What About Microsoft's WMA and WMAPRO formats? What are they and how do they compare to M4A/MP4 audio?
I don't recommend using WMA. Microsoft has for years promoted their proprietary (i.e. closed) audio formats and
codecs. They routinely have changed their encoding routines, sometimes breaking backward player compatibility on some platforms (i.e. when audio files encoded in newer WMA or WMAPRO formats can't be played back on previous/older versions of Windows Media Player or other audio players using older versions of Microsoft's WMA libraries). Using a proprietary standard like WMA that is owned, dictated and maintained by one company (in this case Microsoft) is not a good idea in my opinion. MPEG 4 Audio on the other hand uses an Internationally approved MPEG/ISO standard. This MPEG 4 Audio standard exists to enable your audio files to play properly on multiple platforms and on various hardware and software players for years to come. WMA can't make that statement due to its closed nature.
Note: All of the above applies to AAC encoded content inside a M4A/MP4 container file, and not other audio formats (like MP3) inside the container file.
You can find some good M4A Players, Encoders, Tools and Applications here. You can click here to find an MP3 Archiver. Also you can play MP3/MP4 files on your cell phone and we recommend though that you grab a cell phone booster antenna here before you try to use your phone to download these music files from services like
Verizon.
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