WMA FAQ

What It Is

WMA is a file format developed by Microsoft to compete with MP3. The letters stand for Windows Media Audio and the file format ends with the .wma extension.

Is WMA Better Than MP3?

The latest release of WMA technology is version 8 which is the best yet. I believe WMA files produce better sounding files than MP3 at similar bitrates. My entire music collection is encoded in WMA 8 format at 128kbps and it satisfies my picky ears. The drawbacks of WMA is that it is a proprietary format meaning that Microsoft charge whatever fees they wish to developers that want to incorporate support for the format in their software. The format also incorporates differing levels of copyright protection which angers some users, limiting them to what they can do with their own music. However for simple encoding and archiving for a jukebox collection, it suffices.

How Do I Make WMA Files?

Making WMA files requires a WMA encoder. Windows Media Player comes with a free CD ripper and WMA encoder, enabling you to easily convert CD audio to WMA on your computer. For more advanced WMA converting and organizing tools, see our WMA converter section.

For more information on WMA, see the following resources:

• Windows Media Audio to Go - article on WMA and Pocket PC but explains the benefits of the format as well, also compares with other sound formats
• Windows Media Encoder FAQ - from Microsoft
• Understanding Digital Rights Management - Microsoft's incorporation of copyright issues and WMA

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