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More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 23 for Mac => Topic started by: k.e. on September 05, 2017, 03:52:03 am

Title: M4A File Format
Post by: k.e. on September 05, 2017, 03:52:03 am

JRiver will say the file format is "m4a" regardless of ALAC or AAC. Would that be something difficult to change in future updates?

Title: Re: M4A File Format
Post by: Awesome Donkey on September 05, 2017, 04:16:07 am

Both use M4A as the container, like iTunes does. Have you tried using compression instead of file format?

Title: Re: M4A File Format
Post by: blgentry on September 05, 2017, 07:38:48 am

What Donkey said is correct, but I want to explain a little more because this is subtle:

Yes, M4A is the container and it can contain both AAC and ALAC compressed formats.  Which makes it rather confusing for a lot of people since you can normally use the file extension to figure out what's inside.  At least in the audio world.  In the video world all bets are off.

Anyway, MC has many many database fields (as you probably know) and one of the built in fields is called [Compression] .  If you display this field for your M4A files, you will see that it shows whether the file is actually AAC or ALAC.

You can use this field to sort, search, build smart lists, build views, etc.  However you want to locate or group your ALACs versus AACs, this is the field to use to do it.

Good luck.

Brian.

Title: Re: M4A File Format
Post by: k.e. on September 05, 2017, 12:27:54 pm

Thank you guys! That was what I was looking for. Glad I asked! :)