[Siovhan]

Is there a format for treos to make mp3 files even smaller? I only have a 125 meg card & I want to fit more than I have now. thank you!

[t2gungho]

Mp3's are already compressed audio files. I do think there are other audio formats (wma's) that may be smaller per song...what player are you using?

BTW-you might think about getting a bigger card? 128 isnt much if you are also using audiobooks, storing pictures on it, etc.

[pdxtreo]

Ogg Vorbis. The only way to jam.

[deanfx]

You can change the bitrate to make the mp3 smaller. If you are using mp3's for ringtones, I usually shrink them to 48kbs and around 30 seconds in length. I also convert them to mono instead of stereo.

[Siovhan]

ooh audio books thats a good fun idea. And i will try Ogg Vorbis, and thats also a good tip about just shrinking the bitrate, i shoulda thought about that. i just thought there might be soemthing that turns it into a palm file like it does video, but i guess that'd lower the quality a lot too. I'd buy a bigger mem card if i werent a cheapo so im tryin to figure out all tha shortcuts

[PabloTX]

You can use apps like dBpowerAMP (Windows) to convert to a lower bitrate. For the average user (especially with the audio coming out of a Treo), it shouldn't be noticable and it's a good tradeoff for file size.

But on the flip side, SD cards are cheap.

[cahsdad]

If I rip songs from my cd to mp3, what bitrate is considered decent, quality-wise?

[shopharim]

If I rip songs from my cd to mp3, what bitrate is considered decent, quality-wise?

Whatever your ears can tolerate.

Not being flippant. It's just a matter of preference.

[PabloTX]

I usually do 160 for the computer, and 96 for the Treo.

As shopharim says, it's a matter of preference, but I'd go even further to say that equipment plays a big part of it. If you're using iTunes and run of the mill PC speakers, 128 would probably be fine. If you're an audiophile and using high end equipment, you'd probably want a lossless format.

Too many variables. You have to find your own balance between size and quality.

[rouxdoo]

Is there a format for treos to make mp3 files even smaller? I only have a 125 meg card & I want to fit more than I have now. thank you!

The process you are describing is called "peeling" and as far as I know there is not a very good way to do it without losing a lot. Better to encode at the lower bitrate from a lossless format (but I'm sure someone will chime in with some hack or another that will accomplish your goal).

[cahsdad]

Thanks for the input. It was much more information than I needed. I understand personal preference. I should have been more specific in my request which should have been, "What bitrate would you choose when using RealPlayer to "rip" .mp3 files from a cd?" My point, and I should have been clearer about it, was to know what file size I should expect to have for an average length song (2"30'-3"). I am trying to gauge how many songs would fit on an SD card of "x" size.

Sorry to be so confusing.

[KRamsauer]

If you have pTunes pro, you can use windows media files, which, for a given bit rate, sound better.