M4A plugin (AAC encoded by iTunes)

[ThomasW]

In this thread someone asked if my M4P plugin would also work with M4A files. It doesn't, but I've made another plugin that does

It's still beta because no one (except me) has tested it yet. Please tell me if it works for you.
It reads all the metatags written to the file by iTunes but cannot change them. I will probably implement that when the new Winamp 5 SDK is released.

Cheers,

Tom

P.S.: I haven't created an installer, just drop the unzipped file into your Winamp plugins folder.

P.P.S.: While I'm absolutely sure that the plugin won't delete your files or something, I cannot take
any responsibility for any bugs the plugin may contain. ;-)

[ThomasW]

Here's the file:

[Jstphish]

Thank you so much. It works perfectly!!! I don't need it to write tags yet because I find iTunes does it much easier and faster anyway. Thanks again!

[roytam1]

I find a mp4/m4a plugin here:
http://www.audiocoding.com/download.php

[DJ Egg]

Does ^that^ plugin definitely support M4A ?
There's another MP4/M4A/AAC plugin here, but it doesn't support M4P

Still trying to work out if they're 2 different plugins or not
(I've only ever used the one from rarewares)

[starwiz]

Okay, now I'm confused.

Which plugin can play itunes encrypted files?
If they both can, what's the difference?

[DJ Egg]

The plugin for encrypted iTunes Music Store files (M4P format) is here

As to what the difference between M4A and M4P is...
well, I haven't got a damn clue.
(apart from maybe one is a bigger nightmare than the other, lol).

I've personally never used iTunes, and never will.
Someone else can hopefully shed some light on the situation ?!?!

M4P: DRM protected
M4A: Non-Protected MP4 Audio

I *think* .MP4 and .M4A are interchanageble, but they might not be.

[Lion King]

m4a is a renamed mp4 file and is supported by the faad2 plugin, apple uses the m4v extension for mp4 files that contain video

m4p is a drm protected mp4 audio file

better use faad2 for your mp4/m4a files because quicktime isn't compatible with all possible mp4 files (eg. other profiles than lc like he-aac/aacplus) and Thomas' plugin doesn't support tagging them

the file on the rarewares site is an older version of the plugin available at audiocoding.com. neither version supports m4p

[DJ Egg]

Aah, right. Cheers guys.

So we should link to audiocoding.com plugin instead of rarewares one then ?!

[Lion King]

there are also compiles on John Edwards' homepage:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jfe1205/in_mp4.zip

and on Case's site:
http://www.saunalahti.fi/~cse/files/in_mp4.zip

John's compile is currently the most recent one but that changes daily

audiocoding.com/the sourceforge site and rarewares provide nsis installers which might be better for newbies

i'd link to the latest compile or to the official site (audiocoding.com) if i was to lazy to check the dates

[ThomasW]

If you want complete (unprotected) AAC support, install my plugin AND the faad2 plugin. The faad2 plugin will then play back all .aac and .mp4 files, and my plugin will play back .m4a files (which are coming from iTunes, can definitely be played by Quicktime and use the Mpeg-4 tagging standard that faad does NOT support).

better use faad2 for your mp4/m4a files because quicktime isn't compatible with all possible mp4 files (eg. other profiles than lc like he-aac/aacplus)

This is probably true, but if you use both plugins, those (rare) files with other profiles are still played back with the faad plugin, because they never have a .m4a but a .mp4 or .aac extension.
I think someone should update the faad2 plugins to support the iTunes tagging format, then we can use it for m4a files too.

[Lion King]

Originally posted by ThomasW
This is probably true, but if you use both plugins, those (rare) files with other profiles are still played back with the faad plugin, because they never have a .m4a but a .mp4 or .aac extension.
I think someone should update the faad2 plugins to support the iTunes tagging format, then we can use it for m4a files too.

the faad2 plugin already supports the m4a extension and adds itunes compatible tags to all mp4/m4a files

[ThomasW]

Originally posted by Lion King
the faad2 plugin already supports the m4a extension and adds itunes compatible tags to all mp4/m4a files

It does? I must have used an old version. So you've been absolutely right - the faad plugin is all we need to play back all aac files (except those protected m4p files).

[ralph_wiggum]

I was able to play Apple Lossless files in WinAmp using ThomasW's plugin, but only after updating to the latest version of Quicktime and after renaming the in_mp4.dll to in_mp4.bak to prevent a conflict. After that it was smooth sailing.

[Shpongled]

<revives a dead thread, blame it on the "search> function>


If I just use the normal MP4 AAC 1.0 to rip my music am I going to screw myself in the long-run?

I want to use a medium that will be efficient for the future, so I picked MP4. I see there's M4A, AAC, and MP4, there's also multiple plugins to rip AAC audio, so I'm totally confused.

Like, should I just be using iTunes to rip my media, or Winamp with a plugin, or Winamp without any plugins. lol, so confusing... I just want to secure the music for my future. Thanks

[ivalladt]

I am being unable to play .m4a files using ThomasW plug-in, but also using the one downloaded from rarewares. In both cases the file loads but it seems like tags are not parsed, and when I press play nothing happens. Is the faad2 also required? Am I forced to compile it or are there binaries anywhere?

[DJ Egg]

The default Nullsoft MPEG-4 Audio Decoder which comes with Winamp 5.12 now supports all MP4/M4A audio files (with AAC/AAC+ content), with no need to install any other 3rd-party plugin(s).

It still doesn't support drm-protected .M4P files, ie. of the type downloaded/purchased via iTMS (ie. you need ThomasW's plugin for .m4p support).

And it doesn't support proprietry ALAC (Apple Lossless) aac/m4a files
(but neither do any of the 3rd-party plugins).

But if the file extension is .m4a (not .m4p) then you shouldn't need either of the rarewares/audiocoding or ThomasW's plugins... as long as the files aren't ALAC.
afaik, you can only play those with iTunes/QuickTime... though don't ever give up on support being added to Winamp someday.

[ivalladt]

I'm afraid they're ALAC. A pity there isn't an application for audio files in the scope of GSpot for video files...

[costinel]

Originally posted by DJ Egg
The default Nullsoft MPEG-4 Audio Decoder which comes with Winamp 5.12 now supports all MP4/M4A audio files (with AAC/AAC+ content), with no need to install any other 3rd-party plugin(s).

It still doesn't support drm-protected .M4P files, ie. of the type downloaded/purchased via iTMS (ie. you need ThomasW's plugin for .m4p support).

And it doesn't support proprietry ALAC (Apple Lossless) aac/m4a files
(but neither do any of the 3rd-party plugins).

But if the file extension is .m4a (not .m4p) then you shouldn't need either of the rarewares/audiocoding or ThomasW's plugins... as long as the files aren't ALAC.
afaik, you can only play those with iTunes/QuickTime... though don't ever give up on support being added to Winamp someday.

but IT WORKED right after first install of winamp on this computer... it worked with an alac losless m4a... until for now reason it stopped. working. it worked three songs... and then... no more.
exact steps:
1. download and install winamp full latest version as of jan 3, 2006 from winamp website
2. play my m4a file
3. play around with dbpoweramp and convert the m4a to flac, ogg, wma, lossy m4a (while keeping the original file intact!)
4. copy in_flac.ddl, in_wv.dll, in_mpc.dll to plugins directory in order to be able to play flac, musepack and WavPack losless formats
5. at some point m4a file no longer plays (they are opened, id tags are read, but pressing the play button does nothing)
6. removed plugins, uninstalled winamp, reinstalled winamp
still, m4a files no longer play, not even other files not touched by dbpoweramp (so you can't say it's dbpoweramp's fault)


edit: and no, the files are not drm protected

[DJ Egg]

Maybe if you zip up one of these files, upload it to some webspace, and post a link
then someone might be able to look further into it...?

[costinel]

Originally posted by DJ Egg
Maybe if you zip up one of these files, upload it to some webspace, and post a link
then someone might be able to look further into it...?

http://rapidshare.de/files/10319399/01_Bridge.zip.html

Playing 01 Bridge.m4a.
Cache fill: 0.00% (0 bytes)
ISO: File Type Major Brand: Apple iTunes AAC-LC Audio
Quicktime/MOV file format detected.
--------------
MOV track #0: 372 chunks, 1860 samples
ID_AUDIO_ID=0
Audio bits: 16 chans: 2 rate: 44100
MOV: Found alac atom (36)!
Fourcc: alac
--------------
MOV: longest streams: A: #0 (1860 samples) V: #-1 (0 samples)
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg/libavcodec audio decoders
AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 1411.2 kbit/100.00% (ratio: 176400->176400)
Selected audio codec: [ffalac] afm: ffmpeg (FFmpeg ALAC audio decoder)
==========================================================================
ID_FILENAME=01 Bridge.m4a
ID_DEMUXER=mov
ID_AUDIO_CODEC=ffalac
ID_AUDIO_FORMAT=alac
ID_AUDIO_BITRATE=1411200
ID_AUDIO_RATE=44100
ID_AUDIO_NCH=2
ID_LENGTH=172.67

[costinel]

Originally posted by ivalladt
I'm afraid they're ALAC. A pity there isn't an application for audio files in the scope of GSpot for video files...

yes. there is. it's called mplayer. mplayer -identify filename.ext
debian linux deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat/ sarge main
windows http://www.aziendeassociate.it/cd.asp?dir=/mplayer (faster, cli, compiled for a specific cpu) or cpu-independent with gui http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~mfie...?software=mpui

[DJ Egg]

Hmm... unless I'm missing something, it looks like I've got to wait an hour before I can download the file O_O

So... you've got ffmpeg installed, which apparently now includes an alac decoder...
(hmm... is the binary included with mplayer?)
If you want Winamp to make use of said alac decoder/ds filter, then you'll need to add ;M4A to the Extension List in the DirectShow Decoder (in_dshow) config.

However, this will then make Winamp use in_dshow for all .m4a files (instead of in_mp4), so maybe you should rename the alac-only files with a different extension, eg. .alac or .M4L and add that extension to in_dshow instead.

Note, I've no idea whether this works or not, though I might try it once I've got hold of the file. I'm also not sure about installing ffmpeg either (though I've got ffdshow installed). Hmm....

[Edit]
Yeah, as you can see, I'm a bit confused here. Sorry, heh.
It doesn't seem like the ffmpeg binary actually includes an external alac decoder.
Looks like we may need someone to compile this!?

I'm still pretty certain that you can't play alac with either the nullsoft or audiocoding/rarewares in_mp4, and they'll only be playable after transcoding to standard aac or other supported format with eg. dBPowerAmp Converter.

ps. I've given up on trying to get that rapidshare download to work.
That's gotta be the worst free host ever :/

[costinel]

Originally posted by DJ Egg
Hmm... unless I'm missing something, it looks like I've got to wait an hour before I can download the file O_O

heh, sorry. <joke> are you on dial-up? </joke>

So... you've got ffmpeg installed, which apparently now includes an alac decoder...
(hmm... is the binary included with mplayer?)

err. sorry, i didn't mention that the mplayer output is from a debian linux machine it's posted just to prove that the file is alac
yes, i have ffdshow on my windows machine, but just by chance, and it does not include an alac decoder, so the directshow config does not apply to my case

here's the output from the mplayer (http://*******.com/8lf6h) running just fine on my machine:
http://pastebin.ca/35620

later edit: realized there was no need to quote the rest of paragraph

[costinel]

forgot to mention that this is what i see on file properties in winamp:

Track Type Info
1 audio alac, 349.533 secs, 946 kbps, 44100 Hz

[Claudehobbes]

Originally posted by DJ Egg
The default Nullsoft MPEG-4 Audio Decoder which comes with Winamp 5.12 now supports all MP4/M4A audio files (with AAC/AAC+ content), with no need to install any other 3rd-party plugin(s).

It still doesn't support drm-protected .M4P files, ie. of the type downloaded/purchased via iTMS (ie. you need ThomasW's plugin for .m4p support).

And it doesn't support proprietry ALAC (Apple Lossless) aac/m4a files
(but neither do any of the 3rd-party plugins).

But if the file extension is .m4a (not .m4p) then you shouldn't need either of the rarewares/audiocoding or ThomasW's plugins... as long as the files aren't ALAC.
afaik, you can only play those with iTunes/QuickTime... though don't ever give up on support being added to Winamp someday.

I have just d/l Winamp 5.12 and my m4a's still son't play- I am specifically trying to play a Glenn Gould Album encoded in m4a (Consort music of Byrd, etc.) Any suggestions?

[DJ Egg]

MP4/M4A is just a container format. It's what's inside the container what counts.
What is the audio codec/format within?
eg. is it standard lc-aac (supported), or he-aac/aacPlus (supported), or is it proprietary ALAC/Apple Lossless (not currently supported)?

If you don't know and can't find out, then your only other option is to zip up and upload one of the files to some webspace somewhere, and then post a link to it here.

[Gijsbrandt]

Originally posted by DJ Egg
...
ALAC/Apple Lossless (not currently supported)?
...

Originally posted by DJ Egg
...
And it doesn't support proprietry ALAC (Apple Lossless) aac/m4a files
(but neither do any of the 3rd-party plugins).
...

Originally posted by ralph_wiggum
I was able to play Apple Lossless files in WinAmp using ThomasW's plugin, but only after updating to the latest version of Quicktime and after renaming the in_mp4.dll to in_mp4.bak to prevent a conflict. After that it was smooth sailing.

There you have it:

! Apple Lossless IS supported. !

It works for me
It seems you really need to rename in_mp4.dll to make it work.

So there are two plugins (by ThomasW):
1) for playing iTunes Store media files
2) for playing Apple Lossless media files (.m4a Lossless encoded, dll rename mandatory)

Note: Only lossless encoded .m4a files need the plugin; Winamp can play other .m4a files natively (AAC encoded).
It's kind of confusing Apple didn't use another extension for Apple Lossless files.

[repeating]

Wow. So confused.

If i have Winamp 5.24 and I have alac.w5s in the winamp/system directory, what else do I have to do to get my ALAC to play?

I tried renaming in_mp4, but that just made it not play, rather than giving me the unsupported audio warning. I tried using the old in_mp4, and that just gave me the unsupported audio warning.

Any help would be much appreciated. I'm hoping it's really simple and I'm just misunderstanding one of the steps here.

[DJ Egg]

To play ALAC m4a's, all you need are the default in_mp4.dll included with Winamp (in the Winamp\Plugins dir) and alac.w5s (in the Winamp\System dir). No 3rd-party plugins required.

[repeating]

But...but...it's not working!!!

Just to clarify in case this is the problem: an ALAC m4a would be one I ripped directly from a CD in iTunes with Apple Lossless Encoder, would it not?


Edit: I am stupid. I uninstalled, reinstalled, and rebooted, and now it works.

Thank you.

[colorsound]

ThomasW -

I have succesfully used (and relied) on this plugin for months now to read Apple Lossless files in WinAmp, but recently it stopped working. I tried everything I could but couldn't figure out why it wouldn't work anymore. Finally, I realized that it might be QuickTime, so I downgraded my version back to 7.0.3 and now it works again.

Would you consider updating your plugin to support newer versions of QuickTime?

[DJ Egg]

As already stated above, Winamp's default in_mp4 supports alac, as long as you download and place alac.w5s into the winamp\system folder.

[Red Mullet]

Uses the limp4v2 library from the MPEG4IP package [http://mpeg4ip.sourceforge.net/]
Check this site I hope can help you.

[xjetera]

I'm still having trouble using WinAmp5.3 to play m4a lossless files.
I followed DJ Egg's good advice in his note of 07-11-2006. When I added the ALAC.w5s WinAmp finally 'saw' the files, but it crashes each time I got to play them. The error report says the issue is with alac.w5s.
Any ideas?

[DJ Egg]

http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....d=161361#specs

Please provide a List of Plugins (my_plugins_list.txt) and a link to a zipped sample file
(see above link for details).


Please also confirm that you are using alac.w5s from the 5.3 Essentials Pack
(earlier versions of alac.w5s are incompatible)

[xjetera]

Egg,
You're the greatest human in the universe. It was my dumbness in using the older w5s file. Using the one for the 'essential' pack the key.

This had been driving me absolutely nuts. Thanks Egg.

[wanchoo]

The m4a codec file works like a charm. However its name has to be changed from in_zm4a.dll to in_m4a.dll before (or even after) pasting it into the WinAmp Sub-Folder. I joined the Forum only today to say a big thank you to you Thomas.

Amarnath Wanchoo

Originally posted by ThomasW
Here's the file:

[d45k10r]

do i need to alter the .ini because it tells me i need to istall quicktime to use it