- How to buy a MP3 Player?
- What are the types of MP3 players?
- I normally plug on my MP3 while working out.
- Help me choose between the Ipods
Every month manufacturers come out with even more MP3 players, which not only have wildly divergent features, but the ongoing format wars also mean the MP3 player you choose dictates where you can buy your digital music. These devices are anything but one-size-fits-all.
First, there's the question of design. A player can have every feature, but if the design doesn't match your lifestyle or if the interface is impenetrable, you simply won't enjoy it!
Further, you have to look closely at performance, sound quality, capacity and battery life that can make or break a player.
MP3 Player – How does it work?
Digitizing music
At the most basic level, digital music like MP3s work a lot like any other computer data file - a long series of 1s and 0s. In order to turn an analog signal (such as one picked up by a standard\microphone) into a digital stream, ADC (analog-to-digital converter) software measures the signal at a regular interval to find the sampling rate.
These samples, if measured close enough together, form a near-exact representation of the analog signal so as to approximate the transmission using 1s and 0s read by computers and MP3 players.
Compression
Each second of true CD-quality sound takes up more than 1.3MB of disk space, which is why file-compression technology is essential to digital audio, especially portable audio.
Using principles of psychoacoustics (how the brain perceives sound) and perceptual coding (eliminating imperceptible sounds), engineers develop algorithms, called codecs (compression decompression), that compress songs into the smallest possible sizes with minimal loss of quality.
The sound depends on two factors - the quality of this compression algorithm and the bit rate at which the song is encoded, measured in Kbps.
Playback
When you play a digital file, you essentially reverse the analog-to-digital process. A digital audio device, such as an MP3 player or a computer sound card, uses a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) to turn the 1s and 0s back into an analog signal that can then be amplified and broadcast over headphones or speakers.
The sound depends on the attributes and quality of the digital file, the DAC chip in the player, the amount of distortion and hiss added by interference from the device's other circuitry, and the audio output level of your headphones or speakers.
When a digital device plays music that has been compressed by a codec, software on its chip (called firmware) applies the codec to decode the file, and then sends the decompressed 1s and 0s to the DAC.
There are four types of MP3 players - MP3 CD players, Flash-based CD players, Micro Hard-drive based players and hard drive based players. Each also has its own advantages and disadvantages.
MP3 CD Players
These look just like portable CD players, except they can read data CDs filled with digital music. You can burn approximately 150 MP3 songs (10 albums) on one 650MB disc. But if you want to take your CD collection with you, no worries--these devices can play standard CDs, as well.
Pros
- These are the least expensive of all types of MP3 players
- They use incredibly inexpensive replaceable media (CD-R/RW discs).
Cons
- They are large and can skip when jostled.
Flash Based players
The original MP3 player design, these have no moving parts and are known for their shockproof operation and ultra-compact dimensions.
Devices range in capacity from 32MB to 6GB, though most new players don't go below 512MB.
Pros
- Flash-based players are tiny.
- They also have no moving parts, so their batteries last longer, and you can jog, snowboard, or bungee jump with them without causing skipping or damage.
- Many flash players include lots of extra features such as voice and line in recording.
Cons
- The aforementioned extras can make flash players a bit harder to use
- They have the highest per-megabyte cost and max out at 6GB.
Micro Hard drive based
Straddling the line between full-size hard drive-based MP3 players and compact, flash-based players, these models aim to give you the best of both worlds by using miniature hard drives (about 1 inch or less in diameter) with capacities of up to 8GB.
Pros
- They're smaller and lighter than high-capacity players.
- Hold more music than flash-based models with the same price.
Cons
- You get fewer megabytes per rupee than you do with a larger player.
- Hard drives have moving parts, so these players aren't ideal for strenuous physical activity.
Use rechargeable batteries (usually lasting 8 to 20 hours per charge) that you can't replace yourself, so after several years, you might have to pay for a new model
Hard drive based players
Most likely, a high-capacity player can accommodate every song you've ever purchased or ripped from a CD.
Hard drives run from 20GB on up, and large players such as the 60GB Apple iPod can hold around 17,000 songs, assuming an average file size of 3.5MB per tune.
Pros
- They store all your music on one device.
- They also tend to have more features and larger screens and are overall easier to use.
- High-capacity players give you value for money in terms of price per gigabyte
Cons
- These players are usually built around a 1.8-inch hard drive; thus, they are larger and heavier than the others.
- Hard drives have moving parts, so these players aren't ideal for strenuous physical activity.
- Most use rechargeable batteries (usually lasting 8 to 20 hours per charge) that you can't replace yourself, so after several years, you might have to pay for a new model
What kind of an MP3 player user are you?
MP3 players are definitely not one-size-fits-all. They come in a range of shapes and sizes, use different types of memory, and support different formats. You need to choose the player that meets your needs and suits your personality.
Here we list the main personality profiles for MP3 player users. Some people align with more than one type, and they should possibly consider buying more than one MP3 player to address various needs. For instance, you might want an ultra-compact flash player for jogging or skiing and a high-capacity hard drive-based device for more general use.
The Commuter
You listen to music from a stereo at home and from computer at work, but filling your commute with tunes requires a portable player.
If you commute by car, a hard drive-based model is recommended, wherein the size doesn't matter much. You would also need a cassette-style adapter and a cigarette-lighter charger. If your car has no cassette player, then you need an FM transmitter device or a direct line-in jack on your car stereo.
If you commute via train or bus, a compact flash-based player would be the best option, along with a pair of noise-canceling or sound-isolating headphones to seal out as much of the din as possible.
If you spend your free time in the gym, an MP3 player that can keep pace would be the right one. It should be compact and easy to operate with one hand.
Rather than suggesting one with massive storage, we suggest a flash-based model (with up to a 1GB of storage) that can also withstand tough workouts better than hard drive-based players. A set of headphones that will stay in place instead of the inexpensive ear buds/phones would also make working out more hassle-free.
The Traveller
If you spend a lot of time on the road, we recommend an MP3 player that will enhance your journeys with music and yet doesn't add undue weight to carry-on.
If you travel with the same laptop that stores your music, a compact flash based player is the way to go. But if you would rather leave the laptop at home, we suggest a higher-capacity player that will hold all or most of your music and ideally one that has an easily removable and replaceable battery.
Accessories worthy of consideration include noise-canceling or sound-isolating headphones for the plane, as well as a portable speaker setup.
The File hoader
If your appetite for digital music has your computer’s hard drive(s) bursting at the seams, then you fit the description of the file hoarder. While sound quality and features are important to you, what you need most is an enormous capacity; at least 40GB, maybe even more.
Today's portable music devices max out at 60GB or so, which should be enough to keep you satisfied until the manufacturers can fit more memory into the 1.8-inch drives used by high-capacity MP3 players.
In 2001, Apple introduced the iPod, an MP3 player with the unheard-of storage capacity of 5 gigabytes. Five iPod generations later, the device plays songs, movies and photo slideshows, and can store up to 60 GB of any type of file. There are three variants here namely iPod shuffle, iPod nano and iPod.
| Features | iPod Shuffle | iPod Nano | iPod | |
Storage Capacity |
1 GB |
2 GB, 4 GB AND 8 GB |
30 GB |
80 GB |
Battery life |
Up to 12 hours |
Up to 24 hours of music playback and up to 5 hours of slideshow with music |
Up to 14 hours of music playback; up to 4 hours of slideshow with music; up to 3.5 hours of video playback |
Up to 20 hours of music playback; up to 6 hours of slideshow with music; up to 6.5 hours of video playback |
Display |
No |
1.5-inch (diagonal) colour LCD with LED backlight |
2.5-inch (diagonal) colour LCD with LED backlight |
|
Connectivity |
USB through included dock |
USB through dock connector |
USB through dock connector; composite video (with AV cable, sold separately) and audio through headphone jack or line out on the iPod Universal Dock (sold separately) |
|
Charge Time |
About 4 hours (2-hour fast charge to 80% capacity) |
About 3 hours (1.5-hour fast charge to 80% capacity) |
About 4 hours (2-hour fast charge to 80% capacity) |
|
Photo Support |
No |
Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF,TIFF, PSD(Mac only) and PNG formats |
Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF,TIFF, PSD(Mac only) and PNG formats |
|
Video Support |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Size |
1.62 x 1.07 x 0.41 inches |
3.5 x 1.6 x 0.26 inches |
4.1 x 2.4 x 0.43 inches |
4.1 x 2.4 0.55 inches |
Weight |
16 grams |
40 grams |
136 grams |
156 grams |
Included Accessories |
Earphones, dock |
Earphones, USB cable, dock adapter |
Earphones, USB cable, dock adapter |
|
