About MP3

An MP3 is an audio file of music or speech in a digital format. MP3 files are compressed to be about 10 - 50% the size of the same music clip found in the conventional CD format allowing more music to be stored using less storage memory. An MP3 player is a device with built-in or plug-in memory for storing and playing MP3 files. With the increasing compactness of memory and hard disk technology it is now possible to carry thousands of songs on devices which will easily fit in your pocket.

With the rise in popularity of MP3 players, the next logical step was to allow the storage and playback of video files. MP4 and MP5 players are portable devices which allow you to hold and view video files on a hand held device. The standard files for videos are AVI, ASF, VOB, DAT, and MP4. Video files are usually much larger than MP3 audio files, but it still is possible to store many movies on a portable hand held device.

Recently come out on the market are HDD Media Player devices for the home. These devices usually have larger hard drives than hand held devices which means you can store more music and video files on one device. Most have the capability of connecting directly to your TV, but some also allow you to connect directly to your computer network, allowing access from any network connected device.