What do all those letters mean?
So you have a MP3 player. Good for you. But do you know what MP3 stands for? Entering the digital music world is like learning a whole new language, and we're here to help you decipher some of the weird words at the end of your files.
First of all, MP3 stands for MPEG Audio Layer III, which is a fancy way of saying it is a type of digital file. The original format of your music files are so large that they would take up too much room unless they were compressed. But compression can lead to a loss of quality. MP3 is a file format that compresses the music without losing much of the quality, which is why it is perfect for use in digital media devices.
But MP3 is not the only game in town. If you download a song from Itunes it will likely be in AAC or mp4. AAC just stands for Advanced Audio Coding and this is a compression option that creates smaller files with higher quality. MP4 is just the next upgrade from MP3.
The other file you'll likely see is WMA. This stands for Windows Media Audio and is the standard for files that you rip using your Windows Media Player. WMA files are very popular but they will not work on Itunes or other Apple software (at least without some third party software) so Mac users are out of luck.
First of all, MP3 stands for MPEG Audio Layer III, which is a fancy way of saying it is a type of digital file. The original format of your music files are so large that they would take up too much room unless they were compressed. But compression can lead to a loss of quality. MP3 is a file format that compresses the music without losing much of the quality, which is why it is perfect for use in digital media devices.
But MP3 is not the only game in town. If you download a song from Itunes it will likely be in AAC or mp4. AAC just stands for Advanced Audio Coding and this is a compression option that creates smaller files with higher quality. MP4 is just the next upgrade from MP3.
The other file you'll likely see is WMA. This stands for Windows Media Audio and is the standard for files that you rip using your Windows Media Player. WMA files are very popular but they will not work on Itunes or other Apple software (at least without some third party software) so Mac users are out of luck.
3 Comments:
Thanks for the info. I knew the MP stood for MPEG but I didn't know the Audio Layer III part. I just thought the 3 didn't really mean anything.
It's too bad all files aren't compatible with every device. I know the companies want a monopoly on their products and force customers to purchase media files from them.
I didn't know what any of that meant before, and I'm not sure I do now! I only ever learn how to do the basics with any technology that I own, and even then I have to be shown by someone else. Instructions manuals seems to be in a completely different language to me. Having said that, I did find downloading songs onto my ipod relatively self explanitory.
Whoa, I never knew there were all these different formats, I knew about MP3 of course but the others?
A quick question then if I have a load of WMA files what software would I be looking at using to convert them to be able to play on my iPod?
Thanks to whom ever answers
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