Just get dBpoweramp Music Converter or Xrecode and convert all your FLAC files to WMA Lossless. Their both fast, free, and awesome.
I don't know why more people don't use WMA Lossless. Encoding times are much faster than FLAC, the compression-ratio is a little better than FLAC (even level 8), and it supports album art (which FLAC didn't always do). It also integrates with Windows a lot better; WMA Lossless works with Media Center (without plug-ins), and you can see and edit all the tag info right in Explorer.
I love that Ogg and FLAC are free, sometimes you gotta just go with what works. If you're living in the Windows/Xbox 360/Zune world, FLAC is just not an option. It would be a big deal if FLAC had any technological advantages ("freedom" doesn't count), but I can't think of any, so I don't mind using WMA Lossless.
@Mike Cerm Fully agree. I have all my music CDs archived as WMA Lossless on a hard-drive for years now. Plays great on my Zune 80 in a car, the sound quality through a simple analog AUX connection is incredible. I had multiple people listen to it in the car and, believe it or not, everyone agrees it sounds BETTER than when you play a CD into the car audio system - must be due to the DA converter and amp in Zune being high quality, certainly better than these components in the car (and the car is BMW with the original Professional Audio System). WMA Lossless also plays great in a living room from Media Center connected with a digital coax cable to an amp with built in quality DA converter - great solution that beats lot of other combos, e.g. CD player or playing music with other dedicated devices, but connected with analog cables to the amp - unless it's very high priced audiofile equipment. Ripping a CD to WMA Lossless is super-easy under Windows - just insert a CD, pre-set the right options in WM Player and off you go, including the album info, art, etc. With the right backup, my music is safe for years, the file sizes are ok due to great (lossless) compression, and the sound quality is as good as it gets (for now).
FTW Zune HD! On my shopping list, just wish there was a version with more than 32 gigs. Mabe later...
the Nook Color proved it was an undercover tablet all along, Barnes and Noble has hit back with this latest Nook as proof of its focus on one thing: reading.
The most commented posts on Engadget over the past 24 hours.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
What about audio specs?
I know right!
FLAC support would be awesome, because let's face it, nobody ever used WMA lossless.
A third party program could always add in a FLAC player once MS' app store is up and running.
@Brad Green, yea but having it just as a default option would be amazing.
My musics all in mp3 320 so I don't really care, but I know some will.
Just get dBpoweramp Music Converter or Xrecode and convert all your FLAC files to WMA Lossless. Their both fast, free, and awesome.
I don't know why more people don't use WMA Lossless. Encoding times are much faster than FLAC, the compression-ratio is a little better than FLAC (even level 8), and it supports album art (which FLAC didn't always do). It also integrates with Windows a lot better; WMA Lossless works with Media Center (without plug-ins), and you can see and edit all the tag info right in Explorer.
I love that Ogg and FLAC are free, sometimes you gotta just go with what works. If you're living in the Windows/Xbox 360/Zune world, FLAC is just not an option. It would be a big deal if FLAC had any technological advantages ("freedom" doesn't count), but I can't think of any, so I don't mind using WMA Lossless.
@Mike Cerm
Fully agree. I have all my music CDs archived as WMA Lossless on a hard-drive for years now. Plays great on my Zune 80 in a car, the sound quality through a simple analog AUX connection is incredible. I had multiple people listen to it in the car and, believe it or not, everyone agrees it sounds BETTER than when you play a CD into the car audio system - must be due to the DA converter and amp in Zune being high quality, certainly better than these components in the car (and the car is BMW with the original Professional Audio System).
WMA Lossless also plays great in a living room from Media Center connected with a digital coax cable to an amp with built in quality DA converter - great solution that beats lot of other combos, e.g. CD player or playing music with other dedicated devices, but connected with analog cables to the amp - unless it's very high priced audiofile equipment.
Ripping a CD to WMA Lossless is super-easy under Windows - just insert a CD, pre-set the right options in WM Player and off you go, including the album info, art, etc. With the right backup, my music is safe for years, the file sizes are ok due to great (lossless) compression, and the sound quality is as good as it gets (for now).
FTW Zune HD! On my shopping list, just wish there was a version with more than 32 gigs. Mabe later...
Okay so I was looking at the PDF that's linked up there and I discovered that the Zune HD does NOT support WAV files, seriously Microsoft?
Its a crapload easier to just RIP all your CD's in WMA-L as defualt I think. :)
Its the only way I rip CD's, unless its something im gunna share, then I do a MP3 rip also and upload it to the server ;)