Some encoders use .mp4 while others use .m4a. I know .m4a can be safely renamed to .mp4, but I'd like to make clear which one is commonly used. Is there a standard? Renaming tires me. Thanks.

I would guess M4A, only because iTunes use it as default. RealPlayer 10 also uses M4A, and you can choose between MP4 or M4A when encoding in Compaact!

I think Nero is the only major encoder that doesn't have the option to use m4a.

Winamp 5.03 also uses M4A as the default extension for ripping AAC. So does iTunes and Real 10.

I'd go for .M4A

The files created by Winamp/Compaact/etc (except iTunes of course) aren't even correct m4a files, they all forget one thing.

Luckily for those encoders Apple's reader is not too strict.

Menno

of course it also has to be said that the extension defined in the mpeg-4 standard is .mp4

boohoo...
why is this such a big issue?
why so many threads about the same crap?


later

Ya, to a new user like me, it's really a confusing issue.

So, .m4a was introduced by Apple and has been used more and more commonly, but it's still not a standard name. Right?

use whatever works best for the intended device or player using them. I never touch .M4A here as .MP4 works fine on foobar and for my website downloads.

well, according to some users here it's the only extension possible
fact is that a whole bunch of widly used apps use m4a by default...
so you have to descide for yourself what suit you most. both possibilities have their pros and cons.

That is correct.

In traditional mpeg extensions .mp4 (or .mpeg4) would be an extension for anything in an mpeg-4 wrapper, in this case bitstreams encoded in various versions of the AAC audio codec. Most correctly .m4a and .m4v would be reserved for raw mpeg-4 video or audio bitstreams respectively.

The muddying of the issue comes from the fact that the .mp4 extension doesn't tell the user exactly what is in the wrapper, so apple chose to adopt .M4A as a more informative (and therefore more useful) nameing convention, with raw streams having .AAC (or whatever)

What did they forget?

BTW, FAAC 1.24 uses M4A by default as well.

Because the search function is too easy to use?