MP3 Players Explained

What is an mp3 player?

An MP3 player (more correctly known as a "digital audio players" or DAP) refers to a device that is able to store, organise and play digital music files. It is more commonly referred to as an MP3 player because of the popularity of the mp3 format but DAPs often play many additional file formats. Some formats are proprietary, such as MP3, Windows Media Audio (WMA), and Advanced Audio Codec (AAC). Some of these formats also may incorporate digital rights management (DRM), such as WMA DRM, which are often part of paid download sites.

How does an mp3 player work?

Unlike other kinds of music players like CD Players or Walkmans that required moving parts to read encoded data on a tape or CD, MP3 players use "solid-state memory" (similar in concept to the Sandisk cards used in digital cameras). An MP3 player is no more than a data storage device with a built in software application that allows users to transfer MP3 files to the player. MP3 players may also include utilities for copying music from CDs or Web sites and the ability to organise and create custom playlists.

Size does matter!

The big advantage of an mp3 players over other portable media players is the huge amount of storage space that can be crammed into a device the same size as a deck of cards. As an example, at 128kps encoding rate each minute of music is compressed into one megabyte of information. Some mp3 players have 60 gigabyte hard drives and that equates to about 1000 hours, or nearly 42 days, of continuous music!

Other features

As the amount of data an mp3 player can hold is now becoming irrelevant for music purposes (who cares if your mp3 player can play 45 days continuous music rather than 43), manufacturers are continually coming up with new concepts and accessories to make their player the next 'must have' portable device. These include:

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