Conversion Failure from M4A to MP3 - Can't Open File

[Arman]

I am trying to convert a small portion of my music library from M4A to MP3. All of the other songs have already been converted, but this group remains stubborn with the following message:

The file 'C:\test\MyNameIsJonas.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\01 The Chain.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\02 No One Else.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\03 The World Has Turned and Left Me.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\04 Buddy Holly.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\05 Dream On (Live).m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\05 Undone (The Sweater Song).m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\06 Red Rain.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\06 Surf Wax America.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\07 Say It Ain't So.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\08 In The Garage.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\09 Holiday.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\10 Only In Dreams.m4a' could not be opened.
The file 'C:\test\12 Glory.m4a' could not be opened.

I have tried different bit rates and lastly only in "test" conversion mode. No other music related application is currently running. I have also restarted my system, too. The files open up just fine and play; the music seems intact and working, however unable to just convert.

Any ideas?

Arman

[Unregistered]

Re: Conversion Failure from M4A to MP3 - Can't Open File

I have also had the same problem. I converted my itunes files to .M4a using hymn, but when i try to convert to wav or mp3, the music converter says it cannot open the file.

[Spoon]

Re: Conversion Failure from M4A to MP3 - Can't Open File

Guy 1: perhaps the files are corrupted?

Guy 2: try playing the m4a file in itunes, if it is only 1KB then it is not an audio file.

[hans-j�rgen]

Re: Conversion Failure from M4A to MP3 - Can't Open File

Another possibility: these are ALAC (Apple Lossless) files with the *.m4a file extension, one of Apple's brilliant new ideas for busting MPEG-4 compatibility...

[xoas]

Re: Conversion Failure from M4A to MP3 - Can't Open File

If any of these are Apple Lossless files, Arman and all could try Spoon's Apple Lossless Decoder codec available from the Beta Forum here:

http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?t=5108

Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[Arman]

Re: Conversion Failure from M4A to MP3 - Can't Open File

Not sure if they're Apple lossless. How can I check for that? The files were able to play after M4P to M4A conversion with itunes, so corruption should not be the issue, however I wonder about Apple's lossless format.

Arman

[xoas]

Re: Conversion Failure from M4A to MP3 - Can't Open File

My knowledge does not extend far on this topic. But I trust Hans-Jurgen"s knowledge on this subject so my guess would be this:
Unless the tag indicates the encoder file, all you know is that you have an m4a file that you can play and not convert and you have been able to convert other m4a files.
Apple Lossless reportedly creates m4a files as well as iTunes/mp4.
There is the possibility that the Apple Lossless codec might have created such a file that can be played in iTunes but not decoded.
The only way to know for sure whether this is why you cannot convert these files, assuming that the tag won't provide this information, may be to try decoding with the Apple Lossless decoder.
This might not work. Before you try this, do check the file sizes as Spoon suggests. If they are unreasonably small perhaps they are some type of metafile referencing other sources the way m3u does for mp3 files.
If these methods don't work, you could try recording them off the sound card while you play them using dMC Auxilary Input.
Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[xoas]

Re: Conversion Failure from M4A to MP3 - Can't Open File

Unless the tag indicates the encoder file, all you know is that you have an m4a file that you can play and not convert and you have been able to convert other m4a files

There is another possible clue. Look at the file size. If the file size is large, it is probably lossless and I'm not sure there is any other lossless m4a codec apart from Apple Lossless.
So you check on that before you go trying to convert.

[hans-j�rgen]

Re: Conversion Failure from M4A to MP3 - Can't Open File

The "lossless theory" is already out of question, because Arman seems to have downloaded them from the iTunes Music Store (*.m4p, no lossless files available there) and converted them to *.m4a with Hymn, a copyright breaking tool. As far as I remember, Apple changed their DRM method in the last iTunes version, so Hymn wouldn't work any longer with new *.m4p files. I don't know how or if that tool has been adapted to deal with that change in the meantime, but he's probably out of luck trying a direct conversion. The legal method should still work though, i.e. burn an audio CD with these files in iTunes and rip that CD to any format you want.