MP3 Players

MP3 is a music file that has been compressed to allow songs to be stored digitally with near-CD quality sound in much less space. Typically a standard audio CD can hold 20 tracks (74 minutes of music). Using MP3 files the same CD can hold up to 200 tracks. An MP3 player gives you the opportunity to store potentially thousands of your favourite songs on one small portable machine.

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MP3 files can either be downloaded from the web or you can convert your current CD collection into MP3 files using a PC (This is called 'ripping' the CD). Software is usually provided with your MP3 player (or it can be downloaded from the internet). Then you can take your MP3 with all your music wherever you go.

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When choosing the best MP3 player there are several key features to look out for depending on your requirements:

There are mainly 2 types of MP3 player:

Flash memory MP3 players:

This has a built-in memory to store your music so you don't need to carry around extra memory cards. Ideal for everyday listening, for use in the gym or as an inexpensive introduction to MP3 players.

Benefits include:

• No skipping

• Extremely durable and robust

• Compact

Hard drive MP3 players:

This stores music onto a small hard disc, just like a PC. It allows you to store hundreds of hours of music as it generally has a larger memory capacity. If you want to carry around your whole music collection in your pocket, then this is definitely the type of player you need.

Benefits include:

• You can store more music (between 1,000 to over 20,000 tracks, depending on storage capacity

• Usually have LCD screens to allow you to navigate through your tracks easily

• More expensive colour screen models are available and some can also display stored photographs or videos

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An important consideration is how many songs you want to store at any one time? With current memory sizes you can now store 1000's of songs on your MP3 player. Storage size varies from as little as 512Mb for Flash Memory MP3 players to over 80GB for Hard Drive MP3 players. Please see chart below for more detail:

Memory Size	512mb	1Gb	4Gb	20Gb	40Gb	80Gb
Approximate no. of MP3 files	120	370	1,000	5,000	10,000	20,000

* Based on songs that are 4 minutes long, being converted to MP3 at 128Kbps. Results are only estimates.

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MP3 is a file format itself, but there are several other formats for compressing music as well. The 3 main formats are:

• WMA

  - WMA is Microsoft's compressed music file format. It was designed to use half the space of standard MP3 files, allowing you to fit more music onto your MP3 player and it incorporates DRM (Digital Rights Management) allowing the files to be copy protected.

• AAC (Advanced Audio Codec)

  - This is another compressed music file format developed jointly by a group of companies that include Nokia. It was designed to be an improvement on MP3 and also incorporates DRM (Digital Rights Management). This is the file format used by Apple for the Ipod and Itunes.

• ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Accoustic Coding)

  - ATRAC is Sony's compressed music file format. It compresses files up to 33% smaller, fitting more music onto your MP3 player.

All MP3 players are compatible with MP3 files and most of them are usually compatible with other formats such as the ones mentioned above. Most download websites store their music in a particular format, so you would need to check the compatibility of a website with your MP3 player before downloading.

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Some MP3 players have extra features as well as playing music, such as:

• Built-in FM radio tuner for listening to the radio on the move

• Voice recording

• Rechargeable battery

• Backlit LCD screen to improve visibility in low light environments

• Colour LCD screen for viewing photo's and some even have video capability

• Games/Address Book/Calendar

Connections

Most MP3 players connect to a PC via a USB port, usually via a USB cable but some can connect directly into a PC without the need for a cable.

Operating systems

Newer PCs with Windows 2000, XP or Vista shouldn't have a problem. Windows 98 can cause difficulties with compatibility to MP3 players, this is due to USB connectors not being in use during the development of this operating system. MAC users require OSX10.1.5 or above.

DRM - (Digital Rights Management)

This is a system that prevents illegal copying of music (and other) files. Many music download sites sell files with DRM encoding. So if you wish to use these sites you will need an MP3 player that is DRM compatible.

ID3 tags

This is a system that allows MP3 files to display information about the music track. It is a small data file that is built into every MP3 and shows the following information, TITLE, ARTIST, ALBUM, YEAR, COMMENTS, GENRE.

Genius feature on the new iPod Touch and iPod Nano

A few clicks and the new Genius feature will find the songs on you iPod Nano or Touch that go together and then it will make a Genius Play list for you!

Shake and Shuffle

Shake your ipod Touch or iPod Nano and it shuffles to a different song in your library.

Datacasting (Data Broadcasting)

Broadcast of digital information over networks to receivers and players. Datacasting is sometimes used as an alternative to traditional video broadcasting, because the receivers and player units can have the "intelligence" to customise their playback programming for the location and intended audience. The system of receivers set up to receive messages from a particular datacast are known as Datacasting Networks, which are a venue for advertisers.

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These are portable entertainment units with all the benefits of MP3 players, plus you can store your digital photos, record movies from your TV, DVD,VCR, camcorder or PC (depending on the model) and view them on a built in colour screen.

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Get more from your MP3 player with a wide range of accessories now available, from speaker docking stations for sharing your music, to cases that can help protect your MP3 player.

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