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Learn about MP3 Players
The MP3 player is the most recent in
the technology evolution of playing digital music formats that have helped consumers enjoy their
MP3 music. Vinyl, eight-track tapes, cassette tapes and CDs and other earlier music formats
did not provide the convenience and control that digital MP3 players gives
to anyone who loves music. Having a digital MP3 player around, can help
personalize your music lists and carry thousands of tracks wherever you go. All of
your music stored in an portable MP3 player that is about the size of a deck of cards. The big difference in size
and features-- opposed to carrying CDs and your CD player and CD storage cases. These advantages
help gain popularity of the portable MP3 players. Also the wide variety of players available to consumers
such as Creative,
Apple iPod,
Archos,
SanDisk Sansa,
Samsung,
Kingston just to
name and more. MP3 players
are available in many different shapes and sizes as manufacturers try to gain
popularity to wide audiences. There are players that are integrated with other devices and products
such as a sunglass which plays MP3 format.
The MP3 file format revolutionized music distribution in the late '90s, when file-exchanging
portals and the first portable MP3 players made their appeal. MP3, or MPEG Audio Layer III, is
a method for compressing audio files so that the size of the file is lot smaller
than the original file. Using the MP3 compression algorithm reduces the size, while
keeping the quality of the sound near to Compact Disk quality. Anytime you compress a song, you will lose some quality, which
you can not even hear. A smaller file size also reduce the time of downloading from the Internet.
Consider that an average song is about four minutes long. An average son is
about 40MB on a regular CD which is about 4MB if it is compressed into MP3. On average,
1 minute of music is about 1 MB in MP3 format.. If you have an MP3 player with 1 GB (approximately 1,000 MB) of storage
you can carry about 250 songs or the equivalent to about 20 CDs. Some CDs support MP3 files
and some MP3 players can play MP3 CDs.
MP3 is the most well known file format, but there are other various file formats other than MP3 files that can be played on
a portable MP3 players. While most portable MP3 players can support multiple formats, not all players support
all the same formats. Here are a few of the file formats that is available to
play MP3 music:
- WMA - Windows Media Audio
- WAV - Waveform Audio
- MIDI - Music Instrument Digital Interface.
- AAC - Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)
- Ogg Vorbis - A free, open, and un-patented music format
- ADPCM - Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation
- ASF - Advanced Streaming Format
- VQF - Vector Quantization Format
The Evolution of Music Players
- 1876 - Thomas Edison invents the phonograph.
- 1881 - Nikolai Tesla invents radio.
- 1888 - Emile Berliner patents gramophone, using flat zinc discs.
- 1906 - First radio program of voice and music is broadcast. Reginald Fessenden broadcast the program using a continuous wave of electromagnetic energy from Brant Rock on Massachusetts's Cape Cod.
- 1929 - FM radio introduced
- 1934 - Joseph Begun builds the first tape recorder for broadcasting
- 1948 - Columbia Records introduces the long-playing (LP) record, which is played at 33.3 (RPM).
- 1949 - RCA introduces 45 RPM records.
- 1965 - 8-track tapes introduced
- 1979 - Sony Walkman cassette player introduced (By 1995, more then 150 million sold)
- 1983 - Sony and Philips introduce compact disc technology.
- 1986 - Sony develops MiniDisc technology, six years prior to its commercial launch in 1992.
- 1989 - The Fraunhofer Institute in Germany patents MP3 format.
- 1992 - Phillips introduces the Digital Compact Cassette (DCC). Both Sony (with the MiniDisc) and Phillips (with DCC) hope to takeover where audio cassettes left off.
- 1998 - First MP3 players introduced (in Korea)
Technology
Unlike earlier forms of music players required moving parts to read encoded data ,
flash MP3 players use solid-state memory with the exception of hard drive MP3
player which stores music on the players internal magnetic disk. A portable MP3 player is not more than a data storage device with an embedded software application that allow users to
listen and transfer MP3 files from/to the player. MP3 players also include utilities for copying music from CDs or
from the internet and the ability to organize them and create customized lists
for songs in the order you want to listen them. This list is also called a playlist.
The portable MP3 player is using many technologies. Alone, none of its components are revolutionary, but together they create
the presence of the portable MP3 Player and other MP3 products. In addition to storing music, the MP3 player
can store files. How does it work?
- Calls the file from the memory
- Decompresses the MP3 encoding
- Runs the decompressed bytes through a digital-to-analog converter
- Amplifies the analog signal so you can hear it
What's inside?
Components are vary, but the main parts are the following for
the MP3 player:
- Data port
- Memory
- Processor
- Digital signal processor (DSP)
- Controls
- Audio port
- Amplifier
- Power supply
The player plugs into your computer's USB port, FireWire or parallel port to transfer data. USB-based players
are transferring data many times faster than those that use the parallel port.
USB2.0 is the most recent USB port which is the fastest port available. The MP3 files are saved in the player's memory
or hard drive.
Memory types include:
Internal Flash memory, CompactFlash cards
SmartMedia cards
Memory Stick or
Internal microdrives.
With the exception of the last one, these are all flash memory types. The advantage
of the solid-state memory is that there are no moving parts. This means no skipping
for the music. MP3 players that contain tiny hard disk drives can store upto 150 times
or more than Flash memory devices at this time but flash memories are coming out
with more memory all the time.
The microprocessor is the brains of the player. It monitors the user actions, displays information
on the LCD panel and tells the digital signal processor chip how to process the audio.
The DSP calls the song data from the storage, applies special effects, equalize
it, and sends it to the amplifier. The DSP runs a decompression algorithm that undoes the compression of the MP3 file and then a digital-to-analog converter turns the bytes back into sound waves.
The amplifier amplify the strength of the signal and sends it to the audio port, where a
the headphone is connected.
Most of the portable MP3 players are battery-powered. Most use one or two AAA batteries
which last for approximately 10 to 12 hours on a single use.
Portable
MP3 players are as varies as the audience who buys them. Choice are based on several factors, including how you plan to use it, the amount of music you want to carry in your MP3 player, and how much you are
willing to pay for.
There are several
cheap MP3 Player meaning less expensive MP3 players are available not
talking about the quality, rather than the price. I know many of you are looking
for a free portable MP3 player but they are not available. Less than $40 for a
512MB MP3 player consider more than a
good deal. There are three types of MP3 player based on
the storage type:
Flash MP3 Players
The flash memory MP3 player is the smallest and lightest of the three types out of players. They typically can store fewer songs
but still more than enough. They are the lightest around. With no moving parts, the flash player is ideal for
anyone from active sportsman to a casual listener. Another advantage of the MP3 player, that
the batteries will last longer.
Hard Drive Players
are bigger and heavier than flash MP3 players and offer more storage. For those looking for a player that can store their entire music collection, the
hard drive
MP3 player is the one should consider. However, the hard drive does include some moving parts, so there
could be some skipping when the player is shaked too much. Because of their size, hard drive players often have more built-in features. However, these features and the hard drive consume more battery power. You can generally expect a charged battery to last 8-20 hours.
CD MP3 Players for those who are nostalgic for an old-fashioned CD player, which will play MP3 and other digital files. These
Portable CD MP3 players play MP3 files burned to CD-R/RW discs and your old CD collection. A CD can hold about 10 hours of music.
The CD MP3 player is cheaper than the flash memory and hard drive memory players.
Skipping are usual when the player is shacked or when the disk is scratched. They are also much larger
other type of MP3 players. MiniDisc MP3 Players
For those who appreciate MiniDisc technology and loyal to Sony.
The Hybrid Players
MP3 is no longer just a stand-alone technology. Technology companies are now offering MP3 capability in other consumer products, including personal digital assistants, DVD players and even sunglasses.
Filling Up Your Playlist with MP3s, consumers become their own DJs. Selecting
your songs you want to listen and ordering them how you want to listen. Hundreds or thousands of songs are
in your fingertips. Songs can be ordered into a playlist by genre, artist, or mix
them into randomly. Finding MP3 music is not a problem, there are many sources for MP3 files.
Ripping your collection of CDs and convert them into MP3 files, you can use ripper and encoder software. Some MP3 players come with such software. A ripper copies a song's file from the CD onto your hard disk. The encoder then compresses the song into the MP3 format.
The basic process for ripping are follows but it will vary on individual software
application.
Place the CD into the CD drive of your computer, select the track for the song you want to convert to MP3 format,
covert the track, copy the new MP3 file to your hard disk, download the MP3 file to your MP3 player.
There are many music sites around that offer MP3 songs for purchase which you do
not need to convert. Some sites offers songs free, but free songs are usually from artists who are either unknown or out of the mainstream.
Another option is subscription plans. These services will provide all the songs you want at one flat fee, but the songs are for rent, not permanent download. If your subscription lapses, you can't play the songs anymore. The subscription plans encode the music with digital rights management technology to enforce the subscription agreement.
Other MP3 players now have the ability to record songs directly from your CD player
without the need of a computer. This feature called the direct encoding. For those who don't want to bother with a computer, this streamlines the conversion process. No longer do users have to put a CD into the computer, rip the track from it, convert it to MP3 format, save it and then download it to an MP3 player. The song goes directly from the CD to MP3 format in the user's preferred play list.
There are also file swapping websites where you can exchange your music with
others but it may involves copyright issues. Also these sources are the warm bed
for viruses.
Most MP3 players also have FM radios, giving users an additional source of entertainment. Radio listeners can record the tunes from their favorite stations in the MP3 format and instantly add it to their playlist.
Some MP3 player broadcast your MP3 music to your FM radio using unused frequencies.
This feature called FM transmitting. For thos players which does not have this
feature can use an additional FM transmitter. Most MP3 players have built
in voice recorders but this feature will not compare to
professional digital
voice recorders. A user can then transfer his or her recordings to a computer for storage or transmission via e-mail.
Accessorizing your MP3 Playeris no longer hard. An entire industry has built up
and devoted to selling
MP3 Accessories
and iPOD Accessories. Users looking to personalize their digital music players can find
numerous options to fit their wish.
There is new device for those who loves music can record their favorite AM or FM radio
shows, to play it later. The
Radio Shark
can plug into any Mac or PC computer. It also works as a digital audio record,
allowing users to program it to record a scheduled show. Additionally, a user
can pause a show and return to it at that exact point hours later, just as a
digital video recorder can be used to record and pause TV shows.
The SanDisk Sansa e100 series MP3 Player.
Active music fans can choose from a variety of
Cases,
ipod
Leather Cases,
ipod FM Transmitters and other
FM
transmitters to carry their music with them. These users may also have a need for
ipod battery packs to extend
iPods playback time. Battery packs can extend playtime by up to 10 hours.
Users can transform their portable players into a full stereo system through the
docking systems available for some MP3 players
and iPods. Docking stations include speakers
such as
Speck Products
Specktone. Once you add the player, you can control the volume through the docking station. Some docking stations also include a battery charger. Docking stations allow the music lover to have one device for almost all music activities.
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