MP3 & Multimedia Player Basics And Buying Guide

What is an MP3 player?The term "MP3" is an acronym for MPEG (Motion Pictures Experts Group) layer 3, which is basically a process that allows audio files to be compressed while retaining high quality sound. There are many hand-held devices that will play MP3 files.While the MP3 music format is the most commonly known, many online music retailers have begun to use other formats such as WMA (Windows Media Audio), AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) and AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format). WMA files are often encoded with digital rights management technology, which enforces copyright and licensing agreements and may limit the number of times you can transfer, copy or listen to a file.

Before purchasing your MP3 or Multimedia player, check to see that the system requirements (operating system and RAM) are compatible with your computer. Most MP3 players connect to a computer using a USB 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus) port, allowing for super-fast file transfers, which becomes important if you want to transfer many songs to your media player at one time.

Here are the three main types of digital music players:
1) Hard Drive Player or Digital Jukebox

As their name suggests, hard drive players and digital jukeboxes use mini hard drives to store and manage audio files and, as a result, they tend to have the highest storage capacity (ranging from 1.5GB to 100GB). The Apple iPod is the most popular example of a hard drive or digital jukebox player.

Pros: Large storage capacity allows for uploading entire music collections.

Cons: These players contain some internal moving parts so music can sometimes skip if the unit is bumped or dropped. These devices tend to consume batteries quickly and are usually more expensive than flash memory or MP3 CD devices.

2) Flash Memory Player

Flash memory players store audio files on flash memory cards that are very durable and have no moving parts, making them very resilient with much longer lasting battery life. Because flash memory has a size limitation (ranging from 128MB to 2GB) these devices tend to have a lower storage capacity than the hard-drive based players.
Pros: Amazing battery life and lots of available accessories to help accommodate your active lifestyle.
Cons: Limited storage capacity with the highest per-megabyte cost of all digital media players.

3)MP3 CD Players

These devices are considerably larger than the hard drive or flash memory players because they must accommodate a full sized 5.25" CD (compact disc). These units can play standard audio (the kind you buy at the music store) and MP3 formatted CDs. A standard blank audio CD has a capacity of about 74 minutes of music or, because they're more compressed, approximately 177 MP3-formatted three-minute audio files.
Pros: Can be used to play traditional audio CDs as well as MP3 formatted CD-R/RW discs and are the least expensive type of MP3 player available today.
Cons: Bulky size with limited features. Short battery life due to the power needed to spin the compact discs. You'll need to have access to a computer with a CD burner to create MP3 audio discs if you want to utilize the MP3 playback feature.

How do I choose the right player for me?

While shopping for an MP3 or Media Player try to think about how (and where) you'll be using it the most. There are a few different types of technologies available to choose from. If you're considering players with different storage capacities keep in mind that, on average, one minute of MP3 formatted music is equal to 1MB of storage space. An average song is four minutes long, so 128MB of storage space will hold about 32 MP3s and 1GB will hold about 256 MP3s.

We've separated the following section into three categories to help you find the best MP3 or Media Player for your lifestyle.

Commuter
As a commuter you'll probably be listening to music for long periods of time. You'll want to have a large selection of songs to choose from with support for many different file types and a long-lasting battery. Here are some basic requirements to look for:

Type of Media Player — Hard Drive Player / Digital Jukebox Player
Storage Capacity — at least 1GB
Supported Digital Audio Formats — MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC
Average Battery Life — 16 to 20 continuous hours


Fitness Enthusiast
If you're going to be listening to music while exercising, you'll want to look for a flash memory player. Flash memory players have no internal moving parts, making them virtually skip-proof while maximizing their durability. This also helps keep battery consumption to a minimum, providing you with an incredibly long-lasting playback cycle.Many flash memory players include accessories such as a neck strap or an armband to make them easier to carry while you're on the move. Some models even come with a waterproof case, which will allow you to listen to your tunes while surfing, waterskiing or swimming. If you'd like the option of listening to the radio while you work out, look for a flash memory player that includes an FM tuner.One very important thing to keep in mind is that most flash players do not provide for future memory expansion or upgrades so plan your purchase accordingly.
Here are some basic requirements to look for:

Type of Media Player — Flash Memory Player
Storage Capacity — 128MB to 2GB
Supported Digital Audio Formats — MP3 and WMA are essential, other formats may include ASF, OGG, WAV
Average Battery Life — 11 to 40 continuous hours
Price Range — $50 to over $300


Audiophile
When only the very best sound quality will do, you'll want your music files to be compressed as little as possible. That means you'll need a lot of storage space and you should expect to pay more for digital media players that fulfill your demands. Fortunately, high-end digital media players often provide you with features and functions beyond just the ability to listen to your favorite tunes. Top-of-the-line devices usually include PIM (personal information management) features similar to those of a PDA (personal data assistant). Here are some basic requirements to look for:

Type of Media Player — Hard Drive Player / Digital Jukebox Player or MP3 CD Player
Storage Capacity — As much as you can get. Top-of-the-line models run from 60GB to 100GB
Supported File Formats — AAC, AIFF, WAV, FLAC, OGG, MP3
Average Battery Life — 14 to 20 continuous hours
Price Range — $160 to over $400


Important terms
AAC - Advanced Audio Coder compression creates very high quality audio files. This format is becoming increasingly more popular for music downloads, streaming media and satellite radio.

AIFF - Audio Interchange File Format is a type of compression developed by Apple Computer and is the standard audio format for Macintosh computers and Apple iPods.

AIFF files are QuickTime compatible.ASF - Advanced Streaming Format (formerly Active Streaming Format) is also referred to as Windows Media format and is used for multimedia data including audio, video and photos.

Codec - is an abbreviation for Coder-Decoder. A codec is a mathematical algorithm that is used to reduce the number of bytes consumed by large files with little to no perceived loss of quality.

DRM - Digital Rights Management is an encryption technology used to protect digital products from copyright infringement. DRM can be used to control and restrict the number times the file is accessed, length of use, file sharing, copying, printing and saving. This may be accomplished within an operating system, program software or via the actual device hardware.

FireWire (IEEE 1394) - is a communications protocol developed by Apple Computer and is quickly becoming a standard with Windows-based PCs. FireWire connections are often faster than USB.

FLAC - Free Lossless Audio Codec is a popular type of audio compression that achieves incredibly high quality sound because it does not remove any digital information from the audio stream. FLAC sound quality is said to be exactly as good as the original CD or source recording.

MP3 - is an acronym for MPEG (Motion Pictures Experts Group) layer 3, which is a type of compression used to greatly reduce the size of audio files while retaining good sound quality.

OGG - or Ogg Vorbis, is a patent-free file format designed to efficiently compress audio files while retaining a high level of sound quality.

PCM - Pulse Code Modulation is a process used in converting analog data to digital media.

Podcast - is a combination of Apple Computer's "iPod" and "broadcast". Audio and video programs are published to the internet, allowing you to download the media files for archiving or playback on your computer or digital media player.

USB - Universal Serial Bus is a standardized protocol for transferring data to and from digital devices. The newer USB 2.0 is up to 3x faster than USB 1.1, which will save you lots of time if you're managing large music libraries.

WMA - Windows Media Audio file format is similar to MP3 but includes built-in digital rights management.

WAV - Is an uncompressed Windows audio file format, which provides high-quality sound without using compression. The resulting files are very large - about 10 MB per minute of music.