iPod AAC Converting+iPod Question.

[Chrismcfall]

Is there any way to convert the songs on my iPod to AAC without having to remove them, convert them, then put them back on? Thanks (1Gb's getting a little tight!) Will making all the songs 128KB AAC save space?

 

[robbieduncan]

There is no way to convert them on an iPod. The conversion must take place on a Mac or a PC.

Whether it would save space depends on the format they are in now. If they are currently 128 kbps MP3 then re-encoding them as 128 kbps AAC will save no space at all. If they are currently at a higher bit-rate then a re-encode to a lower bit-rate will save space.

 

[Chrismcfall]

Well a lot of my albums are 320MP3, and some are VBR, whatever that means. I'll re rip my cds then

 

[RumMunkey]

VBR is "Variable Bit Rate".

The link has more details, but basically:

As opposed to constant bitrate (CBR), VBR files vary the amount of output data per time segment. VBR allows a higher bitrate (and therefore more storage space) to be allocated to the more complex segments of media files while less space is allocated to less complex segments. The average of these rates is calculated to produce an average bitrate for the file that will represent its overall sound quality.