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I was given an itunes voucher so against my better judgement installed itunes on my pc and went shopping. Bought a couple of audio books and they downloaded fine.
However how the hell do I get them to play on anything other than itunes so I can play them in the car?
Transfer them to Sony MP3 player? No, file not recognised.
Transfer them to android phone with various audio book apps? No, won't play them as they have DRM.
Burn files to CD? No, itunes says I don't have CD burning software on my computer even though I have an up to date and legal copy of Nero installed.
Convert the M4b file to anything else? No, tried various converters and they all refuse to touch DRM protected stuff.
Does anyone have any suggestions? All I want is to listen to Tuffers talking about cricket when I drive to Wales on Saturday...
Thanks
Erm, iPod? (sorry)
Have you created a playlist to burn to CD?
Can you open the files in Nero Wave Editor?
I just tried a bunch of m4a files and they all opened. Dunno if they are drm'ed, but they are all iTunes purchases.
Hum, when I import CDs into iTunes I can select a file format which allows them to be played on normal MP3 players. I don't know if you can do that with downloads from the store as there may be an issue with copy protection, normal mp3's aren't copy protected hence it would be a licence infringement if iTunes allowed you to make an un-protected copy.
I'm typing this from memory so I apologise if it's not 100% accurate, and I've used it to convert file formats inside iTunes to something actually useful before. Somewhere in the iTunes settings there's the option to set the file format that you wish to import CDs as. Change that to AIFF/MP3/not AAC. Then try right clicking on the audiobook in question and select 'convert to AIFF'.
I think.
I don't know about audio books, but I know with music I can convert from the purchased Apple format to MP3. Right click the track and there's an option to 'Create Mp3 version'.
OK - get an Ipod? - erm, no thanks if all apple products are as crap as this I don't want any more.
If I right click the track to create an MP3 version then it says I can't as protected files cannot be turned into other file types.
I have created a playlist to burn but itunes says I don't have a cd burner or burning software (I do and windows recognises it no problem)
I can't import it in any other format as it's just an itunes download.
Stupid, stupid software.
🙁
@boris - why is iTunes cr@p if it's enforcing copyright ? How do you know the audio book copyright holder hasn't insisted that conversions to non-protected formats are dis-allowed ?
Email the Apple help people, they are responsive. They may either refund you and/or allow you to download again, perhaps there is a way to download to a different protected format.
I don't have a problem with them enforcing copyright - after all I bought the book it's not like I have an illegal download that I'm trying to get to work or copy multiple times. What I have a problem with is itunes only letting me download it in a format which is incompatible with anything other than Apple hardware.
I have 3 MP3 players, 2 smartphones, a PSP and an Android tablet and they will happily play anything else I've downloaded from Amazon or Play etc. But no, itunes have to use some weird random file which nothing except apple recognises and they don't tell you this before you download it.
Boriselbrus, despite you having bought the books, publishing companies are notorious for their draconian implementation of copyright and DRM on eBooks. Amazon in particular with the Kindle. Sony devices have, for years, happily played AAC music files, but when the music industry forced Apple to impose DRM on the music files there were playing problems on other devices. You could get around that by burning to cd, but books may not work like that.
This is NOT, repeat NOT an Apple issue, it's an issue within the publishing industry that is actually getting worse with anti-piracy legislation being forced on the world by American interests. Authors like Cory Doctorow are furious, and there are attempts being made to overturn the legislation, but there's big money involved. Just Google 'Cory Doctorow, DRM, ebooks' and see what he says.
I have around forty ebooks in Stanza, that Amazon bought then killed. It's proving almost impossible to get the books out of the app, as the tool for doing it from the original devs is no longer available. Amazon are laughing because I have to repurchase all my books, all due to bloody DRM. That's not an Apple flaw, it's DRM.
That's fair enough, but I still think some form of information on itunes saying that it will only work with Apple players would be nice. the same way as when I buy a book from Amazon for my Kindle, they tell me it'll only work on the Kindle
I have contacted itunes and a very nice lady replied almost immediately and suggested all the things I had already tried. I said I had tried all these and she responded with "I'm not technical, so can't help. Here is the number of our technical department who will charge a fee for their assistance". I asked if I could have a refund and she said no as there was nothing wrong with the download as the "product" wasn't faulty. So that's nice.
Meantime I have borrowed an old laptop, loaded itunes and transferred Tuffers to it. So at least I can listen to the damn thing in the car. Not exactly the most convenient music player around, but it works. Then when I've listened to it I will delete itunes and not trouble them again.
Once you have created the playlist in itunes use the ile menu drop down and choose burn playlist to disc. My itunes uses itunes to burn nd there you go all ready to go on CD you dont need specific software to burn to disc itunes does it for you.
Countzero - in Stanza are you not able to use stanza desktop to export the books in a different format i.e. epub mobi pdf etc I have used this numerous times and had no problems.
Joeyj, I've done that, it didn't work. I create the playlist, tell it to burn to cd, then I get a message that cd burning software doesn't exist. This is my problem.