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iTunes and FLAC, SHN Files?

Hello all, I was just wondering if anyone knows how to make iTunes support .FLAC files and/or SHN files? How come apple will not include these codecs?

Hello apple! Please support .FLAC and .SHN in iTunes!!!

Thanks!

G4 and G5, Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Mar 23, 2007 12:21 PM

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3 replies

Mar 23, 2007 4:34 PM in response to Zandr6

You can get a Quicktime plug-in for Vorbis and FLAC here. I've never used it, so I can't say how well it works. Don't know about SHN files though.

If I come across FLAC files, I just use xAct to convert them to AIFF, and then use iTunes to convert them to whatever format I wish.

Apple have their own lossless codec, so I doubt we'll be seeing official support for any alternatives any time soon, but I guess stranger things have happened.

Mar 25, 2007 8:00 PM in response to Zandr6

As long as you're only going to be using the files in iTunes or an iPod, there's nothing wrong with Apple Lossless, and it'll give you the same quality as AIFF in a smaller space.

You can always convert to AIFF if you change your mind at any point.

Have you heard iTunes' AAC encoder recently? I revisited it awhile ago, and was pleasantly surprised. Since then I've backed up all my Apple Lossless files onto DVD, and converted my iTunes library to 160 kbps VBR AAC. It gives a very passable quality in a much smaller file size.

If you're intent on preserving the original sound of the CD though, Apple Lossless is definitely the way to go (on a Mac anyway).

iTunes and FLAC, SHN Files?

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