SDAR is a satellite-based direct-broadcast radio service in which
digitally encoded audio entertainment material is broadcast to
Earth-based receivers, either directly from an orbiting satellite, or from the satellite to
the receiver via a repeater station (This is a special case in which the receiver is in a
shielded location).
SDARS is a radio communication service through which audio
programming is digitally transmitted by one or more space stations directly to
fixed, mobile, and/or portable stations, and which may involve complementary
repeating terrestrial transmitters, telemetry, tracking and control facilities.
Through SDARS compact-disc quality audio is available because of digital transmition
is employed.
History of Satellite Radio:
Satellite radio is an idea over a decade long. In 1992, the U.S.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated a spectrum in the
"S" band (2.3 GHz) for nationwide broadcasting of satellite-based
Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS).
Only four companies applied for a
license to broadcast over that band. The FCC gave licenses
to two of these companies in 1997. CD Radio (now Sirius Satellite Radio) and
American Mobile Radio (now XM Satellite Radio) paid more than $80 million each
to use space in the S-band for digital satellite transmission. The first satellite based radio launched by XM on Sep 25, 2001, then followed by Sirius on July 1, 2002.
At this time, there are three space-based radio broadcasters:
Sirius Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
WorldSpace Satellite Radio
Importance and significance of Satellite radio:
We all have our favorite radio stations that we preset into our car
radios, flipping between them as we drive to and from work, on errands
and around town. But when you travel too far away from the source station, the
signal breaks up and fades into static.
Most radio signals can only travel about 30
or 40 miles from their source. On long trips that find you passing through
different cities, you might have to change radio stations every hour or so as the signals fade in
and out.
Now, imagine a radio station that can broadcast its signal from more than 22,000 miles (35,000 km) away and then come through on your car radio with complete clarity. One could drive
nearly hundreds of kilometers without ever having to change the radio station! Not
only would you never hear static interfering with your favorite tunes, but also the
music would be interrupted by few or no commercials.
Satellite radio companies are comparing
the significance of their service to the impact that cable TV had on
television 30 years ago. Listeners won't be able to pick up local stations using
satellite radio services, but they will have access to hundreds of stations offering a
variety of music genres. Each company has a different plan for its broadcasting
system, but the systems do share similarities.
XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Satellite
Radio and WorldSpace satellite individually provides digital-audio
radio services (SDARS), with commercial-free programming, digital-audio quality, and
countrywide coverage.
Each company offers nearly 100 channels of digital music and
talk radio (many of them commercial-free or with a reduced number of commercials)
that can be received from coast to coast with no service interruption. Each
offering number of music channels, these services clearly provides programming options
not available through traditional radio.
One of the main feature of SDARS is SDARS provides almost Commercial free (or Commercials are restricted) programs. And also it provides news, weather forecasts, and sports apart from
entertainment-based programs The primary application for this service is constant coast-to-coast coverage of radio for cars. We have all experienced the problem of trying to listen to radio on a long trip. Both AM and FM stations fade in and out as we drive into and out of their coverage
area. Portable full satellite radio service available now a days for
the car, home stereo and personal radio environments. Car manufacturers have been installing satellite radio receivers in some models for a few years now, and
several models of portable satellite radio receivers are available from a variety of
electronics companies.
Signal reception is generally poor as well as variable in the cases of AM or FM. With the SDARS systems, radio coverage throughout the 48 continental states is solid and continuous. Unlike
for AM and FM channels SDARS signals are available in a unique format
Subscription based radio service:
Because the technology requires access to a commercial satellite for
signal propagation; Satellite Radio services are commercial business
entities (not private parties), which offer a package of channels as part of their service
--requiring a subscription from end users to access its channels. Satellite
Radio Service can be subscribed at a monthly fee of $12.95 U.S. and up which
is very much worth full to the service that it gives.
Future of Satellite radio:
SDARS seems to get good market growth because of the following factors. Increasing
partnerships of XM and Sirius with Automobile OEM and distribution outlets made the
SDARS more popular. Introduction of more convenient hardware smaller and more
portable radios for the automobile as well as the home stereo,
computer and office and personal environments made possible at the
same time.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Radio Advertising
Direct response radio advertising, at its core, works in the same way regardless of what type of business you are in. Whether you own a direct-to-consumer model business, a retail business, a web business, or some combination thereof, direct response radio advertising can help you grow. And grow profitably. The fundamentals of direct response radio, then, must start with a discussion of how radio advertising works within the context of a basic business model. The purpose of this article is to convey the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising that apply across businesses.
First, Two Important Concepts
Throw out all you think you know about advertising, radio advertising, and especially direct response advertising. It's best to begin with a clean slate, a blank whiteboard so-to-speak. There are two important concepts I want to introduce before moving forward.
Concept One: Radio as A Highway From Your Business to Your Potential Customers
Think of radio advertising as a 5,000 lane highway from your business to groups (station audiences) of your potential customers. The many lanes on this highway are the many different radio stations and radio networks that are available for you air your radio advertisement. It is on these "lanes" that you send your message to your customers.The lanes are clustered in such a way that they reach groups collections of customers who have similar tastes and demographic profiles. Therefore, some of these lanes lead to groups that have a high concentration of people who match your target customer profile. As a result, advertising on those lanes (stations) is more profitable than others with a lower concentration of your target customer profile. These groupings are the radio formats, which are used in radio advertising to enhance the efficiency of, or return on, advertising efforts. Concept Two: Radio Advertising is a Profit-Driver, Not a Cost Center
At this juncture, the one thing many business people can't seem to put out of their mind is the one of "how much does it cost" to advertise on radio. We've written extensively about this question because it is one of the most common that we get. The problem is that embedded in this question is the presupposition that radio advertising is a cost. The concept that one needs to fully grasp is that radio advertising is not a cost center. That is, it does not stand alone without any relation to revenue or profit. It is detrimental to think of direct response radio advertising as a cost because that leads to managing as though it's a cost, which means minimizing or eliminating it. Contrast this with managing it like it's an investment, and maximizing the return you realize on it.
Direct response radio advertising - by its very definition - is a profit-driver. If it's not driving a profit, it would not exist - or at the very least it would not be called direct response radio advertising but instead "brand" or "awareness" advertising. Profitability is a fundamental aspect of direct response radio advertising.
On To the Fundamentals
Now that we've cleared our minds and allowed for two basic concepts about how to think about radio advertising, let's move on to the meat of the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising.
First, Two Important Concepts
Throw out all you think you know about advertising, radio advertising, and especially direct response advertising. It's best to begin with a clean slate, a blank whiteboard so-to-speak. There are two important concepts I want to introduce before moving forward.
Concept One: Radio as A Highway From Your Business to Your Potential Customers
Think of radio advertising as a 5,000 lane highway from your business to groups (station audiences) of your potential customers. The many lanes on this highway are the many different radio stations and radio networks that are available for you air your radio advertisement. It is on these "lanes" that you send your message to your customers.The lanes are clustered in such a way that they reach groups collections of customers who have similar tastes and demographic profiles. Therefore, some of these lanes lead to groups that have a high concentration of people who match your target customer profile. As a result, advertising on those lanes (stations) is more profitable than others with a lower concentration of your target customer profile. These groupings are the radio formats, which are used in radio advertising to enhance the efficiency of, or return on, advertising efforts. Concept Two: Radio Advertising is a Profit-Driver, Not a Cost Center
At this juncture, the one thing many business people can't seem to put out of their mind is the one of "how much does it cost" to advertise on radio. We've written extensively about this question because it is one of the most common that we get. The problem is that embedded in this question is the presupposition that radio advertising is a cost. The concept that one needs to fully grasp is that radio advertising is not a cost center. That is, it does not stand alone without any relation to revenue or profit. It is detrimental to think of direct response radio advertising as a cost because that leads to managing as though it's a cost, which means minimizing or eliminating it. Contrast this with managing it like it's an investment, and maximizing the return you realize on it.
Direct response radio advertising - by its very definition - is a profit-driver. If it's not driving a profit, it would not exist - or at the very least it would not be called direct response radio advertising but instead "brand" or "awareness" advertising. Profitability is a fundamental aspect of direct response radio advertising.
On To the Fundamentals
Now that we've cleared our minds and allowed for two basic concepts about how to think about radio advertising, let's move on to the meat of the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
MP3 Songs
MP3+G is a karaoke file format that was created to allow CD+G karaoke to be played from a personal computer easily and quickly. MP3+G is considered the de facto standard of karaoke on the PC and was created from the combination of the MP3 audio file (the CD audio is converted and compressed to MP3) and a raw CDG file which contains the RW subchannels from the CD+G track. The name MP3+G was first used by Gai Marcos and Steve Gray in late 1997 or early 1998 to describe the format. It was first called MM+G in early 1996 where it was a combination of various audio formats synchronized to a CDG file. MP3 and WMA became the most popular audio format used for karaoke and therefore MP3+G and WMA+G became the most popular formats used. Microsoft first unofficially adopted the WMA+G for use on the XBox for the XBox karaoke product.
The MP3+G format
MP3+G stands for MP3 plus Graphics. MP3+G is derived from the CD+G format and the CD+G disc format invented by Philips. MP3+G is created by extracting the CD-Audio packets from the CD+G disc with a CD-ROM that is capable of also extracting the RW channels from the disc. The digital audio portion is compressed to MP3 (the MP3 format was invented by Fraunhofer Society MP3.) and the RW Channels (CD+G graphics CD+G.) are stored to a CDG file. The player products read each file and synchronize the information to display the interpreted graphics along with the music.
Downloading MP3+G Files
It is possible to locate and download virtually every karaoke song ever produced. These song files are shared between users of certain newsgroups and IRC channels, though there is a great learning curve to overcome for those who are not familiar with such methods. An alternative would be to purchase one of the pre-compiled MP3+G collections, such as KaraMP3.
History of MP3+G
Gai Marcos and Steve Gray in late 1997 / early 1998 created MP3+G (Marcos, Gai (1998-01-01). President of TyrannoSoft. Gai Marcos. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. and Gray, Steve (2004-08-31). Background. Steve Gray. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.) and their focus was to make the CD+G format easier to use. It was introduced to the market as MP3+G during that period and caught on with karaoke enthusiasts. The first player that was provided to play and create the format was called "WinCDG". WinCDG and its descendant products were released by TyrannoSoft (owned and operated by Gai Marcos and Steve Gray). In 2001, TyrannoSoft renamed to TriceraSoft and continues to support the format in all their products.
The MP3+G format
MP3+G stands for MP3 plus Graphics. MP3+G is derived from the CD+G format and the CD+G disc format invented by Philips. MP3+G is created by extracting the CD-Audio packets from the CD+G disc with a CD-ROM that is capable of also extracting the RW channels from the disc. The digital audio portion is compressed to MP3 (the MP3 format was invented by Fraunhofer Society MP3.) and the RW Channels (CD+G graphics CD+G.) are stored to a CDG file. The player products read each file and synchronize the information to display the interpreted graphics along with the music.
Downloading MP3+G Files
It is possible to locate and download virtually every karaoke song ever produced. These song files are shared between users of certain newsgroups and IRC channels, though there is a great learning curve to overcome for those who are not familiar with such methods. An alternative would be to purchase one of the pre-compiled MP3+G collections, such as KaraMP3.
History of MP3+G
Gai Marcos and Steve Gray in late 1997 / early 1998 created MP3+G (Marcos, Gai (1998-01-01). President of TyrannoSoft. Gai Marcos. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. and Gray, Steve (2004-08-31). Background. Steve Gray. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.) and their focus was to make the CD+G format easier to use. It was introduced to the market as MP3+G during that period and caught on with karaoke enthusiasts. The first player that was provided to play and create the format was called "WinCDG". WinCDG and its descendant products were released by TyrannoSoft (owned and operated by Gai Marcos and Steve Gray). In 2001, TyrannoSoft renamed to TriceraSoft and continues to support the format in all their products.
MP3 8GB Players
Of all the MP3 8GB Players we have to start with the beautiful Apple iPod touch 8GB MP3 Player, with a backlit display and aspect ratio of 16:9 on a 3.5 inch 480 x 320 pixel screen the beautiful iPod is impressive. With a battery life of 22 hrs of audio listening and 5 hrs of video you know there will be enough time for just one more movie. The amazing feature of this iPod is the built in Wi-Fi support with integrated iTunes.
Next up is the Cowon iAudio D2 8GB MP3 Player with DAB Digital Radio, this is an impressive MP3 8GB Player with an FM radio receiver built in and the ability to view txt files on the 2.5 inch screen as well as record audio directly to MP3. An alarm clock is also included. You can also use this 8GB MP3 player as a USB storage device, now thats pretty neat.
Now we have the Cowon iAudio D2 MP3 8GB Player which does not include the radio, but still offers the voice recorder, 10 hrs of battery life when playing video files and a totally fantastic 52 hrs of audio playtime, 4 days of audio on one battery charge thats very impressive. MMC & SD expansion sockets are available and you are going to need them with 52 hrs of playtime to fill.
The iRiver Clix 2 MP3 8GB Player does not have a bookmarking facility but does offer 24 hrs battery life MP3,WMA,OGG file support, an FM radio recorder and is one of the few MP3 players that still suppports old Windows versions like Windows 98 SE / ME / 2000 and also XP or Vista.
With the new Nano out we must not forget to cover the Apple iPod nano MP3 8GB Player with a 2 inch LCD display and the weird blue-white LED Backlight these multi-colured Nano's look the business. Unfortunately they don't come with Firewire or a FM radio tuner, but you do get ID3 MP3 title/artist tag support and support for the following codecs AAC, MP3,VBR, WAV, AIFF, Audible. An aspect ratio of 4:3 offers a decent picture on the 2 inch screen.
The Samsung YP-S5 8GB Bluetooth MP3 Player with Slide Out Speakers is impressive and you can read about the 4GB Samsung MP3 Player here. The 8GB MP3 player version offers 24 hrs battery life and a USB charger capable of recharging in 5 hrs. This model support USB 2 for fast data transfer but will also work in the older USB 1 ports. A great feature of this player is Bluetooth support for connecting to external speakers.We arrive at the Sandisk Sansa View 8GB MP3 Player and see it offers 35 hours battery life from a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack and MicroSD memory expansion slots a jpeg picture viewer and bookmarking support.
Cowon iAudio 7 8GB MP3 Player offers a huge range of codecs including MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV and MPEG4 video playback and can be used as a 8GB USB data storage device. A very decent 95 dB signal to noice ratio means you won't hear any buzzing like you find on some cheaper units. A point worth noting is that this unit has a 3.5mm line-in jack plug for auxiliary device connection. Rock guitar connected to your MP3 anyone?The iRiver L Player MP3 8GB Player also offers 8GB of USB data storage and folder navigation so there will be no excuse for not keeping your MP3 files organised. The built in photo viewer supports JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF I mean GIF who will be watching GIF files on their MP3 system. With a SRS Wow 3D Sound system the dynamic sound output of this unit has to be heard to be believed. With USB 1.1/2.0 this unit will suite older computers that don't support high speed USB.
We are over half way now, so we better cover the iRiver E100 8GB MP3 Player this offers every conceivable version of ID3 tag support known to man ID3 V1 Tag, id3 v2 2.0, id3 v2 3.0 and id3 v2 4.0 and a MicroSD slot I'm assuming for all that tag information. This unit also displays JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF with PNG support should you ever have a need to view website graphics on your MP3 player!
Samsung YP-T10 8GB Bluetooth MP3 Player supports text only bookmarking and a FM recorder which sounds nice but does anyone ever use the recorder on their player. This 8GB MP3 player comes with special effects called street mode, clarity and sound feedback, I thought sound feedback was to be avoided!
Next up is the Cowon iAudio D2 8GB MP3 Player with DAB Digital Radio, this is an impressive MP3 8GB Player with an FM radio receiver built in and the ability to view txt files on the 2.5 inch screen as well as record audio directly to MP3. An alarm clock is also included. You can also use this 8GB MP3 player as a USB storage device, now thats pretty neat.
Now we have the Cowon iAudio D2 MP3 8GB Player which does not include the radio, but still offers the voice recorder, 10 hrs of battery life when playing video files and a totally fantastic 52 hrs of audio playtime, 4 days of audio on one battery charge thats very impressive. MMC & SD expansion sockets are available and you are going to need them with 52 hrs of playtime to fill.
The iRiver Clix 2 MP3 8GB Player does not have a bookmarking facility but does offer 24 hrs battery life MP3,WMA,OGG file support, an FM radio recorder and is one of the few MP3 players that still suppports old Windows versions like Windows 98 SE / ME / 2000 and also XP or Vista.
With the new Nano out we must not forget to cover the Apple iPod nano MP3 8GB Player with a 2 inch LCD display and the weird blue-white LED Backlight these multi-colured Nano's look the business. Unfortunately they don't come with Firewire or a FM radio tuner, but you do get ID3 MP3 title/artist tag support and support for the following codecs AAC, MP3,VBR, WAV, AIFF, Audible. An aspect ratio of 4:3 offers a decent picture on the 2 inch screen.
The Samsung YP-S5 8GB Bluetooth MP3 Player with Slide Out Speakers is impressive and you can read about the 4GB Samsung MP3 Player here. The 8GB MP3 player version offers 24 hrs battery life and a USB charger capable of recharging in 5 hrs. This model support USB 2 for fast data transfer but will also work in the older USB 1 ports. A great feature of this player is Bluetooth support for connecting to external speakers.We arrive at the Sandisk Sansa View 8GB MP3 Player and see it offers 35 hours battery life from a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack and MicroSD memory expansion slots a jpeg picture viewer and bookmarking support.
Cowon iAudio 7 8GB MP3 Player offers a huge range of codecs including MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV and MPEG4 video playback and can be used as a 8GB USB data storage device. A very decent 95 dB signal to noice ratio means you won't hear any buzzing like you find on some cheaper units. A point worth noting is that this unit has a 3.5mm line-in jack plug for auxiliary device connection. Rock guitar connected to your MP3 anyone?The iRiver L Player MP3 8GB Player also offers 8GB of USB data storage and folder navigation so there will be no excuse for not keeping your MP3 files organised. The built in photo viewer supports JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF I mean GIF who will be watching GIF files on their MP3 system. With a SRS Wow 3D Sound system the dynamic sound output of this unit has to be heard to be believed. With USB 1.1/2.0 this unit will suite older computers that don't support high speed USB.
We are over half way now, so we better cover the iRiver E100 8GB MP3 Player this offers every conceivable version of ID3 tag support known to man ID3 V1 Tag, id3 v2 2.0, id3 v2 3.0 and id3 v2 4.0 and a MicroSD slot I'm assuming for all that tag information. This unit also displays JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF with PNG support should you ever have a need to view website graphics on your MP3 player!
Samsung YP-T10 8GB Bluetooth MP3 Player supports text only bookmarking and a FM recorder which sounds nice but does anyone ever use the recorder on their player. This 8GB MP3 player comes with special effects called street mode, clarity and sound feedback, I thought sound feedback was to be avoided!
The Revolutionary MP3 Player
The MP3 player, which is a compression format that shrinks digital audio files with negligible sound-quality degradation, has revolutionized the way people can listen to music (MP3 Developments). The technological advances that the MP3 player has made were all possible due to its predecessors. The MP3 is incredibly small, dynamic, slim, easy to operate and lightweight to accommodate all types of people who might purchase and use one. The history of the MP3 player is extremely in depth and just recently, up for debate.
MP3 is short for MPEG Audio Layer III, which is a standard for audio compression, making music files smaller with the same type of sound quality they had in their bigger files (The History of MP3). Although Apple did not invent the MP3 player, its line called iPods, helped soar the MP3 to unprecedented popularity (What is an MP3 Player?). All the music can be stored on one device, which one downloads on to, making it portable and easily accessible. The user of the device can create song playlists tailored to their likes and wants. One can access files off the internet, either free or at a small fee, or could copy songs off their favorite CD's, to put on the MP3 player and listen to.
When Shawn Fanning started Napster in 2000, the online music base where downloading music was free, music moguls were scared that their industry and business would be ruined. CD sales, however, actually increased by 6 percent in the beginning of 2000 (Rage Against the Machines). Since Napster was founded, it has been reformatted to where the user now has to pay a fee and can then download music. Napster is not a free service anymore. Since these technological developments and advancements were making headway in the music world, this meant that profits would inevitably decrease for these music moguls who had already been in the business for more than sixty years. Technology made listening to music extremely easy (Rage Against the Machines). There have always been new forms of music emerging, new enemies that the competition or the already established companies had to deal with. It was a never-ending cycle and battle.In the 1920's and 30's the radio was seen as the foe. Record companies and musicians' unions would wage war with the radio stations that played recorded music instead of featuring the live performances (Rage Against the Machines).
In 1963 Philips presented the audio cassette tape, which in turn pivoted the rage and anger towards that market, instead of the radio (Rage Against the Machines). History repeats itself and with each new technology in the music world, the anger is directed towards the new implemented idea or product. These feelings by the various companies are inescapable.
Audio technology is forever improving its quality and technologies accessible to their clientele. In the early 19th century, the phonograph, invented by Thomas Edison, and the Gramophone, by Emile Berliner, were massive and bulky (MP3 Developments). Through the decades the music players changed, creating the small, compact image of today's standards. The very first successful recording device was developed in 1855, but that didn't really catch on to the mainstream audience until Edison's phonograph in 1877 (MP3 Developments). "Long players," more commonly known as LPs, came in 1947 with a face pace of 33 1/3 revolutions per minute, upping the ante for their predecessors MP3 Developments).
James Clerk Maxwell developed the theoretical basis for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in 1873, which paved the way for the radio to flourish. The radio was basically used for the military during World War I. When RCA, or the Radio Corporation of America, obtained the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1929, music as known presently, was initiated (MP3 Developments). The radio brought musical enjoyment to the masses. One could be sitting at home, in the car or at a public place, and could tune in to the station or programming that they wanted to listen to. This technology brought forth the idea of mobility.
The 8-track, invented by William Powell, came in the early 1960's. Music was masked by horrible sound quality because of misalignments in the tape and tape heads, which caused bleeds of other songs on the tape (MP3 Developments). There was only forty minutes of music on the whole 8-track.The average cassette tape did not reach homes until the late 1970's, but were previously used in recording studios since the 1950's (MP3 Developments). Cassettes were smaller than the 8-track, and had a higher sound quality. In 1979, Sony debuted the Walkman, which made cassette sales increase substantially in the 1980's. The compact disc, otherwise known as the CD, succeeded the cassette tape, in the late 1980's. The CD's used a digital storing system (MP3 Developments). The MP3, which will later be discussed, increased CD storage capabilities by ten times, not reducing the sound quality at all (MP3 Developments).
MP3 is short for MPEG Audio Layer III, which is a standard for audio compression, making music files smaller with the same type of sound quality they had in their bigger files (The History of MP3). Although Apple did not invent the MP3 player, its line called iPods, helped soar the MP3 to unprecedented popularity (What is an MP3 Player?). All the music can be stored on one device, which one downloads on to, making it portable and easily accessible. The user of the device can create song playlists tailored to their likes and wants. One can access files off the internet, either free or at a small fee, or could copy songs off their favorite CD's, to put on the MP3 player and listen to.
When Shawn Fanning started Napster in 2000, the online music base where downloading music was free, music moguls were scared that their industry and business would be ruined. CD sales, however, actually increased by 6 percent in the beginning of 2000 (Rage Against the Machines). Since Napster was founded, it has been reformatted to where the user now has to pay a fee and can then download music. Napster is not a free service anymore. Since these technological developments and advancements were making headway in the music world, this meant that profits would inevitably decrease for these music moguls who had already been in the business for more than sixty years. Technology made listening to music extremely easy (Rage Against the Machines). There have always been new forms of music emerging, new enemies that the competition or the already established companies had to deal with. It was a never-ending cycle and battle.In the 1920's and 30's the radio was seen as the foe. Record companies and musicians' unions would wage war with the radio stations that played recorded music instead of featuring the live performances (Rage Against the Machines).
In 1963 Philips presented the audio cassette tape, which in turn pivoted the rage and anger towards that market, instead of the radio (Rage Against the Machines). History repeats itself and with each new technology in the music world, the anger is directed towards the new implemented idea or product. These feelings by the various companies are inescapable.
Audio technology is forever improving its quality and technologies accessible to their clientele. In the early 19th century, the phonograph, invented by Thomas Edison, and the Gramophone, by Emile Berliner, were massive and bulky (MP3 Developments). Through the decades the music players changed, creating the small, compact image of today's standards. The very first successful recording device was developed in 1855, but that didn't really catch on to the mainstream audience until Edison's phonograph in 1877 (MP3 Developments). "Long players," more commonly known as LPs, came in 1947 with a face pace of 33 1/3 revolutions per minute, upping the ante for their predecessors MP3 Developments).
James Clerk Maxwell developed the theoretical basis for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in 1873, which paved the way for the radio to flourish. The radio was basically used for the military during World War I. When RCA, or the Radio Corporation of America, obtained the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1929, music as known presently, was initiated (MP3 Developments). The radio brought musical enjoyment to the masses. One could be sitting at home, in the car or at a public place, and could tune in to the station or programming that they wanted to listen to. This technology brought forth the idea of mobility.
The 8-track, invented by William Powell, came in the early 1960's. Music was masked by horrible sound quality because of misalignments in the tape and tape heads, which caused bleeds of other songs on the tape (MP3 Developments). There was only forty minutes of music on the whole 8-track.The average cassette tape did not reach homes until the late 1970's, but were previously used in recording studios since the 1950's (MP3 Developments). Cassettes were smaller than the 8-track, and had a higher sound quality. In 1979, Sony debuted the Walkman, which made cassette sales increase substantially in the 1980's. The compact disc, otherwise known as the CD, succeeded the cassette tape, in the late 1980's. The CD's used a digital storing system (MP3 Developments). The MP3, which will later be discussed, increased CD storage capabilities by ten times, not reducing the sound quality at all (MP3 Developments).
Hard drive mp3 players
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.
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.
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.
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.
MP3 Player News
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.
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.
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