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Konradx
May 25, 2006, 07:56 PM
Hi i was wondering if there is anyway to play FLAC files on Itunes, and if not why?

thanks in advance,

Konrad


WildCowboy
May 25, 2006, 08:01 PM
iTunes can't read FLAC files directly...you first need to convert them to something like WAV or AIFF. xACT (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14246) does the job.

Why can't you play it directly? Good question.
ManchesterTrix
May 25, 2006, 08:02 PM
Why can't you play it directly? Good question.

Because Apple wants you to use Apple Lossless, and Apple knows best.
balamw
May 25, 2006, 08:04 PM
Well iTunes will pay what QT can, and there's a plugin for QT on Mac here: http://damien.drix.free.fr/qtflac/

Doesn't help much, since you can't transfer it to an iPod or anything. Converting to Apple Lossless might be the easiest path.

It was speculated that Apple developed Apple Lossless since the FLAC license wouldn't let them add DRM to the files if they so wanted.

B
theBB
May 25, 2006, 08:12 PM
It was speculated that Apple developed Apple Lossless since the FLAC license wouldn't let them add DRM to the files if they so wanted.

How open is "Apple Lossless"? Is iTunes and iApps the only software that can play it? Are there other opensource programs that can convert it into other formats?
balamw
May 25, 2006, 08:14 PM
How open is "Apple Lossless"? Is iTunes and iApps the only software that can play it? Are there other opensource programs that can convert it into other formats?
It was reverse engineered and an open source decoder is here: http://craz.net/programs/itunes/alac.html

B
mrichmon
May 25, 2006, 08:16 PM
How open is "Apple Lossless"? Is iTunes and iApps the only software that can play it? Are there other opensource programs that can convert it into other formats?

There is an opensource Apple Lossless decoder: http://craz.net/programs/itunes/alac.html
WildCowboy
May 25, 2006, 08:16 PM
How open is "Apple Lossless"? Is iTunes and iApps the only software that can play it? Are there other opensource programs that can convert it into other formats?

There are no DRM restrictions on ALAC, though they could be implemented pretty easily. There are open source decoders...here's (http://craz.net/programs/itunes/alac.html) one.

Edit: Alrighty then...it's a party in here!
balamw
May 25, 2006, 08:17 PM
There are no DRM restrictions on ALAC, though they could be implemented pretty easily.
Unlike FLAC whose license explicitly prohibits DRM, which is the point. Apple couldn't use FLAC if they wanted to sell DRMed lossless files on iTMS.

B
theBB
May 25, 2006, 08:34 PM
It was reverse engineered and an open source decoder is here: http://craz.net/programs/itunes/alac.html

Thanks everybody... I guess the only non-iTunes way of listening is to convert it into something else. With just one link everybody is refering to, it seems like it is not a widespread format.

I guess my problem is, I want to use iTunes as my music orgranizer and player right now, but I want to save music in a lossless format that will not force my hand into using Apple or MS software forever.
aricher
May 25, 2006, 09:17 PM
I use MacFlac (go to versiontracker to find) to convert to AIFF and then load it into iTunes. If you want to compress it from there you can.
theBB
May 25, 2006, 10:22 PM
Max seems like a good option, too.

http://sbooth.org/Max/

I am thinking about backing up my CD collection as FLAC (maybe on an external HD) and saving an AAC version (on the internal HD) for iTunes. If I go through all that trouble, I'd need an Airport express to listen to music on my home stereo, but $130 is a bit rich and I would end up listening to the lossy versions. Hmm... As you see, I haven't worked out the details, yet. :)