The MP3 format stands for MPEG Audio Layer 3 and was developed by the Motion Picture Expert Group. MP3 is a compression format for digital data which compresses digital music recordings in a space-saving way. Depending on the resolution, the compressed recording can keep the sound quality of the CD. The quality of the compressed audiofile depends on the used data rate, which can be between 32 and 320 kps. The higher the data rate, the better the quality and memory demand. A CD can contain about 12 hours of MP3 music with a data rate of 128 kps. Thereby, the music is compressed by a factor of 10. MP3 files are either created on the PC by selection of the CDs, bought on the Internet or directly converted on the hi-fi unit by saving the music on a USB stick. Thanks to a UBS connection, some mini/midi stereos can also create MP3 files from music CDs. MP3 players in the price comparison
