don't think expecting itunes to burn a CD or provide a respectible error message is too much to ask of software, do you?

Any other ideas on what could be causing this error? again, thanks in advance, zip.

If itunes converts 1 minute of 128kbps MP3 to 2 channel, 16bit PCM resolution at 44.1 khz samples per channel (let's call this the CD audio Red Book standard, ok?) then isn't 1 minute of 192kbps MP3 converted EXACTLY the same file storage size?

No.
A file on an audio CD is ~30-70MB each.
The same files converted to 192 kbps MP3 are usually ~3MB-8MB each.
An audio CC will hold around 20-30 songs max.
An MP3 CD will hold around 120 songs.

For the playlist that doesn't work, create a new playlist, drag the songs to it and see if that will burn.
Sometimes iTunes is finicky and a new playlist will work.