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Understanding M4A & M4P Differences

Many audio-visual users will want to find out the differences between M4A and M4P before making a decision to buy different types of equipment. For example, few devices can be used to play MP4 files. These two audio files are commonly linked to iTunes. All the music that was sold in the iTunes store was stored in M4P format.


Today, things have changed in that music is stored in M4A files on iTunes. It is important to note that there is a vast difference between these two files. M4A files do not have Digital Rights Management (DRM) and the audio quality is different on these files.


Bitrate is the measurement that is used to measure the quality of audio files. Devices with a high bitrate have better digital audio quality as it means that more audio data can be encoded. Apple M4P files were sold with a 128 bit rate, which is much lower than what is required by M4A files with a 256 kbps speed.


It is possible to use any CD ripping program to encode songs that have higher bitrates. When listening to music through top of the range headphones and speakers it is easy to hear the difference between 128 and 256 kpbs. This is not necessarily the case with bottom of the range headphones or speakers. Most people will say that with the top of the range listening equipment, the difference with 256 kpbs is far better.


Digital Rights Management is included in these files to restrict users' ability to share the files. DRM was always sold on M4P files. In the case of Apple, it reduces the number of devices that can be used.


M4A & M4P Differences (M4A vs M4P) do include the fact that there are limits as to how many times a song can be burned onto a CD. This is highlighted by the fact that M4A files have no restrictions and they are free of DRM. You will note that you cannot convert DRM files to formats that do not incorporate DRM.

More Reading:

Convert Napster to iPod: Want to transfer Napster music to iPod? The article tells you how to accomplish the task in a hassle-free manner.

DRM to AVI: The tutorial gives you a detailed instruction on how to convert DRM protected files to AVI format easily and quickly.

Convert M4V to Play one: Have the need to convert M4V files to play in VLC media player? Find the solution here.

Play Protected WMA: This article explains you what is protected WMA files and how to play such files anywhere you like.

Play Protected M4V: If you are curious about how to play protected M4V files, you can get some useful knowledge from the article.

Play DRM Files: Have no idea how to play DRM protected files? This article teaches you how to play such files anywhere and anytime you like.

M4V to Windows Media Player: Being bothered with M4V to Windows Media Player conversion? Take it easy. Let's fix the problem right now.

Remove BBC iPlayer MP4 DRM: Would you like to know how to remove DRM from BBC iPlayer MP4 videos? Click here to read more.

Convert BBC iPlayer to AVI/MP4: Looking for a way to convert BBC iPlayer videos to AVI/MP4 formats? You can turn to this article for help.

Music to Windows Media Player: How to play protected music in Windows Media Player? Read this article to find the answer.

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