WMA smaller than MP3 ?! (Score 1)

The new software plays DVDs and also rips CD audio into well-compressed WMA files (a proprietary format that combines good sound quality with smaller file sizes than MP3). --http://www.cnet.com/software/0-429669-8-5194258- 4.html

Excuse me? WMA is (possibly encoded*) MP3 with copy-protection information. Windows Media Player, at least the one that came on this WinME paperweight, didn't specify many options (such as bitrate/sound quality) when encoding. I was surprised, since every encoder I've used before has given a plethora of options. So I looked at the files it saves--and they're ~2k bigger than the same songs as 96kbit MP3 files. (Since then I have found the option to change sound quality, 96kbit is the default setting for WMP.) Because it is a static amount for each file, I've come to the conclusion that WMA IS MP3 (possibly encoded*), with added bytes so the lawful owner of the CD--me--who has the rights to make and play these files, suddenly is subject to what Microsoft's software would like to allow.

In short, MP3 will always be smaller than WMA, unless it is of better sound quality. Of course, its trivial to re-encode an MP3 file to a lower quality (even though not many programs are out there to do it--in most cases, why would you want to?).

*I don't have that verified, just my opinion or something I think I might have read.