What is an mp3 player?
An MP3 is a digital audio file compressed using a standard defined by the Motion Pictures Experts Group (MPEG). Officially known as -MPEG-1, Layer 3-, MP3s can use as little as 10% of the storage required by the CD format. An MP3 player is a device for playing MP3 files. MP3 players come in many sizes and capacities. The smallest MP3 players use a type of memory known as flash; unlike conventional memory such as that found in a desktop computer, flash does not lose stored information when the power is turned off. Flash is very compact and uses very little power, allowing for extremely small designs with long battery life. The limitation of flash-based MP3 players is that they do not have a great deal of storage capacity. For larger storage needs, hard disk-based MP3 players were developed. These can have storage capacities in the tens of thousands of songs, but sacrifice the ultra compactness of flash-based players. Hard disk-based MP3 players are also generally more expensive than fla
An MP3 player is basically yet another evolutionary advancement in portable music players. Compared to its predecessors though, the MP3 player is arguably the most revolutionary in terms of portability, and storage capacity. The MP3 player is an electronic device that can play digital audio files that are encoded using MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, or in short, MP3. The compression format of MP3 files minimizes the data required to represent an audio while retaining the purity and quality of its uncompressed version. An MP3 player with the same storage capacity as that of a conventional audio CD, can store at least twice the number of songs, with relatively minimal degradation on its sound quality. MP3 players come in different sizes, but those primarily designed for portability can easily be smaller than a quarter of the size of any of its analog or digital predecessors, like the cassette or CD player, respectively. For visualization, please refer at the picture to the right, which is a Sandi
An MP3 is a digital audio file compressed using a standard defined by the Motion Pictures Experts Group (MPEG). Officially known as “MPEG-1, Layer 3”, MP3s can use as little as 10% of the storage required by the CD format. An MP3 player is a device for playing MP3 files. MP3 players come in many sizes and capacities. The smallest MP3 players use a type of memory known as flash; unlike conventional memory such as that found in a desktop computer, flash does not lose stored information when the power is turned off. Flash is very compact and uses very little power, allowing for extremely small designs with long battery life. The limitation of flash-based MP3 players is that they do not have a great deal of storage capacity. For larger storage needs, hard disk-based MP3 players were developed. These can have storage capacities in the tens of thousands of songs, but sacrifice the ultra compactness of flash-based players. Hard disk-based MP3 players are also generally more expensive than fla
An MP3 player is a type of digital audio player and falls under the broader category of PMP devices. It’s a small (often weighing less than an ounce) handheld device that use flash memory for storing MP3 files. In addition to supporting the MP3 format, depending on the brand of player you buy, it might also support additional file types such as Windows Media Audio (WMA), Waveform Audio (WAV), Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Ogg Vorbis and other audio formats. Key Terms To Understanding MP3 Players: • MP3 • PMP • MP3 player • iPod • iTunes Related Articles on Webopedia: • Webopedia “Did You Know… Digital Audio Formats” • Webopedia “Did You Know… When Is Downloading Music on the Internet Illegal?” • Webopedia “Did You Know… Different Types of Memory Cards” An MP3 player is basically a storage device that contains solid-state memory, like flash memory, and software that will let you transfer audio files from your computer to the player. MP3 pl
