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Introduction to MP3
The term "MP3" stands for Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer-3. A
German company, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, originally deve loped the
algorithm used in MP3 in 1987. They patented the technology in Germany
in 1989, and in the United States in 1996. The MP3 format became popular
very quickly because of the size of MP3 files compared to other formats.
The previous format used by most computer users was .WAV, which was
developed by Microsoft and introduced in Windows 3.1. Microsoft WAV
files in an uncompressed state tend to be very large.
In 1998, several companies released MP3 players that could be used as
portable audio players for MP3 files. These players became popular because
of the smaller, more convenient size and because the players had no moving
parts which resulted in the elimination of skipping, a problem with some CD
players and other devices. At this time, companies and computer users began
to put MP3 files on the Internet that could be downloaded by anyone. And
because the sizes of these files are relatively small, the time it takes to
download MP3 music is fast. With the advent of Broadband Internet
connection like Cable and DSL, downloading MP3 files takes only a few
minutes.
There are several ways to get MP3 music. The most popular method is to
download MP3 files from the Internet. There are many unknown artists
producing their own MP3 tracks and are making them ava ilable on the
Internet. Another popular method is to convert your own CD collection into
MP3 format. This is knows as ripping. There are many software titles
available that can rip, play, and even stream MP3 content from the Internet.
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