Product Guide

You've heard about MP3. You see all those people with headphones in their ears listening to these tiny little devices. They're listening to music encoded as MP3 files. MP3 was invented in 1991 as an efficient method of compressing recorded music into digital files that occupied less space when stored. Since then, many other methods of digitizing music developed. A few years ago, digital files were developed to store video. While MP3 remains an umbrella term for all these files, the features among the different systems are diverse. So while most MP3 players are used to play music. Many also can be used to play videos. This guide will help you find a MP3 player for any need at any budget. If you already own an MP3 player, this guide will point out new features that may justify upgrading. Players are smaller in size, have more memory capacity, can store pictures, play music and videos on larger screens, while still being compact and light. We hope to guide you into the world of MP3 players so you can decide whether you want to join this revolution.

When you wanted to listen to recorded musical performances there were records, then tapes, then CD's. MP3 players are more ethereal. They use invisible, digital files to play music and, sometimes, video. These files are held in the memory of the player. The files are sourced through a computer Internet connection from websites that provide music and/or video files. Some sites may require a subscription to download content while many may charge on a "per song" or "per video" rate. In rare situations, you may download older, public-domain files at no charge. Many players include software that let you convert your CD discs into MP3 files. This guide will help you find an MP3 player for any need at any budget, even if you're a slightly more experienced user who already has an older MP3 player and looking to upgrade. MP3 players have drastically changed in the last couple years and there are many things to consider when making a purchase.

MP3 Players are also recorders. They work by transferring files with your computer through a USB port.

Music has been liberated from its physical form and transformed into a virtually identical digital audio file in formats such as MP3, AAC or WMA, allowing you to listen to the same song multiple times without fear of wearing out a cassette or scratching a CD. An MP3 Player is any device that stores, decodes and plays digital audio files. An MP4 player is just a MP3 that can play video and photos in addition to music. An audio file can be a song or melody that is found on several sites on the Internet, which is accessible to most computer users. These files can be downloaded from the Internet and recorded on your computer's CD recorder or your computer's hard drive. Once it's on the hard drive, you can download the file to your MP3 player.

The majority of MP3 Players are portable units that you can carry around anywhere and listen to music through stereo headphones.

The Apple iPod is, essentially, an MP3 player. While it can read MP3 files, it's dedicated to its own file compression format - AAC - Advanced Audio Coding. According to Apple, AAC offers several advantages over MP3: Improved compression provides higher-quality results with smaller file sizes; Support for multichannel audio, providing up to 48 full frequency channels; Higher resolution audio, yielding sampling rates up to 96 kHz; Improved decoding efficiency, requiring less processing power for decode. While other MP3 players can download content from a large variety of websites, the iPod is exclusively dedicated to iTunes. This is, in many ways, iPod's strongest asset. As a very diverse download site, iTunes is extremely easy to use. It is neatly and clearly organized. It is designed for complete user friendliness. Absolutely no knowledge of computer use is required to use iTunes.

There are other MP3 players that can read non-protected AAC files downloaded from iTunes, but only Apple iPod models can use all the content from iTunes.

Storage
Though no discs are used, music and video files occupy storage space. Video files occupy more space than audio files.

First thing to decide on selecting the right MP3 is its storage capacity or memory. That translates as how many (4-minute average) songs you wish to store on the unit. A typical minute uses about 1 MB in terms of storage capacity in the MP3 format and 1000MB = 1GB. So a player with 1GB memory can store about 250 songs. The next choice is the physical size which will limited you in storage capacity depending on the size of the player, the smaller units can be small enough that you can attach onto your keychain, but can only store up to 2GB where as the larger players can store well over 140GB.

Let me show you what you can expect to store in 4 different storage capacities based on the Creative Zen. Each song is 4mins long in MP3 format at 128kbps and video recorded in WMV9 format at 320 x 240 resolution at 500kbps.

• 4GB - 1,000 songs, 15 hours of video
• 8GB - 2,000 songs, 30 hours of video
• 16GB - 4,000 songs, 60 hours of video
• 32GB - 8,000 songs, 120 hours of video

There are different types of digital memory cards. Among the most popular formats are:

• Compact Flash
• Smart Media
• Memory Stick
• MMC
• Secure Digital

The method of storage is also important - Flash or Hard Drive:

Flash memory based players are so small that you can clip them to clothes or wear on a chain use Flash memory. Flash is a non-volatile memory used in digital memory cards. It is very secure and offers extremely rapid access. Typical Flash-based MP3 players can weigh less than 1 ounce. Memory is limited usually to 1 to 4GB, when used with MP3 players. Some Flash memory models have built-in slots for adding digital memory cards to expand storage.

Hard Drive MP3 players offer more capacity, typically 20GB up to over 140GB. They're a bit larger and can have a weight of 3 ounces or more. Some of the weight (and size) correlates to the size of the screen, which can be about 2 inches to about 7 inches (measured diagonally). Both higher capacities and screen sizes help make the hard-drive based players suitable for versatile audio and video play. Generally hard-drive memory capacities cannot be expanded.

Where size and weight are important, most MP3 players fall into this type of distribution:

• Small 1.5"H x 2.5"W x 0.5"D Up to 2GB storage capacity 1 line screen size 0.5oz weight
• Medium 3"H x 2"W x 0.3"D Between 2GB to 32GB storage capacity Up to 2.5" color screen size 2oz weight
• Large 4.5"H x 2.5"W x 0.6"D Between 40GB to 160GB storage capacity Up to 4" color screen size 4oz weight

Those that have larger screen sizes can go up to about 20 ounces. One of these larger ones, the Archos 705 sports a 7" touchscreen, 160GB memory, and WiFi access to download files from the Internet directly, without connecting to a computer.

Available memory and large screen sizes factor into the size and price of the MP3 players and these should be considered when selecting one that fits your lifestyle. The price range among players is very wide. You can find MP3 players for under $40 to as much as $600. It depends what you're looking for.

Listening to Audio Books:

An audio book involves a reader reading the book to you. There are literally thousands of books available in .aa (audible audio) from websites like Audible and iTunes, among others. There are also websites that can send book files in text form but, for convenience sake, you'd really need a large screen on your player for comfortable use. There are many popular uses for this technology such as learning a new language or download an audio guide of the city you are planning on visiting for vacation.

Traveling:

If you're a business traveler you would want to look for a hard drive MP3 player that can store your entire music library without going to your laptop to transfer songs every 6 hours or so. You can also use a MP3 player that has a large 4" screen to watch videos of your favorite TV shows or movies while your waiting for your flight or in your hotel room.

Working out:

When you're doing any strenuous activities such as jogging or playing tennis consider a small MP3 that can hold 2 to 4GB worth of songs, hard drive players are not a good choice since the shock while exercising can cause this type of player to skip. If you don't have any pockets or just don't want your MP3 player to fall out of your pockets, invest in purchasing an armband holder for that MP3 player also.

There are also a large variety of MP3 video files that offer exercise instruction from aerobics to dance to Pilates and Yoga.

Recorder:

There are MP3 recorders that fit in the palm of your hand that comes with built-in microphones. Many are ready for live stereo recording and include jacks that allow you to connect to your favorite microphone or musical instruments. You can also record lectures and use it to save oral memos.

Musicians use MP3 devices to record live music sessions either from built-in microphones or through USB connections with audio mixers. Musicians can promote and distribute their work by downloading the files to many Internet sites. They can also convert edited MP3 files to CDs and DVDs.

MP3 is a compressed sound format. That means that the sounds of music are squeezed down to meet a smaller space, using digital technology. The idea is to compress the audio file with no discernible difference in audio quality.

Audio formats originate as a .wav file audio format for Windows or AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) file for Apple. In this state it is a uncompressed file and the file size is about 10 MB for 1 min worth of audio. So a typical song that's 4 minutes long will be a 40MB file making it difficult to download from the Internet or for storing digital music files in the limited amount of memory storage a MP3 player has.

What you can do is create smaller audio files by compressing them into a MP3 file format. This format delivers a sound quality almost as good as uncompressed CDs. This is due to the very intelligent psycho-acoustic algorithm that takes out frequencies that is beyond human hearing and dead silences thereby reducing the file size. You can tell how much you have compressed them by, by the number of kilobits (thousands of bits) of data that represents 1 second of music (kbps).

The lower this number, the greater the compression, but the quality of the audio also decreases, the common compression rate is about 128 kbps that most people will find adequate in sound and size. So a MP3 song that's 192 kbps would sound better but would take up more space leaving less room for additional songs. At 128 kbps, a 4 minute song only takes up about 6MB space instead of 40MB for faster downloads.

The MP3 format is very versatile; it can be hosted on any storage media and can be transferred on demand over the Internet. You use a software program to rip or encode MP3 files and then these files can be played using a player like iTunes, MusicMatch or Windows Media Player.

MP3 is popular because it was the first form of audio compression available for use in media players. As such, the MP3 Player is the popular name. But there are many different file formats. Some are audio. Some are video. Some are both. There are lossy file and lossless files.

Lossless:

Designed for archival purposes, it compresses audio signals without the loss of quality from the original. Allows the exact original data to be reconstructed from the compressed data, when decompressed. Useful, when you want the highest quality sound coming out from your sound system if you're a professional musician or audiophile. Apple uses this technology that is called Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) and so does Windows, WMA lossless.

Lossy:

Is a compression method where compressing data and then decompressing data may well be different from the original. Lossy compression formats also suffer from repeatedly compressing and decompressing a file that will cause it to progressively lose quality. The benefit for using lossy vs. lossless compression is that with lossy you get 10:1 compression ratio vs. a 2:1 ratio for lossless.

MP3 (Motion Pictures Experts Group Layer 3, MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3)
A standard lossy audio file compression format adopted by the music industry to compress music for storage and download on Internet websites. It uses less memory space than a standard .wav recording and has hardly any discernible difference in how the music sounds when it is played. Nearly all the MP3 players use this format and that is why we use the term today to describe them. MP3 songs are never protected and therefore the #1 format to share with everyone else.

As with most things MP3 is not the only form of audio compression, there are many other formats for compressing audio, but support for these alternative formats are not universal. That's why it's important to check what type of files the MP3 player can handle when you already have a library of music with a certain type of audio format.

WMA (Windows Media Audio):

Created by Microsoft as a lossy audio file compression format that sounds better than MP3 format at a lower bit rate. Having a song with a lower bit rate results in a smaller file size. It allows you to store more songs in your player. Some WMA files include copy protection, but others do not. Most MP3 players are also compatible for use with WMA files.

AAC (Advanced Audio Coding):

AAC is a lossy audio file compression format that generally gets better sound quality than MP3 and at the same 128 kbit/s bitrate. This format is primarily used by Apple iPods that has their own DRM (digital rights management) technology to secure AAC downloads from iTunes, but recently most of the newer songs coming out are now non-protected by DRM. iPod is the only player that accepts copy-protected AAC files that are downloaded from the iTunes Music Store. But there are a growing number of other MP3 players now using the non-protected version of AAC, so you can use songs from iTunes if they are unprotected.

AAC (Advanced Audio Coding):

AAC is a lossy audio file compression format that generally gets better sound quality than MP3 and at the same 128 kbit/s bitrate. This format is primarily used by Apple iPods that has their own DRM (digital rights management) technology to secure AAC downloads from iTunes, but recently most of the newer songs coming out are now non-protected by DRM. iPod is the only player that accepts copy-protected AAC files that are downloaded from the iTunes Music Store. But there are a growing number of other MP3 players now using the non-protected version of AAC, so you can use songs from iTunes if they are unprotected.

Audiobook:

This is a Digital Rights Managed (DRM) Windows Media Audio file with a bit rate of 32 kbps. Note the recording speed is only a quarter than the standard music record rate. That's because books don't necessarily need the fidelity range of music. Also, book files tend to be very large - hours instead of minutes. So less memory is required. It also offers exact bookmarking capability to save your spot and proceed again at a later time.

MPEG-4 (Motion Pictures Experts Group):

MP4 files are basically multimedia files in a container format that can store video, audio, subtitle data and more information depending on what kind of content is it. It is a standard that is used to compress digital video and audio data, which are then used for streaming video on the Internet, broadcast television and CD distribution.

H.264:

H.264: is a part of MPEG-4 standard for video compression that you find mostly used for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats. H.264 is also known as MPEG-4 Part 10 or MPEG-4 AVC (Advanced Video Coding) that offers the same quality video as MPEG-2 at only a third of half the size.

WMV (Windows Media Video):

Originally built upon MPEG-4 Part 2 is a compressed video file format developed by Microsoft.

The same compression technology that makes Windows Media an excellent format for streaming digital audio and video is being used to bring a whole new level of high definition entertainment to through DVDs and downloadable online MP3 compatible content. Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series is a breakthrough set of codes that enables multichannel audio and high definition (HD) video at resolutions up to 1080p. To achieve delivery of ultra-high quality video, these clips were encoded at 24 frames per second (fps), and at the resolutions noted of either 1280 x 720 (720p) or 1920 x 1080 (1080p).

Copyright laws protect music, like text and video. In recent years, these laws have been interpreted as being infringed when duplicated (without authorization) for commercial or for-profit purposes. So some companies now use protection such as DRM (Digital rights management) technologies to attempt control use of digital media by preventing access, copying or conversion by end users to other formats that is used mostly by windows based players. Apple uses FairPlay DRM system (iTunes) and Windows has PlayforSure that limits the transfer of songs from one player to another. So when your looking at MP3 players check to see in the specifications if "protected" or "secure" is in front of the file extension to make sure what files you can play.

You can find many websites for downloading music that will allow you to download music for a fee, each website offers downloads for certain file formats such as AAC for iTunes. Others such as Napster can be used on players carrying the Microsoft PlaysForSure logo (which do not include iPods or even Microsoft's own Zune) from several manufacturers including Creative. What Zune uses is its own Zune Marketplace. The eMusic online music store and most file-sharing networks use the MP3 format that will work on all different brands of MP3 players.

Also there is a service that, as a subscribed member, lets you have unlimited downloads for all their songs, the only catch is that once you cancel your subscription or you miss a payment you don't have access to these songs, even after you already downloaded them onto your MP3 player. How this works is the service requires you to sync your MP3 player once every week or it disables the songs. It's important to make sure the MP3 player is compatible with the service (Napster to Go or Yahoo! Music Unlimited) you choose.

Here we'll look at 2 of the major software programs that you can use with you MP3 player. Since all computers come with Windows Media Player and Apple computers come with iTunes, we'll focus on these two. Both software will allow you to sync your MP3 player easily with your computer; they will also allow you to rip music CDs that you own into WMA (Windows), AAC (Apple) and MP3 (Both) and automatically label these tracks with artist, album and title. Also both programs can organize your music by Artist, Song Title, playlist, etc and lastly burn onto CD as a MP3 format or Audio CD to play in your stereo system.

Windows Media Player

This program is included in all Windows XP and Vista computers and is compatible with most MP3 players. If you are using Windows Media Player to rip music CDs into your hard drive make sure you leave the "Copy protect music" box unchecked so you can create un-protected WMAs.

iTunes

If you plan on purchasing an iPod, make sure you understand you can only use the iTunes software to download and transfer songs onto your iPod. iTunes has all the basic features you would find in a music software, but besides just downloading music you can also download TV shows, movies, Podcasts, Audiobooks and iPod Games for your iPod.

Next we will take a look at all the possible functions that you can get on MP3 players, like FM tuner which is a nice feature to have, because without it how can you find new songs to add to your collection.

Almost all MP3 players come with a color screen that displays information about song title, artist and playing time, but besides that you can now display photos and on most video units. So you can keep those pictures of loved ones handy to show to other people or run it as a slideshow when you're listening to music. Most screen sizes ranges around 2" on basic MP3 players and you can find over 4" screen sizes on larger units if you plan on watching movies or TV shows. If image quality is important factor consider looking for screens that are built using the OLED technology since these type of screens are brighter when using it in sunlight, offers better viewing angles and use less energy to run compared to other screen types.

It may also be important to check the screen resolution and frames per second (around 30fps), the higher the better for sharper images and smoother playback.

Touchscreen is a great new feature that can be found on the iTouch or the Archos players, with this new feature your controls are on the screen to give you a larger screen to view videos and photos while also slimming down the size of the player.

Many flash drive MP3 players have FM tuners built-in that allows you to listen to FM radio stations but you will not receive AM stations. With this feature you can find a certain amount of FM presets for you favorite radio stations or in some cases the ability to play songs from you MP3 player wirelessly to car or home stereos with FM transmitters. Just understand that MP3 players that have a CD player or using a hard drive as a storage device creates too much vibration that interferes with FM tuners and you will have to take that into consideration when selecting a MP3 player.

This newest feature you can find in MP3 players is wireless connectivity. The Microsoft Zune has Wi-Fi that allows you to send songs to other Zune users and lets them play the song 3 times or up to 3 days long. Another use with the Wi-Fi in the Zune is that it can syncs wireless with your computer to transfer songs without needing a cable. SanDisk Sansa Connect has Wi-Fi also built-in that allows you to connect to the Internet to listen to LAUNCHcast internet radio, browse Flickr albums and photos and you can sign up to Yahoo's Music Unlimited to download music tracks. The iPod Touch also has built-in Wi-Fi that lets you view full web pages or run web application programs when you're in a hotspot location. Several other brands, including Archos and Creative, offer WiFi access.

Another interesting feature is Bluetooth, with this technology built-in you can wireless connect this to your cell phone that also has Bluetooth, so you will never miss a phone call because you were listening to music and you cell phone was in your bag. What happens is the player will automatically pause the song and rings, notifying you of an incoming call, you can then answer the call and then talk into the headset and then after the call, resume listening to your music.

With MP3 players adding more and more features in the past few years, you will find more different types of ports coming built into the players. Besides just having your headphone jack and sometimes microphone out jack, you can get higher quality line-in/out jacks that let you record professional soundtracks into the player either using a separate high powered microphone or musical instruments.

MP3 players that offer video playback might also have the capability to come with audio/video outputs that let you display them in High Definition on your LCD TV or record TV programs like a DVR by connecting them through the audio/video output jacks.

You can also find small MP3 players that are the size and look like a USB drive that just connects into the USB port of the computer for you to transfer your songs onto the player, so no extra cable is needed.

Some models also offer functions as an external hard drive that just Plugs and Plays when you connect to the USB port in the computer. These devices will show up in My Computer or the Windows Explorer as another drive letter and you can just drag and drop your songs you want to listen to on the MP3 Player or place some photos, videos and data in there also. In hard drive based players you can find these units that have USB2Go that allows digital cameras or USB thumb drive to connect and copy data to and from your hard drive player directly.

Since MP3 players use either Flash memory or Hard Drives as storage, you can use them to store other forms of data - almost like a portable, external drive.

With a few Creative Zen models you can sync with you Outlook or another program to transfer phone numbers, contacts, To-Do lists and Calendar dates. Perfect way to instantly access your phone numbers or addresses without turning on a computer. Just know that you can't edit the information on the MP3 player, only on the computer.

Most players are using internal rechargeable batteries, but you can still find players using AA or AAA batteries that you can easily replace when you run out of power vs. using a built-in rechargeable unit and waiting to get home to recharge with a power cord. Rechargeable batteries usually last 8 to 20 hours per charge, battery life depends on if you are either playing music or a video and how bright you set your screen. You recharge them by plugging into the USB port or AC adapter. These types of batteries generally last 1 or 2 years before the batteries are completely drained. The downside with rechargeable batteries is that you would have to send the whole unit back to the manufacturer to be replaced, which cost about $50 to $100.

In-line remote controls, carrying cases, flash memory, FM transmitters, headphones, docking stations, USB kits, extra rechargeable batteries and car adapters. Purchasing any of these extras will greatly enhance your MP3 players, some of you can't live without them, where as for others it will make your music more convenient, they also offer greater protection and make your music listening much more enjoyable.

The quality of the sound that you hear from an MP3 player usually depends on the headphones. Most players come with an in-ear earphone. The set of headphones included with your MP3 player is basic. If you want to significantly improve your way of listening to music it would be advisable to consider upgrading your headphones. If your flying inside a plane or in a noisy train during commutes, spending a little extra will be a wise investment. Many earphones available for sale have linings to customize the fit to your ear. This helps deliver better sound as well as secure fit when being active.

Some headphones include a noise-canceling feature that electronically filters out external sounds to help keep external noise from interfering with your listening, Some sound enthusiasts shudder at using electronic filters because they tend to reduce frequency response at the low end. Some headphones use a physical design vs. using an electronic filter to help filter out external sounds. Bigger bulkier full-sized headphones have foam cups that surround your ear to help isolate external sound. You can also get in-ear models that form a seal in your ear canal to acting as a filter sounds from getting in.

Some professionals believe that listening to very loud music may compromise your hearing over time. So using headphones that filters out external noises instead of just increasing the loudness settings will help your hearing.

Finding the best headphone to meet your needs is the best additional investment when buying your player.

For more information on headphones please click here. HEADPHONE GUIDE

Since most likely everyone else will have the same brand or model MP3 player you have, getting a MP3 case will make your player more personal and better protect it when your traveling or help protect it when it falls to the floor. If your jogging and don't have pockets to carry your player you can get armband cases that hangs high up the arm so you don't have to worry about cords getting in the way. Belt clip cases allow you easy access your MP3 player instead of leaving it inside briefcase, backpack or purse. All cases come in different styles and material, you can find form fitting cases such as neoprene or a rubberized material that prevents the MP3 player from getting scratches, to metal cases that can withstand being crushed and damaging the screen.

FM transmitter allows lets you listen to MP3 files through the FM radio section of your car or home stereo. Connected to your MP3 player, it broadcasts a wave to be received by an FM tuner. Most of these wireless transmitters let you adjust to certain frequencies as different locations have varying frequencies available on the band.

Docking stations can either plug into the computer to allow you to sync your music daily or a stand-alone unit that has amplified speakers' built-in that allow you to enjoy powerful stereo sound performance with rich deep bass sound and control everything through a remote control. What are also available are other docking units that let's you enjoy videos on a TV screen as long as your MP3 player supports video. Portable docks can also come with an 8" screen built-in for watching on a larger screen while you're on the plane or commuting to work by bus or train.

Of most of the MP3 players on the market, only Sansa, Zune, iPod, and Zen have accessory docks. These can conveniently charge your compatible player. It can also link it easily to a computer, or radio. If a dock is important to you, make certain that the model you're interested in offers that option.

If you own a MP3 player that has a large screen to watch videos or is a touch screen, it is advisable to consider a screen protector. A screen protector is an ultra thin and super tough protective clear sheet that invisibly protects your screen display. They help resist scratches and abrasions to keep your player looking great for years. Easily replaceable, these protector help keep the actual screen clean.

What you can expect to find inside your package after you have made your purchase is the MP3 player itself, documentation (warranty), headphones and maybe a simple case or software. Warranties for most MP3 players last 1 year and will require you to ship the player back to the company for exchange or repair. Lastly a lot of companies are making the same model MP3 players with many different colors to meet your personality, style, and mood.