Portable music and video today and the future. What the trends are.

With digital music coming, the mp3 player has taken the high ground in digital music and video entertainment. So, what exactly are we talking about? MP3 is a term that relates to a standard of digital audio processing that allows digital audio files to be compressed in size and therefore made more portable. The mp3 player today however, is much more than simply a device that plays only mp3 standard audio files. It is now a universal term that includes players of all forms of portable audio formats and is used to identify a wide range of hardware from an equally wide range of player manufacturers, and a plethora of websites offering downloadable media. Clearly it is not so much whether you will listen to digital music and watch digital video, but the type of player that will best suit your purposes.

What is your passion? How you want to consume your media?

There are a number of important issues to consider when choosing the type of player that will suit your requirements best. At the heart of this is the question of how you want to consume your music and video product. With the digital music revolution come three basic options. You can choose a player that has a hard disc for program storage, one that uses flash memory (memory sticks, flash cards and the like) or one that uses standard CD format with music stored in mp3 or other compressed formats. There is no one universal method that will suit everybody. Rather there are pros and cons for each, with different manufacturers offering different features, design, battery life, useability and prices.

The other really important development that may affect how you choose the right player is the fact that the online music and video programming is now widely available from all manner of sources, from artist direct through to iTunes. As the protection of artist’s and producer’s digital rights becomes more widespread, you can expect media players to be more able to share the different media formats and protection. reducing risk both for you and the artists involved.

The Hard-Drive Option.

The crucial decision is how much memory. Hard-Drive players, such as Apple’s iPod, are available with up to 100GB of storage (but this could change in any nano-second). While they are physically small, Hard-Drive players are not the lightest. But 60 GB allows about a thousand hours of mp3 music. At around 4 minutes per song, that’s about 15,000 songs. If being able to store a lot of songs is important to you, then you should consider the Hard-Drive option. Of course video program is more memory consumptive, and if you need to store large video programs then a Hard-Drive option makes good sense. A Hard-Drive player has a small computer hard-drive installed inside, so it has moving parts and can be damaged by shock, severe magnetic fields and too much sun. Some can also be quite bulky which means that a hard-drive player may not ideally suit a jogger, but if you fly Sydney to London on a regular basis, then it could be the solution. Hard-Drive players also tend to have a shorter battery discharge life than flash memory devices.

The Flash Memory Option.

Flash memory offers some outstanding benefits. At the time of writing, flash memory goes up to 4GB, which allows about one thousand mp3 songs. When you consider the average radio station’s active play list is less than two hundred songs at any given time, and shrinking, a 1,000-song capacity is quite substantial. In current recording terms, that could be as many as 60 to 100 albums. Moreover, flash memory has no moving parts and so can withstand slightly rougher treatment. And players can be considerably smaller and therefore more portable. Additional benefits come in the form of small, yet quite powerful storage media and astounding battery life.

The CD Media Option.

Following on from the Sony Walkman phenomenon, portable CD players have been around for some years. Now however, portable CD players can play mp3 and other compressed audio formats as well as standard CDs. Using this technology, you can download your music to your computer and burn it onto a CD in mp3 format, and play it in your portable player. You don’t need to concern yourself with storage capacity. A single CD will hold 700 MB of music, or around 175 songs. These players are limited in their other functions, but are often cheap to buy. However because they use CD technology (and therefore have moving parts), they are susceptible to shock and it can be quite inconvenient to carry a whole bunch of CDs around if you need a large library of music on your jogging circuit.

Controlling what you hear.

Okay, so we’ve sorted out how you want to consume your music and now you have some leaning as to which type of player is going to suit you based on its media system and storage capacity. But there is still more for you to consider. There are two aspects to being able to control your audio through your mp3 player. One is its connectivity. In the first instance, you need to be able to download the music you want to hear in the format that’s going to suit your player, and vice versa. So first you need to make sure you choose a player that is compatible with the source. (Frankly, you can’t go far wrong with iTunes and most players, but there are many other options, including Virgin, Napster, Sony, all of which offer different media options.) Second, you need to have a simple connection between the computer you download your program onto and your portable mp3 player. Most players these days use USB serial interfaces. But there are also fire wire and wireless options. You also may want to consider whether you want to receive FM radio on your mp3 player, and whether you want to use your mp3 player to record program (much like a cassette player).

These features are available on some players, but not on all. Furthermore, the recording options may be limited. A player that can record only wave files will limit your recording capacity. (One minute of stereo wave file is about 10 megabytes, compare with one megabyte in mp3 format.) There has long been the promise of music kiosks where you can simply charge a flash memory stick with new songs. Perhaps we will see this in the coming year.

The second aspect to controlling what you hear is the audio environment itself. You connect your mp3 player to your physical self through earphones, or you can plug it into your computer, your hi-fi system, and even use a wireless connection in your car. Not surprisingly however, one of the weakest links in the personal portable mp3 player is the earphone set. Most players come with a set of earphones, usually in the ‘bud’ style. Not everyone is comfortable with this style of earphone, and you may want to consider the earphones you use. A good quality set of earphones, (such as Shure’s E4c) will enhance your listening experience for a variety of reasons. For prolonged listening, earphones need to be comfortable, both in a physical sense and in an auditory sense. Poor quality earphones are often uncomfortable to wear and deliver poor quality sound that can cause ear fatigue and subsequent long-term damage. Cheap earphones are flimsily constructed and any strong tug on the cords will cause the signal cables to break down. You also need to check out what controls the player provides you over the sound quality, and how easily they are accessed and understood. At minimum, you need volume and possibly some tonal controls, as well as track management and good visible indicators of the status of your player.

Size does matter.

The importance of weight, physical dimensions and battery life cannot be understated. Most manufacturers promote a battery life. But like mobile phones, the product usually does not prove the claim. Why is this? It often depends on how the battery life is measured. In a laboratory for example, the test may be carried out with minimal human interference. But on the jogging path, every time you touch a control, you are using some power from the battery, whether it’s just to illuminate the screen, or make adjustments to the sound quality. Battery life can be compared between manufacturers to give you some idea of how different players compare, but don’t rely on the manufacturer’s claims to be accurate under the conditions you will be using your player. You may use your player for a few hours each day, and then recharge every night. In such a case, extremely long battery discharge life may not be too important. But if you are trekking across the Nullarbor Plain and won’t see a power point for several days, battery life is going to be critical.

Weight is also another factor. Remember, devices with Hard-Drive storage weigh more and are bulkier than devices with flash memory. CD devices need to be at least as big as a CD, and many are not much bigger. Consider how you are going to wear the player on your person, and be sure it will be comfortable.

And there are accessories

There are a lot of technical things associated with audio devices. Unless you’re an audiophile, you may have a limited interest in such things as the signal to noise ratio (the amount of noise that is generated outside of the signal by the players amplifiers). The fact is, most players on the market have acceptable sound fidelity and the biggest weakness can often be found in the headsets and loudspeaker systems that they are connected to. You may also want to consider the accessories that are available, either included with the purchase or available separately. This may include power adaptors, carrying cases, additional memory, car adaptors and other software options to give you access to a wider range of entertainment and information.

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Mp3 players are everywhere you look now, and it seems like everyone’s got one. People on tv, in movies, at school, on the bus, or even walking or running down the street. And the selections are endless. But with so many options it’s almost impossible to find the right mp3 player to suit your needs, especially if you don’t know what you’re needs are!

Do you know what kind of mp3 player you want?

This is where choosing the best mp3 player starts. You have to know what you’ll be using this mp3 player for. Do you want to workout with it at the gym? Use it for running laps? Do you want to be able to put your whole music collection on it? Or maybe you want to use it to hook up to your stereo system and play all your music without ever putting in a cd. Do you need something to pass the time for your work commute? Is something that can display pictures or play video files important to you? Do you want one of the flat out best mp3 players on the market? Or is price a factor in your purchase?

As you can see, there are a lot of factors that weigh into your decision to purchase an mp3 player. I’ll try to go over some of the basic ones here.

Flash vs. Hard Drive

Most mp3 players can be split into two categories. Flash mp3 players or hard drive mp3 players. Flash mp3 players tend to be smaller, lighter, and cheaper. They also store less music, but make up for it by being able to handle more activity. Running, biking over rough terrain…and things of that sort are where flash mp3 players really outshine hard drive players. Flash mp3 players are most useful while working out or when buying an mp3 player on a budget. They are also upgradeable. You can swap out the memory card for a larger one to store more music if you decide you want a bigger player down the road.

Hard drive mp3 players are mostly known as “jukeboxes”. Hard drive mp3 players are good for storing large music collections or as backup drives to store larger files(or with recent technological advancements…displaying pictures or playing videos). Hard drive players are great for taking away on extended trips or vacations. But hard drive mp3 players are pricey, and the more features they have, the more expensive they are. Though you are getting your based price per gig, the larger you go.

Features

Mp3 players have a variety of different features. From sound and audio options, to various play options. All mp3 players will also have different included software for downloading and managing music files, with some software packages being better than others. Things like battery life and included accessories may be important to you also, so make sure to check the specs of an mp3 player before purchasing it. Read some reviews and see if anyone has any negative things to say about it.

Some mp3 players will even allow you to rip CDs directly from an audio player to your mp3 player, no computer required. Players will also have different navigation types. Some using buttons, others using touch pads or click wheels. Some mp3 players come standard with an FM tuner, as well as digital voice and FM recording. Then there are players made specifically for sports use that come with lap timers and stopwatches and things of that nature. If any particlular feature is important to you, make sure the mp3 player you want has it(or can at least be bought as an accessory for it).

Price

If you’re looking to purchase an mp3 player for under $100 or so, flash mp3 players are going to be your best bet. Very few hard drive or larger file capacity mp3 players are available at that kind of price. But there is good news. With competition the way it is in the mp3 player market, older model mp3 players are always being made available at huge discounted prices, allowing you to save anywhere from $20 to $70 on some of the best mp3 players out there.

Brands

There are a lot of competing companies out there making mp3 players. Weeding out the top quality ones from the lesser ones isn’t always easy. Some of my favorites are Apple, Creative Labs, Sandisk, Rio, iRiver and Archos. There are others, such as Nike or iAudio and more, but these are the main contenders. The Apple iPod is by far the most popular, most pervasive, coolest, and also most expensive mp3 player brand out there. Whether the price of the iPod is worth it, is your choice. Just make sure you get a good sense of what other mp3 player brands are out there, and what each of them are like.

Conclusion

Finding the right mp3 player can be difficult sometimes. Knowing the answers to many of the questions asked in this article will make that search, and subsequent decision, easier for you. But don’t despair if this intro to mp3 players wasn’t enough for you. There are sites out there dedicated to helping you choose the right mp3 player. Happy hunting!

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MP3 Player News

A portable mp3 player is the easiest way to take your favorite music with you anywhere you go and anytime. Mp3 players are more compact than a CD, and you don’t have to take with you an entire box of CDs because the memory of an mp3 player can be up to 5 GB. Even if the capacity is huge sometimes, portable mp3 players are very small, design to fit in a small pocket, and sometimes fashionable as you will see in this mp3 player review.

If you decide to purchase an mp3 player, there are many models to choose from, and you should get familiarized with their features. Using an mp3 player review can help you to make your choice, as mp3 players are grouped into main categories by their memory type in any mp3 player review. Also, there are many more features that can make the difference between mp3 players.

Mp3 compatible CD players were the first mp3 players sold in stores. At that time they were considered very useful because an mp3 player can store up 10 times the amount of songs an audio CD can. The preferred mp3 players in any mp3 player review are those with flash memory. Mp3 players with hard drives or micro drives, have the largest capacity from all mp3 players.

Categories of mp3 players

Usually, mp3 players are grouped by their capacity and their ability to read different file types. The most common file types used to store music are mp3 and wma, and the physical support for data can be flash, micro drive, hard drive, or CD.

Flash memory mp3 players are the most popular. The most recent players have flash memory between 256 MB and 4 GB. If we consider the fact that the average length of a melody is 3 MB, it results that actual flash memory players can store between 80 and 1200 melodies. Flash memories have no moving parts, so the players can be easily manipulated without the risk of damaging it.

Micro drive mp3 players have much more storage space than flash memory players, varying from 5 GB to 10 GB. Hard drive mp3 players have the largest amount of memory for multimedia files. Mp3 compatible CD players became pretty old-fashioned due to their size. The CD can easily crash if you drop the CD player from your hands and the capacity of a CD is just 700 MB. You should check also for discounts if you want to save some money.

Nowadays many of the mp3 players also have lots of other interesting functions. A newer mp3 player can also FM radio, agenda, possibility to sort and group melodies, recording and playback capabilities as well as many others.

Other Features of MP3 Players

The newest mp3 players have wide color screens where you can play DVD quality movies. We can’t finish this mp3 player review information without speaking about other important features of mp3 players, like voice recording or FM radio tuner and sometimes even TV tuner.

An mp3 player with 5 GB of memory can record up to 40 hours of high quality sound. In the last two years, mp3 players have become the most common device for listening to music. Very small, portable, and with a large storage capacity, an mp3 player can also be fashionable.

How to Buy MP3 Players

If you want to buy MP3 player devices, it’s not a difficult choice. There are players to respond to all kinds of needs. Here are a few tips on how to buy MP3 players that meet your expectations.

If you want to listen to some music while jogging, then you probably need a light-weight device, such as a flash-memory player. Get the highest-capacity player you can afford

When you want to buy MP3 players, either flash or hard drive-based, make sure you get the model with the largest storage space within your price range. Some flash MP3 players use replaceable batteries, but most hard drive players have built-in rechargeable batteries that are hard to remove. Hard-drive players can keep playing for hours and hours.

Buy MP3 players with broad file format support

While all players support the MP3 format, some also support AAC, WMA or Ogg Vorbis files. An FM tuner is usually available on flash players.

Does the player need a carrying case?

When you buy MP3 players, they often come with a carrying case as well. However, if your player is expensive and fragile, a custom-fitted case can help you protect it. You can buy MP3 players from both online and offline shops, at different prices. An MP3 player can be a great source of entertainment, especially while traveling.

Mp3 players represent the newest technology for listening to preferred music anytime and anywhere. Most of the mp3 players are pretty cheap, if we consider the plenty of features they have, as the prices can vary from $40 up to $300. The most important advantage of mp3 players is the mp3 or wma compression which makes a huge file of songs fit into a small flash memory.

Features of Cheap MP3 Players

In this section we will consider cheap mp3 players, the devices with prices up to $80. Most of these players have flash memory from 128MB up to 2 GB. Unlike hard drive mp3 players, the flash memory mp3 players are cheaper and they are much portable than any other mp3 player. One of the most important advantages of portable mp3 players is their size from 2 to 4 inches. Unlike the CD players which require you to carry the box with CDs, mp3 players are much smaller but in their memory may fit up to one hundred audio CDs. Most of the cheap mp3 players do not support radio or TV tuner functions, but they have voice recording feature. Also, these mp3 players do not have rechargeable batteries but you can buy them afterwards.

If you have some extra money you may buy an mp3 player with built-in and customizable presets, and many other useful functions. You also have the possibility to buy an mp3 and wma compatible CD player. It is the cheapest mp3 player, but it is not as portable as usual mp3 players and you have to carry your CDs with you in order to have all your favorite music.

The best place to buy cheap mp3 players is an online store with discounts. Recently, a few companies from Asia offered free shipping for all mp3 players bought online from their virtual shops.

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