MP3 Buying Guide

The humble CD was invented way back in the 80s. High time we ditch those archaic media and switch to electronic storage right? An excellent MP3 or MP4 player nowadays is significantly more than just that. These little tools are multifunctional power tools too.

Many have FM (with recording), ability to see photos, videos, work as a dictaphone and as portable storage. 
The market is flooded with options (including Chinese ones) of different kinds, brands, memory capacities, features and prices. And this really is exactly why this buying guide should help you.

The essential requirements

A media player is clearly and not at all one-size-fits-all. For sale in different shapes and sizes, these players take advantage of several types of memory and supports varying formats. So the concept is to appreciate your requirements as well as the budget, and then buying the suitable media player.

Broadly, the marketplace showcases a slew of media players comprising a PMP with huge storage space to allow for voluminous data like music, videos, pictures etc. Apart from this, if you’d like something light and small, you may get a flash-based player, that will be more durable, smaller and longer lasting. Moreover, Hard drive-based players will give you more megabytes per rupee that you spend.

What type?

If you’re seeking to take along your MP3 player youtube to mp3 converter for the morning jogs and warm up exercises in the gym, a flash-based player would be ideal since they do not skip a defeat, are resistant to shocks and temperature variations and convenient to carry owing with their smaller size.

Moreover, they are engineered to offer comfort without moving parts and battery backup to appear for. Some types of small flash based players would be the Creative Zen Stone Plus, iPod Shuffle, Samsung U3, iRiver iFP-899, Zune HD and Sandisk Sansa Clip. To make sure that you sweat out without hassles, the ball player is designed in this way that they may be clipped onto a piece of clothing or be strapped on your own arm for the daily workout.

Adding something novel to the list is the brand new Sony NWZ-W250 series, that will be also apt for individuals looking for something voguish while sweating out. The series is sold with new and improved water-resistant exterior and design, rendering it comfortable while exercising. Moreover, the ball player will come in wearable style and is completely clear of tangled wires, hence giving utmost comfort and less stress while working out.

You can find larger flash-based players with color screens that may display photos, text and video too. Including the Philips GoGear SA1ARA08, Samsung Yepp T10, Sandisk Sansa View, and the Apple iPod Nano.

Music enthusiasts who have a thorough music collection can choose for a 80GB or 120GB player like the Apple iPod Classic, Creative Zen Vision M or Microsoft Zune. These players usually have bigger screens, extra features like games, Wi-Fi and organizer and have a longer battery life to stop you company on long journeys.

Spanning over the slew of portable media players with memory upto 80 GB, one can run into Archos 605 Wi-Fi PMP and Archos 704 Wi-Fi PMP. The versions lie mid-way between a PC and a TV, helping in streaming of content from PC to the PMP. Other versions also support recording of TV programmes and songs as well as videos.

Just how much storage?

You’ll always need more, is something you ought to remember. Get the maximum storage space that you could afford, and if the ball player features a card slot to help expand the memory, nothing can beat it! When you yourself have a bigger memory capacity, you carry a bigger number of files, but you can even carry high quality (high bitrate) files with ease.

Plus the advantage that you should use the additional capacity as portable storage. Generally the thumb rule applied is 1 MB of memory will give you approximately 1 minute of music playback with standard quality files. In the event that you are likely to watch plenty of video on your own device, the quantity of space you need can do up dramatically.

Not merely audio, I’d like more
In addition to music, if image viewing and video playability is the thing you need, there are many options with flash-based players now. Almost every flash based player with a big color screen will support popular photo formats and video. Bear in mind that many of these players will not natively play any video files stored on your own PC. You will need to convert them to a smaller size and compatible format using (usually) supplied software.

Display

A 2.5-inch screen is adequate for viewing photos and videos, but the larger the better. The Apple iPod Touch features a 3.5-inch (Diagonal) widescreen and is perfect for photos and videos. You can even install apps on it and use it just like a PDA. If you truly want power and flexibility, choose the Cowon A3 which comes with a huge 4″ TFT-LCD display, supports almost all the formats, has TV-out and direct line in recording from any video source. Even the Creative Zen Vision W features a bigger 4.3″ high-res screen, native DivX support and TV-out.

Size does matter all things considered

Weight, size and in general the shape factor of your PMP is an essential factor. This can dictate just how much you carry it around and how useful it becomes, especially if you travel around a lot. There can occasionally be a huge variation in weight (from 30 to 350 gms) and form factor (the size of a flash to a group of cards or even bigger)

Can my Lithium-ion carry on and on?

Lithium batteries are common among all players and pack in more power. Usually the one worrying trend could be the integrated, non user-replaceable batteries. The initial Creative Zen hard disk players had removable batteries so you could easily carry an extra or change it when the full time came. Now, if you run out of juice while on the move, you’re stuck.

The Extras

If you will want player to work as your complete entertainment center, the options are narrowed down. The Apple iPod Touch has many of the features a PMP has plus more. It has built in Wi-Fi (so you can configure your email on it, browse the net, watch YouTube videos etc). And as a result of the tens of thousands of apps for sale in the App Store (both free and paid), you can include on functionality and games, just like you do with a smartphone.

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