The iTunes Bit Rate mystery?

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
The can be a simple thread if we want it to be.



In the latest version of iTunes, version 7.5 (19), when I import a CD - for which I have the Bit Rate set @ 256Kb/s - the actual Bit Rate on each track after import can range anywhere from 240+ to 260+ Kb/s.



I had previously (@ about version 7.1) re-encoded 5/6 of my whole library @ 256Kb/s - this went without a hitch.



I decided to do that last 1/6 yesterday only to come across this "new" anomaly. Upon reading up on this in various forums it would seem that previously those Bit Rates were actually varied, but rather iTunes displayed them as all equal. Supposedly a get info on those older encodes from within the Finder shows that each song was not in fact the same Bit Rate.



Is this Apple's attempt to be more accurate, in that they now display the actual "real" Bit Rate in iTunes? Or is this simply a very annoying bug, upon which being fixed knowing me I'll have to re-encode that last 1/6 of my library again?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 1
    shetlineshetline Posts: 4,695member
    Could it just be a matter of encoding with VBR (Variable Bit Rate -- which hasn't always been available in iTunes)? With VBR, the nominal bit rate you specify (such as 256 kbps) is just a target bit rate, what the average bit rate should roughly come out to, with the ease or difficulty of encoding specific material determining the actual bit rate.
Sign In or Register to comment.