WMA File Format and the DRM Protection
Many online music stores employ DRM to restrict usage of music purchased and downloaded online. There are many options for consumers buying digital music over the internet, in terms of both stores and purchase options. The iTunes Store, run by Apple Inc., allows users to purchase a track online for $.99 US. The tracks purchased use Apple's FairPlay DRM system. Starting on October 17, 2007, users can download DRM-free music for the same price as a file with DRM.
Sony operated an online music download service called "Connect" which used Sony's proprietary OpenMG DRM technology. Music downloaded from this store (usually via Sony's SonicStage software) was only playable on computers running Windows and Sony hardware (including the PSP).
The various services are currently not interoperable, though those that use the same DRM system (for instance the several Windows Media DRM format stores, including Napster) all provide songs that can be played side-by-side through the same player program. Almost all stores require client software of some sort to be downloaded, and some also need plug-ins.
WMA is the abbreviation of Windows Media Audio. It’s a compression audio format developed by Microsoft. WMA file is contained in the Advanced Systems Format (ASF) format. Like mp3 file has ID3 tags, ASF specifies how metadata about the file is to be encoded. Metadata includes song name, artist name, track number, and audio normalization values.
Download NoteBurner DRM Audio Converter for Free
Youc can now free download NoteBurner Audio Converter to convert DRM protected music to MP3, protected WMA to MP3, M4P to MP3, or M4B to MP3. With the program, you can also convert all types of DRM-free audio files to MP3, WMA and WAV at fast speed.
NoteBurner Protected WMA to MP3 Converter is a program that can be used to convert music files, MP3 downloads or even iTunes Music Store songs to other, more compatible formats. It operates a little differently than the other products we reviewed because it is a virtual CD burner. It must be used in conjunction with a media player that can burn CDs because it makes the media player “burn” the song as a file on the hard drive instead of onto a real CD.
NoteBurner Protected WMA to MP3 Audio Converter is well known for its magic fast converting speed and its capability of converting DRM WMA protected audio files to MP3, WMA and WAV, especially convert M4P to MP3. Since NoteBurner Protected WMA to MP3 Audio Converter uses virtual burning technology, media player like iTunes, Windows Media Player or Real Player, or audio editing program like Adobe Audition, is required to co-work with the program to complete the converting.
NoteBurner’s features depend largely on the abilities of the media player you are using. NoteBurner WMA to MP3 Converter can control the bit rate, sampling rate and channels, but it doesn’t do much else because it operates differently than the other audio converters in this review. NoteBurner allows audio tag editing and can also extract audio signals from video files by burning them on the virtual drive. But its best feature, and the one that makes it stand out in our review, is the DRM removal that is indispensable when you’re having music compatibility issues.
