Free Essay

Mp3's

In:

Submitted By kl9construction
Words 579
Pages 3
MP3s

MP3, is an audio coding format for digital audio which uses a form of lossy data compression. It is widely used for consumer audio streaming and music and has become the standard of digital audio compression for the transfer and playback of music on most digital audio players. The use of lossy compression is designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent the audio recording and still sound like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio for most listeners.
The compression works by reducing the accuracy of certain parts of a sound that are considered to be beyond the auditory resolution ability of most people. By using MPEG audio coding, you may shrink down the original sound data from a CD by a factor of 12, without losing sound quality. In addition to the actual music files, the creator can also add important information about the music by using an ID3 tag. An ID3 tag is a metadata container most often used in conjunction with the MP3 audio file format. It allows information such as the title, artist, album, track number, and other information about the file to be stored in the file itself.

MP3 technology was created by several developers of the Moving Picture
Experts Group MPEG most notably, Karlheinz Brandenburg, a professor at Ilmenau Technical University at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media
Technology in Germany. The immediate predecessors of MP3 were
"Optimum Coding in the Frequency Domain" (OCF),and Perceptual
Transform Coding (PXFM). Brandenburg became an assistant professor at
Erlangen-Nuremberg where he continued to work on music compression with scientists at the Fraunhofer Society until the technology was finalized in 1994.

Although they are a huge technological advancement, MP3’s are not without limitations. When performing lossy audio encoding, there is a tradeoff between the amount of space used and the sound quality of the result.
Some audio is hard to compress because of its randomness and sharp attacks. When this type of audio is compressed, artifacts such as ringing or pre-echo are usually heard. The quality of MP3 files also depends on the quality of the encoder itself, and the difficulty of the signal being encoded.
As the MP3 standard allows quite a bit of freedom with encoding algorithms, different encoders may feature quite different quality, even with identical bit rates.

For many years, while under patent, a license was required to make, sell and/or distribute products using the MP3 standard. In September 1998, the
Fraunhofer Institute sent a letter to several developers of MP3 software stating that a license was required to distribute and/or sell decoders and/or encoders. The letter claimed that unlicensed products would infringe on the patent rights of Fraunhofer and Thomson. MP3 license revenues generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the Fraunhofer Society over the years but recently, their patents began to expire.

In recent years, other formats of music file compression have surfaced.
Among these, mp3PRO, AAC, and MP2 are all members of the same technological family as MP3 and depend on roughly similar psychoacoustic models. There are also open compression formats like Opus and Vorbis that are available free of charge and without any known patent restrictions.
Besides lossy compression methods, lossless formats are a significant alternative to MP3 because they provide unaltered audio content, though with an increased file size compared to lossy compression. Lossless formats include FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), Apple Lossless and many others.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Audio Convergence

...Audio Recording Convergence and the Digital Age Final Project Abstract With information technology advancements and a more computer savvy world, the audio recording medium and digital medium have merged, changing the sound recording industry forever. This convergence has blurred the line between professional and amateur sound recordings. Technology has made new products smaller, feature rich and more affordable where anyone can record their music and offer it on the web for the whole world to enjoy. This medium convergence has closed the gap between musicians and listeners and brought forth a famine in the recording industry, which in turn, has brought new opportunities to the dying market. What does this mean to us? In short terms, with new digital formatting software available to anyone, the compression of music waves, and the technological advances, the recording industry is struggling to stay afloat. This statement is pretty remarkable, being that the world’s leading recording engineers are having difficulties keeping business alive with the evolution of technology. It is evident, recording engineers need to step backwards to differentiate themselves and find better innovative ways to keep the recording business profitable. This transformation in the world of recording, is affecting all of us as both consumers and producers of audio content. The following research paper discusses these convergence changes with a short look into the...

Words: 1562 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Why Is Software Piracy so Pervasive

...believe software piracy is so wide-spread because of the easy method for sharing this software world-wide through the internet. With peer-to-peer sharing through torrent sites a person can share software with the world. Without the ability to share software on the internet piracy would be much less pervasive. I have heard some people make the excuse for using pirated software on the exorbitant profits that companies like Microsoft are generating due to overpriced software. Years ago there was an outcry that Microsoft should give a discount when a person purchased multiple copies. In response, Microsoft did finally offer a discounted Family Pak for their OS and Office. I also believe the conversion to digital formats like eBooks and mp3’s has made it easier to pirate these types of products. What are your innovative ideas to reduce this problem? This is a battle that I feel the software industry is losing although they have put up a fight. We have seen torrent sites shut down, individuals jailed, and people fined and yet pirating only seems to grow. Popular sites like isohunt and Demonoid which were shut down by the MPAA have resurrected their torrent site in different countries. Over the years the software industry has tried numerous methods including serial numbers, activation, and more recently online activation and authentication as Microsoft started with the new Office 2013, but it seems hackers continue to find methods to go around these protections. I think...

Words: 312 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Struggling to Make the Best Buy

...Struggling to Make the Best Buy • Describe Ashley’s dilemma in this case. Ashley’s dilemma is to make the right decision out of the set of alternatives lying in front of her. Since her boyfriend lost his MP3 player a month before his birthday the choice for the perfect gift for his birthday was clear.i.e.MP3 player. But the choice of buying the right MP3 player for her boyfriend is not a recurring decision. She has never bought a MP3 player for her boyfriend so she has no experience whatsoever. She is not tech savvy and doesn’t understand the features and the functions of a MP3 player. Hence, she decides to get some help from Kade’s best friend who she figured would have an idea of his taste and preferences. She also tried to seek the advice from the store salesman who had knowledge about the players leaving her with the option of opting for either of the two. • What steps are required Ashley, leading up to her final decision? How does Ashley prioritize which information is more important and relevant to her purchase? What are her alternatives? The steps that’ll lead her to the final purchase decision begins with the information search for a small mp3 player in the price range of $40 to $60. Since the source of information available to her is external and not her own knowledge or experience with the product, she needs to evaluate the two alternatives suitably. The two alternatives are:- 1. Creative Zen Stone Plus which costs $59.99 and is recommended by her boyfriend’s...

Words: 435 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Revolution in Digital Music Distribution

...industry got transformed overnight with the invention of the MP3 format compression technology and the introduction of the Internet file sharing services like Napster, Gnutella, and Scour thus seeing the major music labels taking almost anyone that is into digital music to court. The potential fear that led to the court actions center on how the music labels can possibly make any money if music becomes available in digital format for free. The question therefore is that if music is available free of cost, why would anyone pay for it? Could Napster conveniently say that it is indeed the first technology development to provide access to music content for free? Purpose of Study: This paper establishes the following: the industry conditions that led to the revolution in audio distribution while identifying which stakeholders are benefiting most or least; the reasons that made the music stores to attract many subscribers and what if any the record labels should have done differently; determine, if Apple allows its iPods to play non-iTunes songs, how long the success of iPods and iTunes endures; why musicians should sign away their copyright privileges to their songs through creative commons; and how podcasting would likely impact the appropriability of recorded music, radio broadcasting or other types of audio transmission. Overview of the Paper In 1991, Fraunhofer IIS of Germany invented the MP3 format. The MP3 format as stated by Shilling (2010) is an innovative algorithm...

Words: 1854 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Case Study

...study? Which were incremental and which radical/discontinuous? One of the innovation in this case study is E-tailing. Electronic or E-tailing retailing is one of the major channel where company conduct business to business or stay in touch with their consumer where the products of service of good is sell through in the internet. Now in days the music industry has a lot way to streams music without breaking the bank. with technology been invented and with the access of the internet “musicians no longer need to depend on being picked up by A&R staff from major companies who can bear the costs of recording and production of a physical CD. Instead they can use home recording software and either produce a CD themselves or else go straight to MP3 – and then distribute the product globally via newsgroups, chat-rooms, etc. " Musician can Sell their music through advertisement and digital record, website, and much. In this case study the E-tailing channel provide the ultimate and hard copy CD'S that anyone could've imagine. At one point in time CD's were the number one things in the music industry customer purchase a CD's and listen to their music without interruption. Now people purchase their music by download or stream them live. ‘Over 1 billion songs have now been legally purchased and downloaded around the globe, representing a major force against music piracy and the future of music distribution as we move from CDs to the Internet.’ As technology become more advances in the music...

Words: 409 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Econmics

...TRENDS IN DATA 2 3.0 PORTER'S FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS 3 COMPETITION IN THE MP3 PLAYER INDUSTRY 3 3.1. Rivalry Among Competing Sellers of MP3 Players 4 3.2 Threat of Potential New Entrants into the Manufacturer of MP3 Players 5 3.3 Firms in Other Industries Offering Substitute Products for MP3 Players 6 3.4 Suppliers of Materials, Parts, Components, or Other Resource Inputs for MP3 Players 7 3.5 Buyers of MP3 Players 7 4.0 DOMINANT ECONOMIC FEATURES 8 5.0 COMPETITOR ANALYSIS 9 Differentiation, price and innovation 9 Profitability 10 Other competitors 10 Conclusion 10 6.0 FORCES DRIVING INDUSTRY CHANGE 10 APPENDIX A 12 Figure 5.0 THE FIVE-FORCE MODEL OF COMPETITION 12 APPENDIX B 13 Hard drive based players 14 Table 5.1a 14 Table 5.1b 15 Flash based players 16 Table 5.2a 16 Table 5.2b 17 Table 5.3 18 Strategic Group Map 19 Ranking of MP3 players for 2005 19 APPENDIX C 20 SWOT Analysis - Apple versus the competition 20 Apple’s competitors 20 BIBLIOGRAPHY 21 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2.0 INDUSTRY FORECAST: OUTLOOK AND TRENDS IN DATA The macro environment in which the MP3 player industry operated during 2005 was by large shaped by the individual MP3 companies recognizing and responding to unmet needs of a trend that was largely boosted by Apple: Their innovative response to creating a solution for music lovers and their busy lives. This sequence of events within the MP3 industry was the formation of a trend that had gained momentum in 2005 and...

Words: 3949 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Product Development

...the latest hard copy CD’s you can imagine. CD’s were one of the greatest technologies where one can listen to music and enjoy tunes. Although when CD’s were a big hit, most of the albums were purchased through online. As technology became more advances the music innovations increase and tailoring of the music purchasing service and demonstrate some of the ‘richness/reach’ economic shifts of the new Internet game (Tidd 46). It also changed the distribution of CD’s by converting music to an MP3 format in which files can easily be moved through the internet quickly and be shared amongst other users. Another great thing about MP3’s, Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG), used a powerful algorithm for managing one of the big problems in transmitting audio music files compression. Normal audio files cover a wide range of frequencies and are thus very large and not suitable for fast transfer across the Internet – especially with a population who may only be using relatively slow modems. With MP3 effective compression is achieved by cutting out those frequencies which the human ear cannot detect with the result that the files to be transferred are much smaller (Tidd 47). An incremental innovation is a series of small improvements to an...

Words: 633 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Music

...the Ford Motor Company introduced as the cutting-edge automotive accessory for the Ford Mustang (Techtarget.com). 8-tracks began to quickly replace the LP’s due to their portability and they would not warp or skip. During the 60’s the compact cassette was introduced to the public, it was not so much of a music playback system instead; it was used for personal recording and as dictation machine. Then during the 70’s cassettes became very popular when record industries such as Mercury saw the growing potential for their businesses. Later in the 80’s with the invention of the Sony Walkman portable player, and boom boxes; cassettes were the most popular formats to playback music. In the 70’s a music lover frustrated that vinyl records were easily damaged James T. Russell began developing a method to record music onto a photosensitive platter that would be read by a laser (ehow.com). But it was not until 1984 that CD’s were introduced to the public when Sony and Phillips began mass production of these discs and their corresponding players. In 1987 the prestigious Fraunhofer Institut Integrierte Schaltungen Research Center began researching high quality, low bit-rate audio coding (Aboutinventors.com). The names on the patent belonging to the MP3 are Bernhard Grill, Karl-Heinz Brandenburg,...

Words: 529 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Mp3 vs Analog

...Analog VS. Digital Music From phonographs all the way to mp3 players, music has had a huge impact on how each decade perceives and listens to their favorite songs and recording artists. The phonograph was first invented in 1877 when Thomas Edison attempted to improve the telegraph transmitter and realized the movement of the paper tape through the machine resembled spoken word when played at high speeds. Edison used a hard pointed instrument along with a tinfoil cylinder and spoke into the device “Mary had a little lamb,” soon realizing he was able to play it back. Without meaning to, Edison opened the door to the future of the music industry, making it possible for musicians to record and distributes their original work. 50 years later vinyl records would come into play, and by the 1950’s they were your main source to listen to music. Vinyl Records were most popular from the early 1950s’ to the 1980’s until Sony developed the first digital audio recording devices to be used by professional studios. The following year, Sony invented the portable Walkman cassette player, selling over 100 million in the first year. In 1988 Sony came out with the compact disc that would be the first use the new available digital format MP3, software that compresses and decompresses audio files.( "Digital vs. Analog Audio: Which Sounds Better?") This would set off the digital audio player revolution that achieved tremendous success when Apple’s iPod was released in 2001. The advancement of digital...

Words: 1262 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Mpeg

...[pic] CASE STUDY [pic] NAME : TANMAY MEHTA COURSE : MBA TECH BRANCH : TELECOM ROLL NO : 527 PREFACE The acronym MPEG stands for Moving Picture Expert Group, which worked to generate the specifications under ISO, the International Organization for Standardization and IEC, the International Electrotechnical Commission. What is commonly referred to as "MPEG video" actually consists at the present time of two finalized standards, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, with a third standard, MPEG-4, in the process of being finalized . The MPEG-1 & -2 standards are similar in basic concepts. They both are based on motion compensated block-based transform coding techniques, while MPEG-4 deviates from these more traditional approaches in its usage of software image construct descriptors, for target bit-rates in the very low range, < 64Kb/sec. Because MPEG-1 & -2 are finalized standards and are both presently being utilized in a large number of applications, this case study concentrates on compression techniques relating only to these two standards. MPEG 3- it was originally anticipated that this standard would refer to HDTV applications, but it was found that minor extensions to the MPEG-2 standard would suffice for this higher bit-rate, higher resolution application, so work on a separate MPEG-3 standard was abandoned. CONTENTS *Introduction *History *Video Compression *Video Quality *MPEG *MPEG Standards ...

Words: 5683 - Pages: 23

Free Essay

Internet Piracy

...In recent years, internet piracy or "file sharing" of copyrighted material has gained much popularity. It is a topic that has incessantly sparked debate and has even received global attention. Although on the surface the act of file sharing may seem harmless, it is far from it. Each year, film and record production companies as well as software and video game development companies suffer from billions of dollars in lost profits. This loss comes as a direct result of internet piracy. Many agree that file sharing is unethical and consider it to be no different than downright theft. On the other hand, there are those that support file sharing and claim that their actions are easily justified and ethical. This essay will provide a brief overview and history of file sharing, will consider the arguments of each side, and will offer my personal observations and stance on the issue. File sharing, put simply, is the process of making available and distributing files via the internet. Many freely developed applications have been made available that simplify this process, providing the ability to easily search for, download, and upload any piece of digital content imaginable. These applications are commonly referred to as P2P or peer-to-peer applications as they allow individuals (peers) to directly connect with other peers to share files. By themselves, such applications are useless; a central network must be available that allows each peer to see one another. These networks...

Words: 1482 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

A Pattern-Oriented Approach to Fair Use

...William & Mary Law Review Volume 45 | Issue 4 Article 5 A Pattern-Oriented Approach to Fair Use Michael J. Madison Repository Citation Michael J. Madison, A Pattern-Oriented Approach to Fair Use, 45 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 1525 (2004), http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmlr/vol45/iss4/5 Copyright c 2004 by the authors. This article is brought to you by the William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository. http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmlr A PATTERN-ORIENTED APPROACH TO FAIR USE MICHAEL J. MADISON* ABSTRACT More than 150 years into development of the doctrineof "fairuse" in American copyright law, there is no end to legislative,judicial, and academic efforts to rationalizethe doctrine. Its codification in the 1976 CopyrightAct appearsto have contributedto its fragmentation, rather than to its coherence. As did much of copyright law, fair use originated as a judicially unacknowledged effort via the law to validate certain favored practicesand patterns.In the main, it has continued to be applied as such, though too often courts mask their implicit validation of these patterns in the now-conventional "caseby-case" application of the statutoryfair use "factors"to the defendant's use of the copyrighted work in question. A more explicit acknowledgment of the role of these patterns in fair use analysis would be consistent with fair use, copyright policy, and tradition. Importantly, such an acknowledgment would help to bridge the often difficult conceptual gap between fair use...

Words: 74799 - Pages: 300

Free Essay

Product Reassessment

...growth. The product that I have in mind to reposition is the MP3 player device. Apple already has MP3 players that have been very successful due to the increase in technology. Their products have ranged from 60 GB color screen iPods to the lower gig shuffle without a screen. These Mp3 players were great in their time however; due to an increase in technology, Americans wanted a gadget that was an all in one. This is where the popularity of iPhones, Androids, and other smart phones saturated the market. Users no longer prefer to carry around a MP3 device when they have newer more technical savvy gadgets. For example, the smart phone has given its consumer base the ability to have the same MP3 capabilities, internet usage, games options and more in one device. There is no longer a need to have stand-alone devices for different uses. In order to acquire the same concept as Apple I will need to thoroughly study my competitors target market approach. For instance, Sony and Samsung actually never reached the level of success that Apple has with their iPods, one reason being is that they did not analyze their pricing data to determine what target market would work best for them. Instead, they choose the same segmentation as Apple. Statistics show that Apple and their iPods dominate the MP3 player market with a 70% selling advantage over other MP3 player manufacturers (Rollins, 2011). Consumer lifestyles MP3 PLAYER REASSESSMENT have been geared towards the technology...

Words: 1550 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Amazon Case

...While physical distribution is an asset for Amazon, it is also trying to be a dominant player in the digital distribution of content. Do you think this is a good strategy? Why? Why not? Nowadays we can see a fast development of distribution channels and intake of digital content. We have entered a new period of IT technologies where digital information is playing one of the leading roles together with internet, computer technologies, mobile telephony and evolution of mobile devices.   The demand of entertainment and informational content (electronic books, social networks, music, games and video media) spreads through the countries together with mobile devices and PC distribution and becomes more and more vital. You can daily feel its influence on yourself as well. Being a modern person you want to be always available and “keep one's eye on the ball”. Internet became a “must” access resource towards information. We use our mobile phone not only for the voice communication but also as an access to different digital contents (music, video, e-books just to read and for studies, etc.) and social networks (to connect friends and colleagues). To have a better understanding let’s see a J’son & Partners Consulting brief overview  on digital media content market, sales via internet and other remote communication channels (distribution via physical devices have not been considered). According to J’son & Partners Consulting research key global digital content market...

Words: 829 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Audacity

...Sound Recorder for Windows (Freeware) Audacity MP3 Recorder is used to record audio through a computer’s sound card into an audio format file. [pic] FOR AP EXAMS, ONLY MP3 RECORDING FORMAT IS ACCEPTABLE. Operating Instructions for proctors: (Proctor should announce instructions - in blue colored text - to the candidates) 1. Double click the Audacity Recorder icon (headphones) on your Windows Desktop or from START>PROGRAMS menu: [pic] This will display the recorder screen as shown here: [pic] 2. Put on your headset or microphone to the most advantageous position in order to achieve a good recording level. 3. Click the [pic] (Record button) on the tool menu and read the following sentence: “This is a test recording. Testing microphone 123.” 4. Click the [pic] (Stop button) to stop the test recording. 5. Click the [pic] (Play button) to replay this test recording. If this test recording was clearly audible, then you are all set to record your responses. If not, raise your hand for help in troubleshooting (see steps at end of this document) Once the Record button is clicked again, it will begin recording the real test responses. DO NOT click the Stop button until all the test responses are recorded. One continuous MP3 file must be created to record the responses. Stopping in between will create more than one file or overwrite the existing one. If ready to begin the test recording, go to the next step. 6. Click “x” on the...

Words: 545 - Pages: 3