MPEG2 into MPEG1, How can I convert the format? Options

[Bonker]

Hi. I have some MP3 files on computer that I want to listen to on my Sony MP3 player.

The audiofiles are on the PC are MP3 (MPEG-2 audio layer3) ........but......
The MP3 player can only play MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer3)

I don't care too much about loss of quality or increased file size as its just an Audio-book that I want to listen to. Someone sugested that I burn to CD - before ripping back to PC using the correct format.... but the trouble is its 20hours long!!

Does anyone know what I can do to convert them to the correct format and hopefully for free?

[Digga]

The audiofiles are on the PC are MP3 (MPEG-2 audio layer3) ........but......
The MP3 player can only play MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer3)

MP3 is MPEG-1 layer 3 so your player should support it with no problems. almost every portable player supports MP3.
did you actually check if the files play on your device?

edit: spelling

This post has been edited by Digga: Jun 16 2006, 08:47

[vitos]

Sorry Digga, but you are wrong. Lower bitrate MP3's are actually MPEG 2 (or MPEG 2.5) Layer 3.

CODE

        Sample Rates     Bitrates
MPEG-1  32, 44.1,  48    32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 160, 192, 224, 256, 320
MPEG-2  16. 22.05, 24    8,  16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64,  80,  96,  112, 128, 144, 160

Bonker - there's no need to burn them to CD, somebody told you a stupid method.
Just try recompress these files with LAME, which can read mp3 as an input (but first make sure you really can't play these files on your player).

[haregoo]

MPEG-2 audio layer3

The MPEG-2 Audio part (defined in Part 3 of the standard), enhances MPEG-1's audio by allowing the coding of audio programs with more than two channels. Part 3 of the standard allows this to be done in a backwards compatible way, allowing MPEG-1 audio decoders to decode the two main stereo components of the presentation.

General MP3 decoder seems to support decoding MPEG-2 audio layer3.

[vitos]

General MP3 decoder, yes. Sony MP3 decoder - who knows...
The problem might be with lower sample rates, not channel number.

[haregoo]

General MP3 decoder, yes. Sony MP3 decoder - who knows...
The problem might be with lower sample rates, not channel number.

That's the problem.
I confirmed iPod nano plays 8 and 16kHz mp3.
But Sony officially support 32, 44.1 and 48kHz only.

[Bonker]

Thanks for all your quick replies.

I did try the audio on my MP3 plyer- twice......but although the tracks transfered onto it, they won't play.

what can I do then? I take it that the audio is recoreded at too low a sample rate so my MP3 player wont play it?? Will LAME be able to rectify this and covert to a higher bit rate that the Sony MP3 player will be able to read?

[haregoo]

As already said, transcoding with resampling is the only way to play on Sony walkman.
LAME with --resample 32000 or SSRC prior to encoding would be good. I don't konw which is better.

[Digga]

Sorry Digga, but you are wrong. Lower bitrate MP3's are actually MPEG 2 (or MPEG 2.5) Layer 3.

hmm I didn't know this. thanks for the info.

[vitos]

Will LAME be able to rectify this and covert to a higher bit rate that the Sony MP3 player will be able to read?

You may try:
lame.exe --mp3input --resample 32000 -h -b 32 inputfile.mp3 outputfile.mp3

I don't know if --mp3input switch is mandatory, and maybe you would like to encode at higher bitrate (then you may try using -abr [bitrate] instead of -b [bitrate]).