36
What is an MP3?
MP3 (short for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) is a compressed digital audio le. MP3 les
can deliver audio at a quality that nearly matches compact discs (CDs), but are
about one-tenth the size of CD-audio.
How can I play an MP3?
MP3s may be played on a wide variety of devices. Devices that may play MP3s are:
MP3 Players, Portable Media Players (players), Personal Computers, and DVD
Players.
What is an MP3 Player?
MP3 Players are devices (usually portable) that can play back MP3 audio les.
Although they are called “MP3 Players”, most can play other types of digital audio
les (e.g., WMA, OGG, WAV, or AAC). Since modern players can play more than
just MP3s, they may also be referred to as Digital Audio Players.
Many MP3 players include other functions such as an FM Radio, Voice Recorder,
Photo Viewer, or Video Playback.
Where Can I Get MP3/WMA les?
You may either download MP3 or WMA les from a music download or subscription
service, or you may create (“rip”) your own MP3/WMA les.
Downloading MP3/WMA Files
There are many online stores or subscription services you may choose to purchase
and download music from. Most of these stores employ Windows Media Digital
Rights Management (WMDRM) and offer encrypted WMA les for download. Due
to the encryption, these les cannot be played on all MP3 Players.
Most COBY MP3 Players can play encrypted WMA les—these players will state
so on their packaging. If you are unsure of whether or not your player can play en-
crypted WMA les, you may visit our website at http://www.cobyusa.com for more
information about your player.
Please note that music purchased from Apple’s iTunes music store employs their
proprietary Fairplay-encrypted AAC; purchased iTunes music cannot be played on
any MP3 player other than Apple’s.
ABOUT DIGITAL MUSIC FILES (MP3)