MP3 Buying Guide

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MP3 Buying Guide - The ABCs of shopping for an MP3 player

By Ann Berger

Whether you're a marathon runner, a frequent flyer or a daily commuter, understanding the ABCs of MP3s will make it easier to choose the one that's right for you.

There are lightweight, sporty models for fitness buffs or daily commuters, players roomy enough to hold entire CD collections, cool gadgets that take digital pictures, even ones that record directly from TV so you can watch Friends while waiting in the checkout line.

Ask yourself how and where you'll use an MP3 player, then check out our ABCs of MP3s. This guide looks at the basics from how they work to why memory is key to what formats are available.

The ABCs of MP3s
Types of MP3 players
Cool multimedia features

The ABCs of MP3s
Get the lowdown on what's important when shopping for an MP3 player:

Memory
Buying an MP3 player without knowing how much memory it has is like buying a house without knowing how many cars can fit in its garage. The more memory, or storage, your player has, the more songs it can hold. The general rule is one megabyte of space equals one minute of high-quality playback. For example, a player with 64MB of memory offers about an hour's worth of tunes.

Sound quality
The MP3 format is a compression system for music. It shrinks music files to a fraction of their size, which you can then transfer from your computer to your MP3 player. The more compression you use, the more music you can fit into your player. However, increasing compression levels over 128 Kbps (most common rate for songs available for download on the Web) means more sonic degradation. Stick to the equation that 1MB equals 1 minute of music and your MP3 files will be music to your ears.

Software
All MP3 players come with the software to download MP3 songs from the Internet and convert ("rip") your CD collection to MP3 using a computer. Make sure the player you choose supports the operating system on your computer, or else you won't be able to do much with it.

Get the right connection
The connection determines how the music files are transferred from your computer to your MP3 player. Choose one compatible with your computer (USB, FireWire or parallel port). The rule of thumb is that if you have Windows 98 or above or a nonbeige Mac (beige Macs don't have USB), get one with a USB port. Newer computers support USB 2.0 or FireWire for the easiest setup and fastest file transfers.

Types of MP3 players
Knowing your options can help you determine what type of MP3 player best suits your lifestyle:

Flash memory-based players
The advantage of flash memory is that it's a solid-state memory. No moving parts mean better reliability and skip-free music. Usually smaller in size, they're ideal for workouts and short commutes. If you know your routine or morning drive lasts half an hour, 32MB may be just right. Some flash memory devices also have an expansion slot so you can add more memory later.

Hard drive-based players
These players contain the most memory, and that translates to hundreds of hours of music. Storage capacity can range from 64MB to 30.0GB. That's enough space to store 7,500 songs or to play music around the clock for three weeks! It allows you to take your entire CD collection wherever you go.

Cool multimedia features
In addition to an MP3 player and recorder, some models are like a jack-of-all-trades offering digital camera, voice recorder and video recorder options. With a memory card adapter some MP3 players can act as a portable archive for your digital photos so you can rename, organize and view images on your MP3 player without a PC. Others capture video and even record directly from a TV so you can watch your favorite show on the bus.

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