are Ipod files playable on any mp3-4 player?

Answer 1

It depends what format they are in. If you have Itunes set to transfer files into MP3 format, unprotected, then you should be able to drag'n'drop from your Itunes library into the other players, But if they are copyprotected, you might be able to copy them over, but they will not play.....

Answer 2

MP3 files are playable on any player, and none that I know of have DRM protection built in. Songs ripped into iTunes from CD do not have any DRM protection built in, and will play on any player that supports that format (keep in mind that AAC, the default iPod format which is a stock MP4 audio codec, encodes to an M4A extension, but so does Apple Lossless, which will only play on an iPod or through iTunes). Songs purchased from the iTunes store will be DRM protected in the AAC format, but can be converted to MP3 directly from iTunes (no need to waste CD-Rs to convert them) by setting the default audio format to MP3 Encoder, selecting the songs you want to create MP3 duplicates of (note that it does not overwrite the original files), and using the Convert to "current default format" option.

The default format can be changed by pulling down the Edit menu, selecting Preferences, hitting the Advanced tab, and then the Importing tab. The setting you'll want is the "Import Using" setting, and then OK your way out of the pop-up box. The Convert function can then be found by pulling down the Advanced menu, and will change according to what you've set your default format to. Just remember to set the format back to what it was originally if you or anyone else will want to be ripping CDs for use on an iPod. And this will work for any songs added to the library in any iTunes-compatible non-MP3 format, including songs purchased through the iTunes store.

Answer 3

Yes an ipod uses just about the same format as any other mp3 player

Answer 4

iPod files are generally stored in AAC format, which is protected. However, you can find converters on the Internet with minimal effort that will do the trick.

If all else fails, iTunes allows you to burn Audio CDs of your protected files. Burn the songs to audio cd, then re-rip them through an MP3 player. Tedious, but it works when you're in a bind.