AAC/AAC+ support would be awesome

Yeah…that’s pretty much it. I would love to be able to use a Clip+ and play my AAC/AAC+ encoded audio files.

Alternatively, I guess making it easier for rockbox devs to port rockbox to the Clip+ would work as well…but that’s probably a lot of legal and technical stuff I am clueless about.

If I remembered correctly, there was a Sansa that’ll play .mp4 files that contained aac encoded audio. Does that mean SanDisk already licensed the use of AAC/AAC+? 

Cashew wrote:

Yeah…that’s pretty much it. I would love to be able to use a Clip+ and play my AAC/AAC+ encoded audio files.

 

Alternatively, I guess making it easier for rockbox devs to port rockbox to the Clip+ would work as well…but that’s probably a lot of legal and technical stuff I am clueless about.

 

If I remembered correctly, there was a Sansa that’ll play .mp4 files that contained aac encoded audio. Does that mean SanDisk already licensed the use of AAC/AAC+? 

From what they have said in the past, I don’t think you’re going to see AAC support on the Sansas anytime soon. I think the View was able to play them, but I’m not 100% sure on that. So you’ll have to wait for Rockbox, transcode, or get something different for those AAC files. iPod, Zune, Sony, and I think some Creatives will play AAC files.

Message Edited by Marvin_Martian on 11-21-2009 09:25 PM

The Sansa View is optimized for video playback.  Part of its capabilities is handling the MPEG-4 video standard, more specifically, MPEG-4 Part 3.  This is also referred to as MPEG-4 AAC.  The View has more video “tools” in its capabilities, with a more complex chipset.

Pity, it’s this complexity that gives the View both its capabilities, and it’s quirkiness.  Using the Sansa Media Converter for MPEG-4 video, we have the possibility of timing issues with the reencoded audio layer, based upon frame rate conversions.  This manifests itself as audio lagging behind the video in some transfers.

To correct this timing error, I’ve found that reencoding the MPEG-2 file, then transferring as AVI to the Fuze / e200v2 helps.

Back to the audio front and AAC.  The MP3 standard includes a license (Fraunhofer) on each device produced.  Adding AAC involves yet another license, and overall increased price.  Adding AAC would be nice, but with the available formats (MP3, OGG, WMA, FLAC) we can please the widest group of listeners.  AAC is an integral part of the iPod and iTunes, and this is a separate market segment from the Sansa of course.

Audible’s enhanced format uses an integrated form of AAC as well, but this is different from simply enabling AAC for the devices’ general use.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

Eh, I thought Sansa was competing against iPod. I remember something about sheep in their old ads. Regardless, I’d love a music player with a microSDHC slot and AAC support. There are a lot of players that support AAC but none of them support microSDHC like Sansa does.

Message Edited by Cashew on 11-22-2009 11:38 AM

Cashew wrote:
Eh, I thought Sansa was competing against iPod. I remember something about sheep in their old ads. Regardless, I’d love a music player with a microSDHC slot and AAC support. There are a lot of players that support AAC but none of them support microSDHC like Sansa does.
Message Edited by Cashew on 11-22-2009 11:38 AM

The Connect could do both but it has been discontinued. Its virtually impossible to get one at a retail location but you could possibly find one on the net. 

Cashew wrote:
Eh, I thought Sansa was competing against iPod. I remember something about sheep in their old ads. Regardless, I’d love a music player with a microSDHC slot and AAC support. There are a lot of players that support AAC but none of them support microSDHC like Sansa does.
Message Edited by Cashew on 11-22-2009 11:38 AM

There are no iPods with card slots…so are you interested in the card slot for the increased memory or the ability to quickly swap out cards? 

Marvin_Martian wrote: 

There are no iPods with card slots…so are you interested in the card slot for the increased memory or the ability to quickly swap out cards? 

Which is why I really don’t want an iPod.

 My interest in the slot for the ability to quickly swap out cards since my phone also uses microSDHC and the fact that microSDHC prices are always dropping. Seems like a cheap way to stay current…well, size wise anyway.

Cashew wrote:


Marvin_Martian wrote: 

There are no iPods with card slots…so are you interested in the card slot for the increased memory or the ability to quickly swap out cards? 


Which is why I really don’t want an iPod.

 My interest in the slot for the ability to quickly swap out cards since my phone also uses microSDHC and the fact that microSDHC prices are always dropping. Seems like a cheap way to stay current…well, size wise anyway.

 

Sounds like you’ll have to get away from AAC then…I don’t know of any players with a microsdhc slot that play AAC files. This is why I almost exclusively use LAME mp3 files, because they will play on anything. I do have some wma files, which fortunately work on my players, since I can’t get ahold of the CD’s to re-rip them. And I have a few ogg vorbis files still for the same reason, and they only work on one of my players.

Well, I guess I’ll just keep waiting for Rockbox if Sansa never adds AAC support. Just seems odd since so many other mp3 players do. But if you say they are after different markets, then there isn’t much I can do but wait. 

Cashew wrote:
Well, I guess I’ll just keep waiting for Rockbox if Sansa never adds AAC support. Just seems odd since so many other mp3 players do. But if you say they are after different markets, then there isn’t much I can do but wait. 

That might take a while, as the Clip+ just came out. If you were able to find a V1 Fuze, the Rockbox fairly close to being ready, from what I read.

I was thinking about that as well…probably going to make some store clerk unhappy this Black Friday…since there is only one way to tell if it is V1 or V2.

If you use the Itunes system just change your settings so when you rip music it rips to mp3, then when you buy a song from the Itunes store, simply right click and choose create MP3 copy, this lets you play it on your sansa.

Erm…I can’t find anywhere that says Sansa Connect supports AAC.

Additionally, I ripped/encoded my CD with AAC using Foobar on purpose. So it is less of a problem of being able and more of a problem with me being obsessive.

Cashew wrote:

Erm…I can’t find anywhere that says Sansa Connect supports AAC.

 

Additionally, I ripped/encoded my CD with AAC using Foobar on purpose. So it is less of a problem of being able and more of a problem with me being obsessive.

I understand about being obsessive but what I am saying is that changing the rip settings in Itunes enables you to create mp3 copies of your AAC files. The mp3 files can then be played on your Fuze. 

 

And for the connect HERE IT IS 

 From The Link:  Digital audio standards:  MP3, AAC

Message Edited by Conversionbox on 11-22-2009 07:23 PM

Conversionbox wrote:


Cashew wrote:

Erm…I can’t find anywhere that says Sansa Connect supports AAC.

 

Additionally, I ripped/encoded my CD with AAC using Foobar on purpose. So it is less of a problem of being able and more of a problem with me being obsessive.


I understand about being obsessive but what I am saying is that changing the rip settings in Itunes enables you to create mp3 copies of your AAC files. The mp3 files can then be played on your Fuze. 

 

And for the connect HERE IT IS 

 From The Link:  Digital audio standards:  MP3, AAC

 

Message Edited by Conversionbox on 11-22-2009 07:23 PM

You missed his point…he didn’t use iTunes at all. He used foobar2000 to rip his CD and encode to AAC. It is an excellent codec, allowing great quality to file size ratio, like ogg vorbis does. The problem with both of these is that they are not universally playable.

I’m thinking seriously about ripping every CD I own to FLAC when I get my new computer, so I can convert to whatever format works on whatever players I have, whenever I need to. That won’t cover my entire collection of music, but a decent percentage of it.

Marvin_Martian wrote:


Conversionbox wrote:


Cashew wrote:

Erm…I can’t find anywhere that says Sansa Connect supports AAC.

 

Additionally, I ripped/encoded my CD with AAC using Foobar on purpose. So it is less of a problem of being able and more of a problem with me being obsessive.


I understand about being obsessive but what I am saying is that changing the rip settings in Itunes enables you to create mp3 copies of your AAC files. The mp3 files can then be played on your Fuze. 

 

And for the connect HERE IT IS 

 From The Link:  Digital audio standards:  MP3, AAC

 

Message Edited by Conversionbox on 11-22-2009 07:23 PM


You missed his point…he didn’t use iTunes at all. He used foobar2000 to rip his CD and encode to AAC. It is an excellent codec, allowing great quality to file size ratio, like ogg vorbis does. The problem with both of these is that they are not universally playable.

 

I’m thinking seriously about ripping every CD I own to FLAC when I get my new computer, so I can convert to whatever format works on whatever players I have, whenever I need to. That won’t cover my entire collection of music, but a decent percentage of it.

I actually considered that about a month ago but decided not to fight with it. I went through my entire collection about a year ago and remember the headaches. FLAC seems to be the best choice for the convert to what ever your player likes method, I have some wav and have done that but it was just a pain IMO. FLAC seems to work better. 

Conversionbox wrote:



I actually considered that about a month ago but decided not to fight with it. I went through my entire collection about a year ago and remember the headaches. FLAC seems to be the best choice for the convert to what ever your player likes method, I have some wav and have done that but it was just a pain IMO. FLAC seems to work better. 

 

The cool thing is that the tags on the FLACs stay there when you convert. The only thing I change when I convert one is I go in and manually number the tracks 01, 02, etc.

And there may be a way to avoid having to do that, that I just haven’t figured out yet. I don’t have very many ripped in FLAC at this point, as my hard drive is almost full.

Odd. No site I checked showed that Sansa Connect supports AAC and MP3…only MP3 and WMA.

A few questions then…why do you personally use the Connect for video and the Fuze for audio?

What video formats exactly? Can I use a .mp4 with h264 video and AAC+ audio?

I don’t really get the wifi thing at all. 

Cashew wrote:

Odd. No site I checked showed that Sansa Connect supports AAC and MP3…only MP3 and WMA.

 

A few questions then…why do you personally use the Connect for video and the Fuze for audio?

 

What video formats exactly? Can I use a .mp4 with h264 video and AAC+ audio?

 

I don’t really get the wifi thing at all. 

The Fuze sounds better than the Connect, but the Connect does video much better than the Fuze.

Marvin_Martian wrote:


Cashew wrote:

Odd. No site I checked showed that Sansa Connect supports AAC and MP3…only MP3 and WMA.

 

A few questions then…why do you personally use the Connect for video and the Fuze for audio?

 

What video formats exactly? Can I use a .mp4 with h264 video and AAC+ audio?

 

I don’t really get the wifi thing at all. 


The Fuze sounds better than the Connect, but the Connect does video much better than the Fuze.

My reasoning was actually more simple. I broke my connect at one point and after some time I was able to fix it so the Connect never really leaves the house. It goes with me to bed, so it has music videos, and some tv shows, and a couple of movies on it, as well as some music that I like to listen to at bed time, and oh yeah it has a bigger screen. The Fuze is smaller and fits in my pocket better, I also have a protective case for the fuze, so it gets loaded down with music and goes with me places.