WMA DRM and MP3 questions
 

Paul Hill wrote:

I'm not sure if Winamp plays DRM encoded WMA's but if it does you might be
able to use the Diskwriter output plugin that sends the data to a .wav file,
instead of to the sound card.

I don't have any DRM files to try it though, sorry.

"Malcolm H" wrote in message
...

I have downloaded (and paid for) music tracks from the MSN music store

.The

downloaded tracks are in .wma format protected by DRM (Digital Rights
Management).

My media player (Squeezebox http://www.slimdevices.com/) will not play

these

files - so I wish to convert them to unprotected mp3.

Using Windows Media player I have successfully burned the downloaded .wma
files to a CD and then ripped the files from the CD to mp3 format. These
files can then be played by my Squeezebox.

Thus I have achieved my objective, but my question is - why is it

necessary

to burn a CD to achieve this result? Surely there must be a way of
achieving this conversion directly without going via a CD??

Answers will be awaited with interest.






The problem here is the squeezebox. An up to date media player should
handle DRM! There used to be downloadable utilities that would unprotect
DRM files, but they seem to have been suppressed. The only options left
seem to be either the CD route, with the downside of recompressing an
already compressed file. NB expanding to WAV/CDA shouldn't downgrade the
tracks any more but recoding to mp3 will. What about a different
compression like Ogg?, or recoding in real time. I've tried both
techniques to convert WMA to mp3 with acceptable results. However I'm
not looking for concert hall quality.

WMA DRM and MP3 questions
 

Converting to Ogg will also downgrade sound quality.

- NRen2k5

peter wrote:
Paul Hill wrote:

I'm not sure if Winamp plays DRM encoded WMA's but if it does you
might be
able to use the Diskwriter output plugin that sends the data to a .wav
file,
instead of to the sound card.

I don't have any DRM files to try it though, sorry.

"Malcolm H" wrote in message
...

I have downloaded (and paid for) music tracks from the MSN music store


.The

downloaded tracks are in .wma format protected by DRM (Digital Rights
Management).

My media player (Squeezebox http://www.slimdevices.com/) will not play


these

files - so I wish to convert them to unprotected mp3.

Using Windows Media player I have successfully burned the downloaded
.wma
files to a CD and then ripped the files from the CD to mp3 format.
These
files can then be played by my Squeezebox.

Thus I have achieved my objective, but my question is - why is it


necessary

to burn a CD to achieve this result? Surely there must be a way of
achieving this conversion directly without going via a CD??

Answers will be awaited with interest.






The problem here is the squeezebox. An up to date media player should
handle DRM! There used to be downloadable utilities that would unprotect
DRM files, but they seem to have been suppressed. The only options left
seem to be either the CD route, with the downside of recompressing an
already compressed file. NB expanding to WAV/CDA shouldn't downgrade the
tracks any more but recoding to mp3 will. What about a different
compression like Ogg?, or recoding in real time. I've tried both
techniques to convert WMA to mp3 with acceptable results. However I'm
not looking for concert hall quality.

WMA DRM and MP3 questions
 

The only obsessive-complusive type here is you Hillbilly. Only a
jackass like you would respond to something so trite. Have you figured
out yet that a .wav extension is needed for playback on a computers
harddrive?

WMA DRM and MP3 questions
 

Dadion still doesn't know how to convert DRM WMA's to MP3, knowledge he
claims is "common." How pathetic. Have you stuck that Baby Ruth King
Kong up your ass yet?

WMA DRM and MP3 questions
 

"audiohead" wrote:

The only obsessive-complusive type here is you Hillbilly. Only a
jackass like you would respond to something so trite. Have you figured
out yet that a .wav extension is needed for playback on a computers
harddrive?

I told you already that CDDA isn't the same *format* as the equivalent
WAV, but the difference is trivial. You're the one who invented some
nonsense about PCM being "added" when the data is ripped from the CD.

--
Joel Crump

"Of course, it is ironic that a media company [Fox News Channel] that
should be seeking to protect the First Amendment is seeking to
undermine it by claiming a monopoly on the phrase 'fair and balanced.'"
- Judge Denny Chin, referring to Fox News accusing Al Franken of
trademark infringement.