MP3 Players - Do You Know The 3 Types

by Jeff Schuman

You may have probably heard of mp3 players, but are not sure how they work. MP3 players are used to download music from the internet. They are smaller than a personal CD player and you need a computer to download songs.

Shopping for a new MP3 Player can be difficult if you do not know what you are looking for. It is to your benefit to do a little comparison online before you go to a store. Things like price, storage capacity, and size all come in to play. You also want to make sure it is going to work with the computer you have..

Another term for mp3 player is digital audio player. A DAP can actually perform more tasks than simply playing mp3 files. It can arrange and store digital audio files as well as play them.

Another universal audio format DAP's can play are WMA files. These are a a compressed audio file format developed by Microsoft. WMA is a popular format that is supported by many devices.

Mp3 players are very portable and range in size. Some are so small they can fit on a key chain while others can be held in two hands (typically, these devices play video as well).

In addition to mp3 player, you may have also heard of the terms flash players or flash mp3 players. This is simply a type of digital audio player.

Here are 3 different types of digital audio players:

-Mp3 CD Players

- Flash mp3 players

- Hard-drive mp3 players

Mp3 CD players can play both CDs and digital audio. Some users prefer to create their own CD from a collection of audio files they've downloaded or grabbed from another CD.

Flash mp3 players are better than their hard-drive counterparts because they contain no moving parts and are great for use with exercise and outdoor acitivies like bike riding. Flash memory is a type of electronic memory media card that retains stored information even when not powered

One downside is they are limited in storage space compared to a hard-drive players which has a max of 8 GB.

Hard-drive players are great for those that would like to store their entire music library on their mp3 player. As this technology matures these devices include more video and image support. You can watch full feature-length movies and TV shows on some devices.

Hard-drive mp3 players range in size from fitting in the palm of your hand to needing both hands. They have larger capacity whichallows for storage of entire music collections on a single mp3 player. A downside is they contain moving parts so are not as good for outdoor activity.

Flash and hard disk mp3 players are becoming the more popular choice today. The best type for you will be determined by knowing how you will use it and what you want it for.