Convert MP3, OGG, WAV, CDA or FLAC to WMA
 

Hopefully my problem is not as unusual as it's looking through searches. My CDs automatically open on the computer in MP3, OGG, WAV, CDA or FLAC. But my cell phone MP3 player wants WMA. Does anyone know of a program that converts to WMA? There are lots that convert WMA to these but none seem to go to WMA.

And why would any FOSS programmer in his right mind write a program to convert open format codecs to closed format. Let MS write it.

When I was in the market for such a phone, I made sure it would play mp3. I looked, unsuccessfully, for one that would play ogg.

Sorry about your situation, but one of the perequisites of using FOSS is thinking ahead when you buy hardware.

http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2006/...aq.html?page=2 should be of help :)

And how was I supposed to know that when Sprint/Samsung said that the phone included an MP3 player that what they really meant was a WMA player. In fact it may play WAVs - I haven't tried that yet - but I suppose that my attitude about FOSS vs Closed Format shows I'm not in my right mind and using Linux exclusively for all my computer tasks must make me out as an ass.

It seems to me that you are selling Linux short by not saying, "Screw you MS, Linux users are going to use your lousy proprietary formats whether you want us to or not and we're going to listen to your damn WMAs on anything we want - if we want to!". Possibly that's too revolutionary of a concept or possibly it would violate copyrights somehow or possibly it just can't be done.

For practical purposes I'm not sure there is a lot of difference between MS telling me there is something that I can't do with Linux and a FOSS Programmer telling me there is something that I can't do with Linux. It's probably the principle of the thing that eludes me but that's just the way that I am.

Did you follow the link I posted?

I did but I'm such a newbie that I'm probably missing something. I have no problem getting the music off the CD or from the stream or from the torrent. The problem is that the jerk phone doesn't see any of it. Actually it might be a good idea to find someone with Windoze and copy a few WMAs to the phone to make sure that the player function works with something. What am I missing? (Otherwise, nicely written article)

Last word - My phone does play MP3s. It turns out that the instructions are probably badly translated and instead of the music being put into the "music" directory it needs to be put into the "media". A little Googling sorted it out.
I can just drag them off the CDs and into the phone CD card. Thanks for your advice and time XavierP. And rickh, relax, it looks like no one needs what I thought I needed anyhow.

Glad to hear you have a resolution. The article deals with re-encoding music, so you never know, you may need it someday.... :)

Using them (i.e reading, playing) is one thing. I personally don't even do that, but there are talented people who think providing that kind of "use" is a worthwhile effort. But I unapologetically maintain that a FOSS programmer converting open (relatively open in the case of mp3) codecs to .wma should be a recognized pariah.

converting MP3's to WMA
 

i too have a cell phone that wants to use the WMA file format.
I was sold a bill of goods that it had a mp3 player, but what they didn't tell me that when I but the (extra) media essentials kit, that includes a cable and a CD with drivers on it was that when you send an MP3 to the phone it automatically converts it to WMA by the drivers, then sends it to the phone.

however.... this all important "conversion utility" is only windoze computable! :tisk::cry:

I dont have windows, I dont want windows, but it seams that I HAVE to use wma's to use my Phone. I thought I was getting a real mp3 player, now Im stuck!

so if anyone willing to help out a fellow linux (linspire) user (practical :newbie: here ) I need a "linux" utill that will do this function. as it is, this is a critical component to a home based business of mine and I do not want to return to all "hole"-ier than though windoze xp

note that the media I wist to put on the phne is not music, but speeches,lectures "audio training material"

I have ripped about 100 CD's to wav, as "mono 8000 HZ" to reduce sise because I am limited to 1GB on the phones mini SD card.

any help appreciated (remember I want to stay with linux)

Yo Segnet, Chances are you aren't going to find any Linux geeks that will help making things to help Windoz compatiblility. I can appreciate the sentiment.
What kind of phone do you have? Mine is the Samsung A920 and what I started out doing was a Google search for "A920 hacks". That's how I learned to copy my MP3me files into the media file instead of the music file as any rational person would have thought (after all MP3 is a music format - duhh). Since you are using a mini SD card (mine uses the micro SD) you should be able to see the SDcard and the directories that the phone creates though a card reader, with Linux. If you put your sound files in the right directory the MP3s should be availible to the phone. When I access mine I have to choose "Media in Card" under "Favorites" and NOT the "Music" feature which, for me, tires to connect the the $$$$$$$ feature which I don't have at all.
I still want to know how I can add ring tones and games without having to pay a bucket of bucks. I'm sure there is a way. I just lack the time to mostly satify my curiosity than anything else since I always have my phone on vibrate and I never play games. I just HATE it when there is something that I supposidly can't do. It's one of those "faults" of the baby-boomer generation.

Audio converter
 

I use TDE and konqueror does the convertion. Just open the audio folder on konqueror. It reads the cd/dvd and shows all information about the media, and the formats.

equipelinux
you do know that this thread is from 2006 ?? right ???

and that most KDE4 systems are phasing out Konqueror and now using Dolphin and firefox27