Convert .MP3 into .M4A Files - Fast, Free and Secure. We also have information of .MP3 and .M4A Files extensions on this page.
- Information about MP3 |
File extension |
mp3 |
File category |
Audio |
Stands for |
MPEG Audio Layer-3 |
Developer |
Fraunhofer- Gesellschaft (A German research institute) |
Overview |
It is a digital Audio which compresses the tracks using the lossy format. Although, it follows the lossy format, yet, there will be no noticeable change in the quality of audio. It only discards the superfluous information that a human ear is inefficient to process or hear. With the help of the this extension, one can upload and download audio files with ease, irrespective of the internet connection speed even a dial-up connection users can access these files. There are a number of MP3 Blogs(music blogs) available on the internet where maker uploads music files and a user can download the same without any trouble. These blogs help people to get an insight into the music world. Hype Machine is an example of an audio blog. |
Technical description |
MP3 uses lossy data compression, which means when data is encoded it is not the full original version, it’s a substitute to original copy but in a smaller size. This compression can lead to a decrease in file size, ranging from 75% to 95%. This format is based on perceptual coding due to which this extension screens out the noise, and results in an audio file that uses a low bit rate(lowest bit rate in it is 128kbps). It provides audio of fair sound quality. As it is only an audio file, thereby, if there are any images linked to it then they need to be stored in a separate file. |
Links |
wikipedia.org |
- 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 |