Update: This has been renamed to iTunes Alternative Encoders. Get the new version here.

Lately I’ve been looking for a good way to re-encode my iTunes music files for use in my Zaurus. Since I don’t need to have 256 kbit/s MP3s or Apple Lossless files with those el cheapo headphones, the best way to go is with Vorbis and its excellent properties at 96 kbit/s. Compared with other formats, the quality is pretty nice.
There are already several attempts at creating iTunes scripts to re-encode to Ogg Vorbis or Lame. One of them is Lincoln Ramsay’s “Encode with oggenc” iTunes script. It’s pretty neat already. However, it didn’t fully satisfy my special requirements. ;)

So, here is my modified version of his script:

It adds support for all audio filetypes supported by iTunes and Quicktime due to the use of “mov123” by the slimserver project. This includes Apple Lossless, AAC, Audio-CDs and standard MP3! Even audio tracks in video files can be re-encoded to Ogg Vorbis.
It also adds support for structured and flat storage. The “flat” mode writes the output files directly to the destination directory, whereas the “structured” mode writes those encoded files ordered in subdirectories similar to the way iTunes does when it is managing music files. All this can be customised by means of editing some simple options.

Download my script here: iTunesOggVorbisEncoder1.0.zip
Also, you’ll need to install oggenc and mov123:

If you have Fink, just install the package “vorbis-tools” and you’ll get oggenc. Alternatively you can download an older version right here: http://www.illadvised.com/~jordy/ (Note: this is a PPC-only binary)
As for mov123, I have compiled a universal binary (Sourcecode is here). You can download it here. Just copy this binary to /usr/local/bin.

Make sure to edit the options in my script file to point to the right locations of oggenc and mov123.
Now, save the script to your homedirectory ~/Library/iTunes/Scripts and restart your iTunes. The script should now appear in the script menu.

In order to re-encode, just select some files and execute the script. If you select files from your library, these will be encoded and saved in “structured” mode as described above. Files selected in playlists are saved in “flat” mode by default. You can always change the behavior be editing the option “structuredPlaylists” within the script file.