AAC+ Support in iTunes

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Level 1

15 points

AAC+ Support in iTunes

OK, so far, quite a few audio streams on the 'net are starting to use AAC+ (or AAC-HC). I understand that the implementation of the AAC codec used in iTunes/Quicktime is basicly AAC-LC wich is (as far as my understanding goes) fundamentaly different than AAC-HC.

Will there be any chances in my lifetime that future versions iTunes will support AAC-HC in a near future (or at least support AAC-HC playback not neccesearly encoding.)

So far, the only option for playing AAC+ is in VLC (wich is OK, but not as convinient or usefull as iTunes.

Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Posted on Mar 17, 2006 6:15 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 18, 2006 7:52 PM in response to Marc Sauve

YEAH ITS A GREAT LACK THAT ITUNES CAN'T (AT LEAST) DECODE WEBRADIO BROADCASTING USING "AAC PLUS" AUDIO FORMAT !!! WHAT A SHAME FOR SUCH A MODERN PLAYER !!! I REALLY REALLY WISH IT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED SOON...EVEN THE POSSIBILITY TI STREAM THIS AUDIO FORMAT FROM INSIDE ITUNE COULD BE A PLUS...

REGARDS.

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Answer 2

JayEpoch

Level 1

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Jun 2, 2006 3:32 PM in response to FREDOSOLO

Well, AAC+ still can't be streamed... but can a normal AAC/M4A file be streamed? Does anyone know of any web radios that stream in normal AAC format?

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Answer 3

Tom Graves

Level 7

20,627 points

Jun 2, 2006 4:23 PM in response to Marc Sauve

Request support for aac+ in iTunes using the Mac OS X Feedback form. There is no guarantee that anyone from Apple will see your post.

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Answer 4

JayEpoch

Level 1

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Jun 2, 2006 4:26 PM in response to Tom Graves

Thanks Tom, I did just that--
but what about normal AAC streaming? QTSS (Quick Time Streaming Server) can stream AAC but it does so with .sdp files, which iTunes doesn't support. Can iTunes read a live AAC stream in anyway? (AAC, not AAC+)

Thanks,
jason

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Answer 5

Tom Graves

Level 7

20,627 points

Jun 2, 2006 4:29 PM in response to JayEpoch

I never tried a straight aac stream, so I don't know. If these streams use sdp files which iTunes does not recognize, then you should probably request normal aac and .sdp support as well.

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Answer 6

JayEpoch

Level 1

0 points

Jun 2, 2006 4:35 PM in response to Tom Graves

Right... well, I've done that... and called... and emailed... so, we'll see.

That said-- I've downloaded a Podcast (m4a file), stored it on my server, and then went to ->Connect to Stream and the file streamed perfectly! I did some reading on Wikipedia and M4A is synonymous with AAC I think, but I may be mistaken.

So maybe iTunes CAN stream AAC? I don't know to test this further, if anyone knows of any radio stations broadcasting AAC in a non-.sdp file format please share 🙂

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Answer 7

Tom Graves

Level 7

20,627 points

Jun 2, 2006 4:44 PM in response to JayEpoch

You downloaded a podcast which was an aac/m4a file. That this file plays is not surprising, but is not a test of an aac stream.

I have not seen any sites that say they use an aac (as oppossed to aac+) stream, so I do not know if they exist or if they would play in iTunes. If you can come up with an address for a site that says they stream aac, we could look into it more.

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Answer 8

JayEpoch

Level 1

0 points

Jun 2, 2006 4:51 PM in response to Tom Graves

You downloaded a podcast which was an aac/m4a file. That this file plays is not surprising, but is not a test of an aac stream.

To make sure we're on the same page, I downloaded an aac/m4a file then uploaded it to my webserver, and then went to Open Stream in iTunes and the file streamed. This is not true streaming like Shoutcast/Icecast/QTSS/Darwin, but it is loading the file and playing it though iTunes without storing it on my hard drive to save for later.

But yes, if anyone can find an AAC broadcaster that'd be excellent 🙂

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