An MP3 Player is also known as a digital audio player. It is a portable consumer electronic device which stores, organises and plays audio files. Some of these devices are also referred to as portable media players as they have image-viewing and video playing support. These devices are powered by rechargeable batteries, some of which are not user replaceable.



The most famous MP3 players are Winamp, Sonique and Music Match. The main feature of an MP3 player is to turn the MP3 files into standard audio form and then send them to the sound card of the computer. Later on, the sound card outputs the files into the speaker so that the user can hear them. Every MP3 player interprets music differently but all of them use same code for playing the MP3 files.



When creating an MP3 file, there is a trade off between the amount of space used and the quality of results. The simplest type of MP3 file uses one bit rate for the entire file, it is also called Constant Bit Rate encoding. There are some files which are also known as Variable Bit Rate files where the bit rate changes throughout the files. The main idea behind this is that in any piece of audio some parts will be much easier to compress which will increase the overall quality of the file by using a lower bit rate for the less complex passages and higher one for the more complex parts.



An MP3 file is made up of multiple MP3 frames which consist of the MP3 header and the MP3 data. This chain of frames is called an Elementary Stream. Basically, frames are the items which can be detached from a file and a then an would be able to play it. An MP3 player is definitely an evolution in music formats which have helped the consumers to enjoy their favourite music. There has been many music formats such as Records, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes and Cd's, but all of them together cannot provide the convenience and control that MP3 player can deliver. An MP3 player enables you to create your own personalised music lists and the ability to carry thousands of your favourite songs wherever you go.