itunes won't convert to MP3

Sorry to here of your troubles - I'm having similar problems and haven't received any help. I sending this let you know your message is out and active. You can checkout my problem just scroll down a couple of postings to Allan173.

hey michelle,
i'm another one w/ the same prob. everyone's been tellin me to burn to a cd then use windows media player to sync to my mp3 but the cd wont play! u know how to convert formats?

If you mean that when you get info on a track in iTunes, and it says "Kind: MPEG Audio File," this is normal. To the right it should also say "Format: MPEG-1, Layer 3." This is the same thing as MP3. The files are fine.

They are both right. MP3 stands for "MPEG-1, Layer 3." So broadly, an MP3 file is just one type of MPEG file. Windows Media Player just simplifies it by calling it just an "MP3," whereas iTunes identifies it first as "Kind: MPEG", and then more specifically identifies the format as "Format: MPEG-1, Layer 3."

This actually exposes an interface inconsistency in iTunes, because the AAC files that iTunes generates are also wrapped in MPEG containers. So to be consistent, iTunes should display its AAC files as "Kind: MPEG audio file," and "Format: MPEG-4 AAC, Low Complexity" However, it only displays them as "Kind: AAC audio file" and "Profile: Low Complexity."

But anyway, that's a side issue. You have nothing to worry about. As I said, your files are MP3s--iTunes didn't err.

I purchased an audiobook for a friend with Windows and he cannot burn the Playlist, or export it to Windows Media Player. Are there known problems with itunes 5 or 6 that would not allow him to do so? He said his files are M4b's...I have reached the limit of my knowledge and am looking for a a few pointers through this mess.

The boards have suggested burning it to cd, then re-importing it... he can't burn it, can't get it on his MP3 player...

Thanks in advance

Patrick
phaley@wi.rr.com

A ".m4b" file is just what Apple uses to designate its Audiobook files. Technically, it is identical to a ".m4a" file. Apple just chose to rename it to ".m4b" so iTunes and the iPod would recognize it as an Audiobook and allow for bookmarking within the file. I assume that if you download an Audiobook from the iTunes Music Store, it comes with the same restrictions as a ".m4p" file.

This means that you should be able to burn it to a CD. It's possible that Apple only allows the .m4b file extension to be burned to a data CD format, and not audio CDs. I would play around with changing the file extension to ".m4a" or ".m4p" and see if that makes any difference. You may be able to convert it within iTunes, without burning it at all. Other than that, I don't really know what to do to convert them to MP3s.

I am new at this so bear with me. I downloaded some songs before switching my import settings to mp3. I copied them to my player, but of course they don't show up. I changed the extensions to mp3 on my player and they show up but don't play. So I went into my library on itunes and tried to convert the ones I have already purchased. It won't let me. Can I convert them, or do I have re purchase them now that I have my format settings corrected? Thanks

Songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store are only available in protected AAC format (".m4p"). They can only be played by iTunes, Quicktime, and the iPod. iTunes will not convert them to any other format. The only way to convert them is to burn them to an audio CD, and then re-rip that CD back into iTunes using different import settings.

Switching your import settings in iTunes only affects future rips from physical CDs, or future conversions between files within iTunes. It does not affect the format of your purchases from the iTunes Music Store--as I said, those are only in the protected AAC format.

im haveing a simaler problem but mine wont load the file from my cd at all