Convert .M4A into .WMA Files - Fast, Free and Secure. We also have information of .M4A and .WMA Files extensions on this page.
- Information about M4A |
File extension |
m4a |
File category |
Audio |
Stands for |
MPEG-4 PART 14 or MPEG-4 Audio |
Developer |
Apple |
Overview |
It is an audio file which uses AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) compression. Also, it is one of the formats of MPEG-4. It should be noted that MPEG-4 codec is used both for video and Audio. But M4A is specially designed by Apple for audio files only that is why it is used to store audiobooks, podcasts and songs. As sound files are encoded using AAC compression and this results in a reduction of file size and it also produces a very good quality of audio. Whenever somebody purchases music from the iTunes store then it is always available in this format. Many believe that MP4 and M4A are similar extensions, however, it’s not the truth. MP4 files can store both Audio and video files whereas the other one is entirely made for Audio files. |
Technical description |
These files are improved version of MP3 as it has the ability to store data without any loss. The audio files are completely reversible that is they can be inverted to their original copies with the same size. Besides this, these files does not have copyright protection whereas MP4 files are protected and they use DRM(Digital Rights Management) technology to enforce this protection policy. Due to this, one can copy these audio files effortlessly. These files have come with advanced features which include smaller sample block sizes, perception-based compression and bigger block sizes in stationary signals. There are a number of applications that support this extension. For example:- Microsoft Windows Media Player, VLC Media Player, Quicktime player, Microsoft Zune and Apple iTunes etc. |
Links |
wikipedia.org |
- Information about WMA |
File extension |
wma |
File category |
Audio |
Stands for |
Windows Media Audio |
Developer |
Microsoft |
Overview |
It is an audio file format which is proprietary or closed source software. It is available in four different versions. First one is the original WMA codec. This gives competition to the MP3 and it came into existence in 1999. Next is WMA Pro which is an advanced and new codec. It uses lossy compression but provides audios of high resolution. The third is WMA lossless codec and it encodes audio without losing any information. Lastly, there is WMA Voice which is again a lossy compression and it was developed for audios with low bandwidth or low bit rates. Microsoft has developed an advanced systems format which is used by ‘Windows Media Audio' to store encoded audios. Metadata objects like the album, the genre of track and title; etc. can also be added in this codec. The prime use of this extension by users is streaming on the internet. |
Technical description |
Microsoft has various claims about this codec. Firstly, it was alleged that at 64kbps this format will deliver the same quality of audio as of CD. This was rejected at the end. The second claim is that it gives better sound quality than MP3 at the same bit rate. Thirdly, it was professed that this extension provides a similar quality of audio at a lower bit rate than MP3 at a higher bit rate. Apart from this, there is an option available for this container i.e. DRM(Digital rights management) and this option is completely elective. One may or may not choose this choice. A number of software support this format like Windows media player, Microsoft expression encoder; etc. |
Links |
wikipedia.org |