MP3 Advice: How Do I Play MP3's?

    MP3 Advice: How Do I Play MP3's
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How Do I Play MP3s?

There are a variety of ways to play MP3s and the manner you chose is dependant upon what best fits your needs. If your computer was manufactured within the last two years, odds are you have a program that will be able to play MP3s. But, if you are more adventurous, or you want to take your MP3s on the road, you'll need something more heavy duty.

What are the basic players?
Most computers come preloaded with Windows Media Player and Real Player or both. Each of these players can handle the MP3 format with variable results. The major set back of these two players is the lack of plug-ins available to allow you control playback. Additionally, there is difficulty in customizing playback with each of these players. Windows Media Player requires you to create libraries and play lists, rather than playing by directories, etc. Real Player has a nasty talent for taking over default formats of other players. (Insidious beast that it is - it is also bloatware - taking far to much precious, memory and disk space than it has any right to, given it's exceptionally mediocre performance. To save using it I got the WinAmp plug-in which will allow IT to play Real Audio and not RA itself - big improvement -Ed)

Winamp is perhaps the most popular player on the Net. Free, downloadable, and very customizable, Winamp allows the user to organize play lists, play entire directories, sub directories, or single files. Also, it comes loaded with a graphic equalizer that allows you to have complete control over your sonic experience. It also comes integrated with a minibrowser that allows you to search for information related to the file you are playing, including lyrics, band information and buying options. Most importantly, Winamp has an entire library of plug-ins designed to help you make the most out of playing your MP3s.

There are other MP3 players, such as Sonique and Music Match that are easy to find and download. Music Match offers a deluxe version of its software that acts as a CD player, ripper and encoder.

To find the best fit for you, find a file that you are familiar with and test each player out, comparing the audio quality and interface. Also check out websites such as download.cnet.com for freeware, shareware and open source MP3 players. Just like buying a stereo, testing out familiar music on a variety of platforms will allow you to make the best choice for your needs.

I've chosen a player, but now my MP3s skip and pause.
This can happen for several reasons. One, if you have a low memory computer, there is a chance that the strain of reading the MP3 file is over taxing the system. Secondly, multi-tasking (running several programs at once) may be causing your problem. Your computer has limited resources and when running several memory hungry programs at one time, the background task running the MP3 player suffers. Too may processes running in the background can use valuable read-ahead memory that causes issues with your computer. A third possibility is the MP3 player itself. Because of the heavy graphical interface of many players, the playback can be affected by the burden the menus are putting on memory. For the best results while operating the computer and listening at the same time, minimize the player interface as far as it can go.

What about portability?
This is where listening to MP3s gets complicated. As the popularity of the MP3 format expands, more and more options for portability arise. Once again the portability solution heavily depends upon your needs. Buying an MP3 player is just like buying any other stereo equipment. Do your research, test several brands and make sure you are getting what you pay for.

If you want to listen to MP3s while exercising, running or riding a bike (no skips!), a portable MP3 player is the answer for you. The most common style is "flash memory" which allows you to copy digital music from your hard drive to a memory card that plugs into the MP3 player. Often these flash cards are very expensive and hold only 30 to 60 minutes of music. Popular brands include Rio Port, Intel Pocket Concert and Creative Labs Nomad. Again, before purchasing any hardware, do your research!

Finally MP3s are beginning to make their way into your car and home stereo. Companies such as Phillips, TDK and Rio are beginning to produce home, car and portable MP3/CD players. These players will be able to play traditional CDs as well as CD-R's recorded as data discs. The advantages here are 1. You can use the fidelity of your home or car-stereo, 2. 30 to 60 minutes is a pittance compared to the ten or more hours available on a CD-R.

Judging by the advances in technology, buying any sort of hardware at this time is a difficult choice. The new and better seem to always be right around the corner.


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