What Is M4A? M4A vs MP3, Is
M4A Better than MP3 or Not?
This page focuses on what is M4A on earth, M4A vs MP3 comparison, and differences
between M4A and MP3.
Q: What is an M4A file? What's the difference between M4A and MP3? --- from Yahoo
Answers
People are easily confused with some common audio formats, especially have confusion
about M4A and MP3 audio. Actually, audio file formats can be divided into three major
groups: Uncompressed audio formats, like WAV; Lossless compression audio formats, such
as FLAC, ALAC, WMA Lossless; Lossy compression formats, incl. MP3, AAC, WMA Lossy,
Vorbis. In this article, we will mainly introduce you the increasingly popular audio format
M4A, including what is M4A format; M4A vs MP3 comparison, which one is better; as well
as how to convert video to M4A audio with a professional video to audio converter.
What Is M4A – Definition of M4A
M4A is an audio-only MPEG-4 file. The official extension of MPEG-4 file is MP4 which
contains both video and audio data, but when it only contains audio, then it uses the M4A
file extension. M4A format is widely used by Apple for unprotected music downloaded from
their iTunes Music Store (DRM protected music uses M4P extension). Audio within the m4a
file extension is typically encoded with AAC lossy compression, though lossless ALAC may
also be used. In general, compared with MP3, the quality of M4A is better and its file size is
smaller than MP3 file.
Advantages and Disadvantages of M4A Format