In the early 1980’s scientists began making headway in audio data compression. The theory takes advantage of the perceptual limitation of human hearing. It had previously been reported that a tone could be rendered inaudible by another tone of lower frequency. This is known as auditory masking and it was used as part of the fundamental design in audio bit compression technology. Efforts were made by the International Standards Organisation (ISO) Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) to standardize digital audio and video encoding for digital radio and TV broadcasting in the late 1980’s.
MPEG-1 Audio Layer I (MP1) was one of the first compression audio codecs. This is now largely outdated and was used in digital compact cassette.
This was followed by MPEG-1 Audio Layer II (MP2) which is still used in the broadcasting industry. All DVD-Video players in PAL countries contain stereo MP2 decoders. It is also used in set top boxes and HDV camcorders.
MPEG-1 Audio Layer III (MP3) works on a lower bitrate and makes it possible to compress audio to listen to through an encoder (MP3 Players).
The compression comes at a cost of the quality of the sound but it is acceptable because of the auditory masking mentioned earlier.
MP3 became very popular on the internet with the ability to download music to your MP3 player. In 1998 the first portable MP3 player was launched. Due to the small size of MP3 files there was widespread peer-to-peer file sharing that would have previously been impossible. This then lead to widespread music piracy and copyright infringements. The rise and fall of Napster has been widely reported and is just one of the casualties.
However, the MP3 market thrives. Downloaded music is still available through such mediums as iTunes where you can legally purchase your music. You can also copy your CD collection to your computer to download to your MP3 Media Players.
The growth of MP3 Media Players has been phenomenal and there are many to choose from to suit all budgets. The MP3 has revolutionised the way we listen to music. We can listen whilst travelling on public transport or walking, at the gym or even in our cars through our car audio system.
Although the music industry has its fair share of problems because MP3 exists, it must also remember that far more people are listening to music than ever before. MP3 technology can take a lot of credit for that.
Tom Jacobs is a consumer electronics writer and specialist. Tom has held a number of senior roles in the industry, before becoming a writer and adviser at ZenoStore.com Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/audio-articles/the-mp3-revolution-1522329.html
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