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October 21, 2005
Dear CNET members,
Well, I'm back from beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I had an
incredible time, and I'm all refreshed and ready to get back down
to business again! When I get caught up with everything, I'll
share with you some of my family vacation photos, but for now,
let's tackle Ed's question on digitizing his CD collection.
For this week's question, there is no right or wrong answer, as
there are an overabundance of ways to rip or digitize CDs to the
computer. And with so many formats to choose from, it really
boils down to a matter of personal preference and what quality
you would like for your music. There were many detailed answers
submitted by our members; they ranged from personally recommended
ripping utilities to what members personally do to get their
music collections organized. So please check them all out. To get
you started off on the topic, here's Scott's winning answer. This
topic is open for discussion, so if any of you audiophiles would
like to chime and add to these answers and help Ed and others out
with this topic, please come on down and join us in this week's
discussion. Have a great weekend, and thank you for your
participation.
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Member Question of the Week
I finally decided to digitize my huge CD collection, but I need a
little guidance. What do you think is the best format to rip CDs
(MP3, MP4, WAV, and so forth), what's a reasonable capture
setting (I don't have a huge hard drive, so I can't go too high
end), and what software would you suggest for not only ripping,
but organizing and playing my music?
Submitted by:
Edward H.
There are several formats that digital audio tracks can be
encoded into. First, let's get some terminology straight. When
you say "ripping," what you are doing is extracting the digital audio
contents of a CD onto a computer into WAV format. WAV is an
uncompressed file format. It is also considered the closest match
to CD quality.
Now, let's introduce you to the term "encoding." Encoding is the
term used for converting an uncompressed WAV file into a
compressed format. Common compressed formats are...
Submitted by:
Scott Z.
For
Scott's
efforts, we're sending him his choice of any
Help.com Learning CD.
Community Buzz
 Each week we take a look at topics discussed in the forums.
Best regards and enjoy!
Member quackagator is not interested at all in building his own computer, because it's just not his thing. However he is itching to buy a new computer, but is currently torn between a few manufacturers. He will be using the computer for the Web, photography, and a little desktop publishing. Do you have any advice for him?
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Is copying an online radio stream illegal?
This is the debate: Is copying radio streams illegal or not? Members have chimed in with their understanding, but so far there are no solid facts to clear up what is legal and what is not. If you have a clear understanding of this rule, please chime in.
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More from the Computer help forum
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Check out next week's question:
If I am at home and my wireless computer picks up a nearby
network, is it OK to use it? Are there any laws against this? If I
do use it, can the person with the service see who is using it
and what I am looking at?
--Submitted by:
Steve P.
If you have the answer,
e-mail us at messageboards@cnet.com.
If we choose your response, you'll get a
free Help.com CD.
Have a question?
• Multimedia
• Internet Security
• Digital Cameras
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• PC Upgrading
• PC Troubleshooting
• Digital Music
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| Member Profile of the Week |
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User name: back_water_tech
Location: Central Mid-West
Member since: August 1, 2005
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About me: I am a service tech in a little town working for enough beans to keep the lights on and food in my belly. The company I work for is small and underfunded...
(read more)
Each week we feature a CNET member who contributes to our community. Fill out your profile to get a chance to be featured in our newsletter and win a CNET t-shirt!
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Simple question, simple answer
Help your fellow members
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Click here to see full answer
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