Tuesday, October 30, 2007

An intoduction into MP3s

If you haven't heard of the MP3 format - where have you been? This compression algorithm, which can pack CD-quality audio into files of reasonable size while maintaining a high level of quality, has been the darling of Internet audio enthusiasts worldwide.

The MP3 format has generated much controversy in the recording industry because of its near-perfect digital music reproductions. With the right tools, users can create MP3 files from audio CDs on their own computers.

Music pirates have been placing these "ripped" MP3 files on the Internet for download, much to the dismay of artistes and recording companies.

However, the fledgling legal MP3 industry has been making great strides of its own. Numerous independent artistes have mushroomed on the Internet, fully utilizing this medium to distribute their songs. Web sites such as GoodNoise and MP3.com also provide countless numbers of free MP3s for download.

The MP3 format is not limited to just music - virtually any form of audio can be encoded into MP3, such as audio books, news broadcasts, speeches, and recordings.

For the listener, the format means new artists who can never seem to get accepted by record labels but turn out to be big hits with the public, can gain exposure for their music on their own Web sites.

The file can be played by an MP3 player (WinAmp is a popular one on the Internet, available from www.winamp.com) on a computer. http://www.ipodreviewforum.com

It can be transferred to a CD, but CD players can't recognize the MP3 format. (However, there are some CD players now being produced that can decompress MP3 files on the fly and play them. The advantage: A CD, instead of holding 60 minutes of music, can now hold about 150 to 200 songs.)

Small wonder, then, that MP3 is the second-most-frequently used search word on most search engines.

What is MP3?

Developed for movie audio in the early '90s by German researchers, it's a compression technique that shrinks digital audio files to less than a tenth of their original size with no sound degradation.

What does MP3 stand for?

It's short for MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) Audio Level 3, which probably explains why it's shortened to three letters.

How do I use it?

A. Find a Web site with MP3 files, then click on the song you want. It'll take about five minutes to download using a 56K modem, provided you have the required new version of Microsoft Internet Explorer and MP3-playing software. (The latest Windows Media Player will do, and is offered for free at some legal MP3 sites.) Each song requires about 3.5 megabytes of hard-disk space.

MP3.com (http://www.mp3.com/): Features downloadable songs and MP3 players, along with answers to frequently asked MP3 questions. Since it's legal, artists either post here because they're unsigned or because their record labels have agreed to let them. Such corporate tolerance usually means the artist needs exposure, so you probably won't find the most popular songs.
http://www.ipodreviewforum.com



http://www.articlebliss.com/Article/An-intoduction-into-MP3s/3283

Ipod and MP3: Major Players

Apple Computer was one of the pioneers of the PC industry and remains so today. It is one of the largest computer companies in the world, with sales of $6.2 billion in fiscal 2003. Apple designs, manufactures, and distributes a host of computer and related products, including desktop computers, notebooks, servers, and storage arrays, along with its own proprietary operating system and applications. In the past few years, Apple entered the music marketplace with its popular iPod music player and iTunes Music Store, which sells legally downloadable songs. Apple currently dominates the markets for both of these products. iPod Forum

Furthermore, Apple is scheduled to come to market over the next few months with several new products that should garner significant attention and drive incremental business. Apple also chose to control a greater percentage of its product distribution due to the differentiated nature of its products, a strategy that has been successful to date and may have played a key role in the company’s ability to hold PC market share in two of the past three quarters after consistently losing share in the marketplace for each of the past four years.

Our analysis indicates iTunes has the potential to be somewhat accretive to the overall business model if downloads continue to increase at their current pace and Apple can increase the number of songs downloaded per session, which would leverage the fixed credit check costs the company incurs per order. However, industry experts believe it will add only a few pennies to the bottom line as Apple continues to reinvest in the business. The main value iTunes brings to Apple’s business is increased awareness of Apple’s products and Web site traffic, which Apple can use to cross-sell its other products, especially iPod.

Understandably, Apple wants to avoid selling PCs at a loss, but unfortunately the growth prospects for $1,000-plus PCs are limited. This presents a conundrum for Apple longer term, but for now it maintains its current strategy. Incidentally, Apple’s revenue share has held much better, and while this is not an often-discussed topic, revenue share is probably more important than unit share. With regard to the compatibility of Windows and Mac OS X, even though Apple made a concerted effort to educate consumers about the ease with which these two products work together, it has fallen on deaf ears for the most part. Apple made some progress through its retail stores, where it estimates half of Mac purchases are from first-time buyers, but for Apple’s stock to work over the long term, the company needs to maintain share against Windows, at a minimum.

On a brighter note and possibly a sign of things to come, Apple reported strong Mac growth in its June quarter and held share. The June quarter is seasonally slow for most computer companies, but it is the education buying season, a market where Apple is regaining lost share. One quarter does not make a trend, but this may be a direct result of the increased awareness iTunes and iPod have brought to the Apple brand. http://www.ipodreviewforum.com


http://www.articlebliss.com/Article/Ipod-and-MP3--Major-Players/3365