Compressing iTunes Folder

[SPFINATOR1993]

Hi folks.  Question for you guys.   Between my tv shows, movies, music, and apps, my iTunes folder is about 150gb in size.  If I use the compression option in the file explorer on my PC, will there be a loss in quality in my files?  I know there is usually a loss in fidelity when you compress audio and video files.  But going this route, does the same loss in quality apply?

[Volbet]

No, Windows compression won't affect the quality of your media.

However, it probably won't affect the folder size either. Movie and audio files are usually very compressed to begin with, so having Windows compress them further won't do a whole lot. 

Also, using compressed files can be taxing on your CPU. Personally, I don't recommend compressing files you use frequently becuase of this. 

[Pomfinator]

No, but you're also not going to see much in terms of compression.  Those files are already compressed, no point in compressing them more.  You can test this is 7zip, if you compress an MP3 with it, most likely you will come up with a file that is either exactly the same size or marginally compressed, like in bytes less than the original.

[SPFINATOR1993]

3 minutes ago, Pomfinator said:

No, but you're also not going to see much in terms of compression.  Those files are already compressed, no point in compressing them more.  You can test this is 7zip, if you compress an MP3 with it, most likely you will come up with a file that is either exactly the same size or marginally compressed, like in bytes less than the original.

I didn't know i can test that in 7zip.  I'll check that out.  Thanks.

[SPFINATOR1993]

9 minutes ago, Volbet said:

No, Windows compression won't affect the quality of your media.

However, it probably won't affect the folder size either. Movie and audio files are usually very compressed to begin with, so having Windows compress them further won't do a whole lot. 

Also, using compressed files can be taxing on your CPU. Personally, I don't recommend compressing files you use frequently becuase of this. 

How taxing can it be on the cpu?  I have a 6700k at 4.4ghz.  How much risk is involved?

[Volbet]

1 minute ago, SPFINATOR1993 said:

How taxing can it be on the cpu?  I have a 6700k at 4.4ghz.  How much risk is involved?

There isn't really any risk involved. It will just create a small spike in CPU usage when you open the file.

It's just that opening a compressed file can take time if you're doing something CPU intensive on the side. 

Opening compressed files on the regular just creates an uneven user experience.

[SPFINATOR1993]

Just now, Volbet said:

There isn't really any risk involved. It will just create a small spike in CPU usage when you open the file.

It's just that opening a compressed file can take time if you're doing something CPU intensive on the side. 

Opening compressed files on the regular just creates an uneven user experience.

Ah ok,  now I understand.  Thank you.  Much appreciated.