Input file
M3U
- Full Name: MP3 Songs Playlist Format
- Developer: Nullsoft
Output file
M4A
- Full Name: MPEG-4 Compressed Audio Format
- Developer: Apple
What is M3U file?
M3U (Media Playlist File) is a file type used in digital audio and video playback applications to store references for streaming media sources. It is a plain text file format, and when opened, it can contain any number of path-style URIs or URLs. The list of media sources may also include local files and other types of content in the same playlist. [ ⏩ ] M3U file extension
What is M4A file?
The M4A file format is an audio file that is encoded using Advanced Audio Coding (AAC). It is a more efficient compression method than the earlier MP3 and was developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). It provides for higher quality sound than other audio file formats because of its lower bit rate, making it ideal for streaming audio and storing audio files on portable media such as CDs. It is also widely used for sharing music over the internet. [ ⏩ ] M4A file extension
Software, that you can use to convert
How to convert the file from M3U to M4A?
To successfully convert the M3U file to M4A, you should install one of the applications from the list. After installing the software, open the program and select the file you want to convert (file-name.M3U). The next step is to select the target format from the list, in this case M4A (usually converters allow you to convert to several different formats, so check out their features - maybe one of the available formats will suit you more than M4A).
What is a file conversion?
A data conversion is normally an automated process to some extent. The effect of the operation of one program is automatically the input product of another application. If that does not happen we need to help the process a little bit and convert the file on our own, e.g. M3U to M4A. To obtain a matched structure of the data, it is necessary to use an appropriate converter.
Program for converting M3U files to M4A files is a kind of a "binary code translator" compensating for the differences in the code or translating it in such a way so that another application could use it. For us, as users, the visible change will be only another file extension. (After converting the file, it will be the extension M4A, while before this step we had the M3U file). For the programs, the difference is on a much higher level – either the application will be able to open a new M4A file, or not.