MP3 and MP4 players give you an easy way to take your music
and videos with you. Just transfer the files from your computer (MP3 gives
you music, MP4 gives you music and video) to the player and you can enjoy
them anywhere – using headphones, portable speakers or a built-in
screen. The most famous player is Apple's iPod, but there are many others.
MP3 players
MP3 players put your music in your pocket
MP3 is a 'format' – a method of storing
music digitally. There are other formats, such as WMA and AAC, but they're
all just different ways of doing the same
thing. Digital music files take
up less space than a CD recording, so you can
store lots of music on a
player – even a small 2Gb player can store up to a thousand songs,
on a device much smaller than a portable CD player. They're compact, easy
to use, and will play for hours (or even days!) on a single battery charge.
Store a few albums, or your whole collection
The amount your MP3 player can store depends on
how much memory it has.
This is measured in gigabytes (Gb) – units
of a thousand megabytes (Mb). A
1Gb MP3 player can store about 500 songs
and still have room for some digital photos! The figures below are a guide
based on the space an average song or
photo takes up.
| Capacity | Store this many songs | or this many photos |
|---|---|---|
| 512Mb |
256 | – |
| 1Gb | 500 | 330 |
| 2Gb | 1000 |
660 |
| 4Gb | 2000 | 1330 |
| 30Gb | 15000 |
10000 |
| 80Gb | 40000 | 26600 |
| 160Gb | 80000 |
53000 |
If you like to change your tunes regularly and listen for short periods – perhaps on the way to work – choose a small, lightweight MP3 player. (Even the smallest will store several hundred songs). If you want to store your entire CD collection, choose an MP3 player with 30Gb or more. These players use a small hard disk rather than a memory chip. This makes them larger, but they'll still fit in your pocket.
Choose long playback if you travel
Playback time is the amount of time you can use
your player with batteries.
Most MP3 players charge through a USB port
on your computer, but there is the flexibility to use rechargeable or standard
batteries, or charge it straight from the mains.
The famous Apple iPod
Everyone's heard of the iPod. It's a beautifully-designed MP3
player (yes, it plays MP3s as well as Apple's own AAC format) from Apple.
iPods are great for accessorising – there's a huge range of speakers,
headphones and protective cases available, all matched in style and colour
to your device, so you can have your iPod exactly the way you want it.
The iPod is also designed for Apple's iTunes software, which makes buying
music online easy.
MP4 players
MP4 players give you video on the go
MP4 is like MP3, only for video. MP4 players do everything
that MP3 players do
– organise and play music in a variety of
digital formats – but they also have
built-in LCD screens and
play MP4 video files. Like MP3 players, all MP4
players come with headphones
so you can listen as well as watch.
Larger screens make viewing fun
Screens on MP4 players go up to 5 inches – big enough
for viewing TV shows without eyestrain – but you can also display
content on your TV, so you're not limited to the player's screen when
you want to share a
clip. Some will even record directly from your
TV or DVD player and store on the player's memory.
The more memory, the more shows
MP4 players tend to have larger memories than MP3 players, since video takes
up more space than music! They usually use a small hard disk rather than a memory chip, to offer the biggest possible capacity. Look for at least 20Gb if
you want to store more than a few hours of video.
There's a huge range of accessories for your MP3 or MP4 player – here
are just a few.
Speaker docks. Digital music sounds too good to keep to yourself – why
not try docking your MP3 player into a set of high-quality speakers?
Simply slide it in, then hit play to hear your music out loud. Some speakers
take batteries so you can carry them with you, while others use mains
power for great-sounding music to rival your home stereo.
FM transmitters. These small plug-in devices let you listen to
your MP3 player in your car – your car radio picks up the player's
music over its FM radio. They're easy to use, and sound great.
A computer. You put songs onto your MP3 player by connecting it to your
computer and ‘dragging and dropping’ the files you want. You'll also need
a computer with a CD or DVD drive so you can 'rip' or convert your media into digital
files; many players come with software that'll do this for you. The average
file size of an MP3 track is around 4Mb, which on a broadband connection
will take around 30 seconds to download on a 1Mb connection.
Headphones. Whether you prefer lightweight earbuds that won't eat up
space in your bag, or a high-tech headset that cancel out surrounding
noise, quality headphones are a great upgrade to the earphones supplied
with your player – making your music sound even better.
Chargers. Most players use rechargeable batteries and recharge
when they're plugged into your computer. If you listen or travel a lot, you
may want to pick up a spare charger.
iPod accessories
Apple's iPod has spawned its own range of add-ons. From colour-matched cases and arm pouches, to FM transmitters for listening to your iPod through your car stereo, choosing iPod accessories is as much fun as choosing an iPod!
