The technological jump has been instrumental in revolutionizing the entire home entertainment scenario. Region free DVD players ushered in a new era of change, which has impacted viewing and listening experience the world over.
Now we have all seen CDs. They are present literally everywhere. Our homes, workplaces, inside our computers and laptops, you name it and CDs are there. CDs are in fact similar to DVDs. One of the important things about DVDs is that they are able to store more data than CDs. A code free DVD can, to put it simply, hold around seven times the data that a CD could hold. This is the reason why a region free DVD can store a MPEG-2 encoded movie effortlessly, along with a lot of information.
From the time they hit the markets in 1997, DVDs and DVD players have become remarkably popular. A typical code free DVD can store up to 133 minutes of video. What is more when it comes to storing music also, code free DVDs have the edge over conventional CDs. A DVD can store around six to eight hours of music per side, with a significantly higher quality audio output than a CD.
A code free DVD comes to you with a host of features that you would not find with a VHS tape; the labeled on-screen index, for instance. You can now choose the part of the movie you want to see using your remote effortlessly. When it comes to the features available in region free DVD players, there are plenty. You have Dolby digital sound, surround sound, features for enhancing picture quality, and what not. Most of the region free DVD players are also compatible with audio CDs.
Code free DVDs are manufactured using the same methods as in the case of CDs. They work on the same principle of having ‘pits’ and ‘bumps’. A code free DVD is made up of layers of plastic and is around 1.2 millimeters thick. A code free DVD is able to store more data than a CD, thanks to various reasons like having more area and a multi-layered storage facility. Code free DVD players have extremely sensitive components to read the equally sensitive and small region free DVDs. Region free DVD players have a ‘MPEG- 2’ decoder. This decoder can read compressed data and enables you to watch your favorite flicks.
Many movies are filmed at a rate of four frames per second. Most of the countries around the world like America or Japan have television sets that use the NTSC format, which enables 30 frames per second. Many European countries like Italy, France, Greece, UK, and Spain use the PAL format, with a display speed of 50 fields per second. It is because of these regional differences that a DVD player has to be formatted to be compatible with all or most of the systems. When it comes to the standards, as we have seen there are lots of standards like PAL, SECAM, NTSC, or PAL-SECAM, depending on the geographical location. These standards are subject to varying based on the location. Code free DVD players, however, enable you to play literally any DVD, whatever may be the region of its origin, and support most of or all of the standards. So they are called ‘region free,’ ‘code free’ or ‘zone free’ players.
Modern code free DVD players literally pack a punch and are great at decoding different formats to give you a superior picture quality and an amazing audio output. Since region free DVD players are designed specifically for playing code free DVDs with some special features, many times you will find that even your PC is unable to play a DVD. The reason is the superior processing power of a code free DVD player, which gives it the edge over some computers.
One can find DVD audios flooding the market recently. Although DVD audio players meant to play only audio are rare to find, most of the code free DVD players can play DVD audio discs. The format of a DVD audio disc is different from that of a DVD video. Good code free DVD players have something known as ‘digital to analog converter’ (DAC) in them to play these discs. It is always recommended that you get a code free DVD player with a 192kHz/24-bit converter for superior audio quality.
The DVD audio quality is better than the conventional CDs. They also make for great recording, offering you better accuracy. One can get still enhanced sound quality on code free DVD players by connecting them to a home theater system, preferably with around five speakers. Also check out whether your system is ‘Dolby digital ready.’ If it is, you can have the ultimate movie experience - so great is the sound quality.
The principle on which a code free DVD player works is similar to that of a CD player. Laser beams hit the surface of the disc to read the ‘pits’ and ‘bumps.’ The video signal is then sent to a television set and the audio signal to the speakers, after being amplified by a decoder. Most of the region free DVD players play both movies and music CDs. Similarly, most of the modern day code free DVD players enable you to play recorded content in the form of CD-Rs, which you could have done using your computer. You have the latest code free audio DVD players which handle only audio discs.
Almost all good brands of code free DVD players will have standard features like decoders, Dolby digital decoders, surround sound, and many other things. If you are in the market for a code free DVD player, your options are plenty. You can choose from a wide range from leading names like Sony, Samsung, Aiwa, Apex , Thompson, to mention only a few. There are also a lot of smaller companies who can give you equally good region free DVD players. You can always go through referrals. They may be of great help.
You can also do a bit of research on the Internet and find literally hundreds of models of region free DVD players. The basic models would cost you about $30 - $70. Although they are termed as basic models, the latest models in this segment come with a host of features. Buy the ones with the progressive scan technology as they offer better video quality. If you are willing to splurge a little more than $100, then you can go in for the higher models, which would come to you with a host of other features. You can record with these models. If you are unwilling to let go of your good old VHS tapes, you can always go in for region free DVD player-VCR combos. You can get a good player for around $200.
If you’re an avid gamer, you might find satisfaction in DVD players with ‘nuon’ technology, the latest in the market. These players come with additional features, where you can attach a mouse or a joy stick, enabling you to play interactive games. These game stations could set you back by about $400. Leading brands like Samsung and Sony offer great models in this segment. If you want multi-disc players or ‘juke boxes,’ as they are popularly known for their ability to play both DVDs and CDs at the touch of a button, can go in for these models, which could cost you upwards of $400. And just in case you are one of those high-flying, jet-setting executives, you can always grab a portable model. You can get one of these models for up to $700 or even more, depending on the features.
Where to get REGION FREE DVD players/recorders. To prevent the latest movies from reaching countries where a film has not reached theaters yet, Hollywood studios imposed a block. This regional coding is a digital flag on the disc that tells the DVD player where a particular DVD comes from. This is supposed to prevent the disc from being used by an incompatible player in another country. A normal DVD player can only play discs designated for the player's own particular region. However, a codefree DVD player is a capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere around the world. A codefree DVD player can play DVD discs from all 6 regions and both standards, PAL and NTSC. That's every DVD movie on earth! PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. CODEFREE DVD / PAL-NTSC VCR combos and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH DVDs. You can buy region free and region free converting DVD players and region free DVD recorders from http://www.mindlogic.com in California. They give you a LIFETIME Warranty and ship worldwide. Tel.800-514-2984 or tel. 925-686-9945
They have more thank 140,000 consumer electronics including multisystem pal TVs such as plasma, LCD, DLP etc. They also have free standing video standards converters from Tenlab and converting PAL-SECAM,NTSC, PAL-N , PAL-M VCRs and much more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Dulaney
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Nature Sounds and New Age Piano
If ever there were two things made for each other, it would have to be New Age piano music and nature sounds. After all, New Age piano gets much of its inspiration from the natural world. There are many CDs available that have this classic combination. Let's look at a few of them.
1. Forest Piano by John Herberman
This CD is in my opinion the best New Age piano CD one can buy. And it has nature sounds too! John Herberman is a very talented pianist/composer who's music seeps into your stressed out psyche and gently massages you. Each piece is a unique composition. Sometimes melodic, sometimes textural, but always beautiful. You'll wear your CD player out with this one.
2. Piano Cascades by John Herberman
OK. I'm a big fan of this mans music. I admit it. In fact, the minute I heard this CD in a Images of Nature store I had to have it. So delicate and beautiful is this music that you'll think you're actually in the middle of a waterfall. The nature sounds, supplied by Dan Gibson are first rate and do not overwhelm the music. In fact, both piano and nature sounds blend together into one magnificent whole creating a fresh ambiance that will revive and cleanse your spirit.
3. San Juan Suite by Michael Gettel
San Juan is an island off the coast of Oregon where the mighty Orca whale is known to live. Michael gets his inspiration from the natural beauty of the area and, of course, this black and white whale. The music is superb with nature sounds interspersed here and there for effect. The music gets first dibs here with the nature sounds delicately placed in just the right places.
If you love nature and music, you will love these CDs. You can find them at Amazon.com.
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html now and get a FREE piano lesson!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Weiss
1. Forest Piano by John Herberman
This CD is in my opinion the best New Age piano CD one can buy. And it has nature sounds too! John Herberman is a very talented pianist/composer who's music seeps into your stressed out psyche and gently massages you. Each piece is a unique composition. Sometimes melodic, sometimes textural, but always beautiful. You'll wear your CD player out with this one.
2. Piano Cascades by John Herberman
OK. I'm a big fan of this mans music. I admit it. In fact, the minute I heard this CD in a Images of Nature store I had to have it. So delicate and beautiful is this music that you'll think you're actually in the middle of a waterfall. The nature sounds, supplied by Dan Gibson are first rate and do not overwhelm the music. In fact, both piano and nature sounds blend together into one magnificent whole creating a fresh ambiance that will revive and cleanse your spirit.
3. San Juan Suite by Michael Gettel
San Juan is an island off the coast of Oregon where the mighty Orca whale is known to live. Michael gets his inspiration from the natural beauty of the area and, of course, this black and white whale. The music is superb with nature sounds interspersed here and there for effect. The music gets first dibs here with the nature sounds delicately placed in just the right places.
If you love nature and music, you will love these CDs. You can find them at Amazon.com.
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html now and get a FREE piano lesson!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Weiss
Monday, October 29, 2007
How CD Players work
Compact discs are made from a 1.2 mm thick disc of polycarbonate plastic coated with a much thinner layer of Super Purity Aluminum (or rarely, gold, used for its data longevity, such as in some limited-edition audiophile CDs) layer which is protected by a film of lacquer. The lacquer can be printed with a label. Common printing methods for compact discs are silkscreening and offset printing. CDs are available in two sizes. By far the most common is 120 mm in diameter, with a 74-minute audio capacity and a 650-MB data (See storage capacity; this form factor has also erroneously been called "CD5" since it is 4 3/4 inches in diameter, about five inches across). Such a standard disc weighs 15 grams. 80 mm discs are also available, a format which is mainly used for audio CD singles in some regions (e.g. Japan), much like the old vinyl single. Each such "miniCD" or "Maxi CD" can hold 21 minutes of music, or 180 MB of data (this form factor has also been called "CD3", since it is about three inches across).
http://articles.directorym.com/CD_Players-a89.html
http://articles.directorym.com/CD_Players-a89.html
Saturday, October 27, 2007
How To Copy Music from CDs Using Real Player 10
Real Player 10, like Microsoft Windows Media Player 10, is the latest version of one of the most popular music management programs out there. This program by RealNetworks has, as one of its core features, the ability to copy (“rip”) music directly from your CDs and store them on your hard drive. From there, you can organize them by genre, artist and title, as well as playing the music on your computer or transferring them to an MP3 player. Following the steps below will help you accomplish this.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 to 15 minutes
Here's How:
1. Insert the music CD into your computer’s CD drive. If a window titled “Audio CD” pops up, select “Take No Action” and click Ok.
2. Start Real Player from the Start Menu by locating the icon and clicking on it.
3. With the “Music & My Library” tabbed window showing on the screen, under “View” to the left click “CD/DVD”.
4. Real Player will read the number of songs on the CD and display them as unnamed tracks. You can either right click on each individual listing and manually name it, allow Real Player to automatically download the necessary information if you are connected to the Internet or select “Get CD Info” under “CD Info” if you need to connect online first.
# Click “Save Tracks” under the Tasks on the left side of the screen.
# A box will box up labeled “Save Tracks”. Check to see that all the tracks you wish to save are selected. If not, or if you don’t wish to save all of them, check the necessary boxes next to each.
# In the “Save Tracks” box section labeled “Save To”, you can leave things as they are or click “Change Settings”. If you change the settings, there are several options which you can do in the “Preferences” window which opens. The next three steps detail those options and what to consider if you are going to change them.
# (a) You can change the the music file format you wish to save the tracks as (MP3 is the most common and universally supported by portable audio players).
# (b) You can change the bitrate (this is the audio quality you save the music as – the higher the number, the better the sound but also the larger each individual file is).
# (c) You can change where you wish to save the files (to change, select “General” in the open window. Under “File Locations”, manually type in a folder name or select “Browse” to find a specific location by navigation. To set a specific order by which all your music is organized by – for example, Genre\Artist\Album –select “My Library” and then “Advanced My Library”. This will provide you a preview of what a typical save to folder will look like, as well as allowing you to change it if needed.)
# If you have made any changes in the “Preferences” window, click “Ok” to accept them. Either way, you are back at the “Save Tracks” screen. Before clicking “Ok” to start, you can either check or uncheck “Play CD While Saving” if you wish to listen to the music as Real Player copies it. If you choose to listen, the music which plays may sound slightly choppy as your computer multi-tasks.
# Having clicked “Ok” to start the copying, the screen shows your track names and two other columns. The one named “Status” is the one to watch. Uncopied songs will display as “Pending”. As their turn comes up, a progress bar will appear to show they are being copied. Once copied, “Pending” changes to “Saved”.
# When all of the songs have been copied, you can remove the CD and put it away.
# Congratulations – You’ve copied music successfully from a CD to your computer using Real Player 10!
http://portables.about.com/od/mp3players/ht/howtocopyRP10.htm
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 to 15 minutes
Here's How:
1. Insert the music CD into your computer’s CD drive. If a window titled “Audio CD” pops up, select “Take No Action” and click Ok.
2. Start Real Player from the Start Menu by locating the icon and clicking on it.
3. With the “Music & My Library” tabbed window showing on the screen, under “View” to the left click “CD/DVD”.
4. Real Player will read the number of songs on the CD and display them as unnamed tracks. You can either right click on each individual listing and manually name it, allow Real Player to automatically download the necessary information if you are connected to the Internet or select “Get CD Info” under “CD Info” if you need to connect online first.
# Click “Save Tracks” under the Tasks on the left side of the screen.
# A box will box up labeled “Save Tracks”. Check to see that all the tracks you wish to save are selected. If not, or if you don’t wish to save all of them, check the necessary boxes next to each.
# In the “Save Tracks” box section labeled “Save To”, you can leave things as they are or click “Change Settings”. If you change the settings, there are several options which you can do in the “Preferences” window which opens. The next three steps detail those options and what to consider if you are going to change them.
# (a) You can change the the music file format you wish to save the tracks as (MP3 is the most common and universally supported by portable audio players).
# (b) You can change the bitrate (this is the audio quality you save the music as – the higher the number, the better the sound but also the larger each individual file is).
# (c) You can change where you wish to save the files (to change, select “General” in the open window. Under “File Locations”, manually type in a folder name or select “Browse” to find a specific location by navigation. To set a specific order by which all your music is organized by – for example, Genre\Artist\Album –select “My Library” and then “Advanced My Library”. This will provide you a preview of what a typical save to folder will look like, as well as allowing you to change it if needed.)
# If you have made any changes in the “Preferences” window, click “Ok” to accept them. Either way, you are back at the “Save Tracks” screen. Before clicking “Ok” to start, you can either check or uncheck “Play CD While Saving” if you wish to listen to the music as Real Player copies it. If you choose to listen, the music which plays may sound slightly choppy as your computer multi-tasks.
# Having clicked “Ok” to start the copying, the screen shows your track names and two other columns. The one named “Status” is the one to watch. Uncopied songs will display as “Pending”. As their turn comes up, a progress bar will appear to show they are being copied. Once copied, “Pending” changes to “Saved”.
# When all of the songs have been copied, you can remove the CD and put it away.
# Congratulations – You’ve copied music successfully from a CD to your computer using Real Player 10!
http://portables.about.com/od/mp3players/ht/howtocopyRP10.htm
What features should I consider when buying a portable CD player?What features should I consider when buying a portable CD player?
Portable CD players have been around for awhile now. Led by Sony, the manufacturers of this popular portable electronic device have become quite skilled at churning out players which look strikingly alike and have similar prices. As you wander the aisles of your favorite electronics store staring at all of the plastic packages beckoning your eyes, what features should you consider which will give you the best music experience? Check out our list of recommended ones below.
* Anti-Skipping One of the worse things when listening to a CD is when the music skips, especially when you are jostling your player around. How can you keep your music from jumping around? Anti-skipping technology is the answer and it comes it two flavors for you to consider. One, anti-shock, strengthens the laser which reads your CD so there is less likelihood of it missing a beat.
# The other, a memory buffer, reads the music slightly ahead of what you are hearing and stores it temporarily so that if you hit a bump, you still hear the tunes while the player quickly gets back on track.
# Bass Boost When you are pounding hard on the treadmill or the jogging path, nothing gets your blood pumping harder then a high energy song. Want to take it up even a notch further? Consider bass boost, also known as mega boost, which will highlight the deep sounding parts of your tunes to give it an extra edge and feel.
# Types of CDs Supported With practically ever computer coming with a CD burner these days, it's very easy to copy music onto a CD-R (writable to only one) or CD-RW (writable to multiple times) disc to take with you. Not all portable CD players support MP3-CDs, as they are known, however. Of those that do, they may only support CD-R or CD-RW, but not both. It’s important to know which types your player will be able to read.
# Radio with Presets Sometimes you may just grow tired of listening to the CD you have in your player. Still want some tunes? Consider having a built-in radio with presets so you can always jump to your favorite radio station at the touch of a button.
http://portables.about.com/cs/cdplayers/f/portcdbg.htm
* Anti-Skipping One of the worse things when listening to a CD is when the music skips, especially when you are jostling your player around. How can you keep your music from jumping around? Anti-skipping technology is the answer and it comes it two flavors for you to consider. One, anti-shock, strengthens the laser which reads your CD so there is less likelihood of it missing a beat.
# The other, a memory buffer, reads the music slightly ahead of what you are hearing and stores it temporarily so that if you hit a bump, you still hear the tunes while the player quickly gets back on track.
# Bass Boost When you are pounding hard on the treadmill or the jogging path, nothing gets your blood pumping harder then a high energy song. Want to take it up even a notch further? Consider bass boost, also known as mega boost, which will highlight the deep sounding parts of your tunes to give it an extra edge and feel.
# Types of CDs Supported With practically ever computer coming with a CD burner these days, it's very easy to copy music onto a CD-R (writable to only one) or CD-RW (writable to multiple times) disc to take with you. Not all portable CD players support MP3-CDs, as they are known, however. Of those that do, they may only support CD-R or CD-RW, but not both. It’s important to know which types your player will be able to read.
# Radio with Presets Sometimes you may just grow tired of listening to the CD you have in your player. Still want some tunes? Consider having a built-in radio with presets so you can always jump to your favorite radio station at the touch of a button.
http://portables.about.com/cs/cdplayers/f/portcdbg.htm
What features should I consider when buying a portable CD player?What features should I consider when buying a portable CD player?
Portable CD players have been around for awhile now. Led by Sony, the manufacturers of this popular portable electronic device have become quite skilled at churning out players which look strikingly alike and have similar prices. As you wander the aisles of your favorite electronics store staring at all of the plastic packages beckoning your eyes, what features should you consider which will give you the best music experience? Check out our list of recommended ones below.
* Anti-Skipping One of the worse things when listening to a CD is when the music skips, especially when you are jostling your player around. How can you keep your music from jumping around? Anti-skipping technology is the answer and it comes it two flavors for you to consider. One, anti-shock, strengthens the laser which reads your CD so there is less likelihood of it missing a beat.
# The other, a memory buffer, reads the music slightly ahead of what you are hearing and stores it temporarily so that if you hit a bump, you still hear the tunes while the player quickly gets back on track.
# Bass Boost When you are pounding hard on the treadmill or the jogging path, nothing gets your blood pumping harder then a high energy song. Want to take it up even a notch further? Consider bass boost, also known as mega boost, which will highlight the deep sounding parts of your tunes to give it an extra edge and feel.
# Types of CDs Supported With practically ever computer coming with a CD burner these days, it's very easy to copy music onto a CD-R (writable to only one) or CD-RW (writable to multiple times) disc to take with you. Not all portable CD players support MP3-CDs, as they are known, however. Of those that do, they may only support CD-R or CD-RW, but not both. It’s important to know which types your player will be able to read.
# Radio with Presets Sometimes you may just grow tired of listening to the CD you have in your player. Still want some tunes? Consider having a built-in radio with presets so you can always jump to your favorite radio station at the touch of a button.
http://portables.about.com/cs/cdplayers/f/portcdbg.htm
* Anti-Skipping One of the worse things when listening to a CD is when the music skips, especially when you are jostling your player around. How can you keep your music from jumping around? Anti-skipping technology is the answer and it comes it two flavors for you to consider. One, anti-shock, strengthens the laser which reads your CD so there is less likelihood of it missing a beat.
# The other, a memory buffer, reads the music slightly ahead of what you are hearing and stores it temporarily so that if you hit a bump, you still hear the tunes while the player quickly gets back on track.
# Bass Boost When you are pounding hard on the treadmill or the jogging path, nothing gets your blood pumping harder then a high energy song. Want to take it up even a notch further? Consider bass boost, also known as mega boost, which will highlight the deep sounding parts of your tunes to give it an extra edge and feel.
# Types of CDs Supported With practically ever computer coming with a CD burner these days, it's very easy to copy music onto a CD-R (writable to only one) or CD-RW (writable to multiple times) disc to take with you. Not all portable CD players support MP3-CDs, as they are known, however. Of those that do, they may only support CD-R or CD-RW, but not both. It’s important to know which types your player will be able to read.
# Radio with Presets Sometimes you may just grow tired of listening to the CD you have in your player. Still want some tunes? Consider having a built-in radio with presets so you can always jump to your favorite radio station at the touch of a button.
http://portables.about.com/cs/cdplayers/f/portcdbg.htm
Friday, October 26, 2007
Evolution
A compact disc (or CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio. It is the standard playback format for commercial audio recordings today.
A standard compact disc, often known as an "audio CD" to differentiate it from later variants, stores audio data in a format compliant with the red book standard. An audio CD consists of several stereo tracks stored using 16-bit PCM coding at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. Standard compact discs have a diameter of 120 mm, though 80 mm versions exist in circular and "business-card" forms. The 120 mm discs can hold 74 minutes of audio, and versions holding 80, 90 or even 99 minutes have been introduced. The 80 mm discs are used as "CD-singles" or novelty "business-card CDs". They hold about 20 minutes of audio.
Compact disc technology was later adapted for use as a data storage device, known as a CD-ROM.
The design of the CD was originally conceived as an evolution of the gramophone record, rather than primarily as a data storage medium. Only later did the concept of an 'audio file' arise, and the generalizing of this to any data file. As a result, the original CD format has a number of limitations; no built-in track names or disc naming for example. Online services such as CDDB were developed to work around these shortcomings in the computer age.
http://articles.directorym.com/CD_Players-a89.html
A standard compact disc, often known as an "audio CD" to differentiate it from later variants, stores audio data in a format compliant with the red book standard. An audio CD consists of several stereo tracks stored using 16-bit PCM coding at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. Standard compact discs have a diameter of 120 mm, though 80 mm versions exist in circular and "business-card" forms. The 120 mm discs can hold 74 minutes of audio, and versions holding 80, 90 or even 99 minutes have been introduced. The 80 mm discs are used as "CD-singles" or novelty "business-card CDs". They hold about 20 minutes of audio.
Compact disc technology was later adapted for use as a data storage device, known as a CD-ROM.
The design of the CD was originally conceived as an evolution of the gramophone record, rather than primarily as a data storage medium. Only later did the concept of an 'audio file' arise, and the generalizing of this to any data file. As a result, the original CD format has a number of limitations; no built-in track names or disc naming for example. Online services such as CDDB were developed to work around these shortcomings in the computer age.
http://articles.directorym.com/CD_Players-a89.html
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Window to the Past
In the early 1970s, using video Laserdisc technology, Philips' researchers started experiments with "audio-only" optical discs, initially with wideband frequency modulation FM and later digitized PCM audio signals. At the end of the 1970s, Philips, Sony, and other companies presented prototypes of digital audio discs.
In 1979 Philips and Sony decided to join forces, setting up a joint task force of engineers whose mission was to design the new digital audio disc. Prominent members of the task force were Kees Immink and Toshitada Doi. After a year of experimentation and discussion, the taskforce produced the "Red Book", the Compact Disc standard. Philips contributed the general manufacturing process, based on the video Laserdisc technology. Philips also contributed the Eight-to-Fourteen Modulation, EFM, which offers both a large playing time and a high resilience against disc handling damage such as scratches and fingerprints; while Sony contributed the error-correction method, CIRC. The Compact Disc Story, told by a former member of the taskforce, gives background information on the many technical decisions made, including the choice of the sampling frequency, playing time, and disc diameter. According to Philips, the Compact Disc was thus "invented collectively by a large group of people working as a team."
The Compact Disc reached the market in late 1982 in Asia and early the following year in other markets. This event is often seen as the "Big Bang" of the digital audio revolution. The new audio disc was enthusiastically received, especially in the early-adopting classical music and audiophile communities and its handling quality received particular praise.
The far larger popular and rock music industries were slower to adopt the new format, especially in the huge consumer markets in Europe and the United States. This "highbrow niche" status of the CD format changed dramatically in May, 1985, when UK rock band Dire Straits released the album Brothers in Arms. One of the first all-digital rock recordings and the first by a major act, Brothers in Arms played to the strengths of the CD by offering more and longer tracks, running ten minutes longer than the album's concurrent LP and cassette releases. It spurred the sale of compact disc players like no other recording before it, helped to drive down the price of players, induced other acts and record labels to release more music on CD and firmly established the format in the mind of the average consumer.
http://articles.directorym.com/CD_Players_Albuquerque_NM-r89-Albuquerque_NM.html
In 1979 Philips and Sony decided to join forces, setting up a joint task force of engineers whose mission was to design the new digital audio disc. Prominent members of the task force were Kees Immink and Toshitada Doi. After a year of experimentation and discussion, the taskforce produced the "Red Book", the Compact Disc standard. Philips contributed the general manufacturing process, based on the video Laserdisc technology. Philips also contributed the Eight-to-Fourteen Modulation, EFM, which offers both a large playing time and a high resilience against disc handling damage such as scratches and fingerprints; while Sony contributed the error-correction method, CIRC. The Compact Disc Story, told by a former member of the taskforce, gives background information on the many technical decisions made, including the choice of the sampling frequency, playing time, and disc diameter. According to Philips, the Compact Disc was thus "invented collectively by a large group of people working as a team."
The Compact Disc reached the market in late 1982 in Asia and early the following year in other markets. This event is often seen as the "Big Bang" of the digital audio revolution. The new audio disc was enthusiastically received, especially in the early-adopting classical music and audiophile communities and its handling quality received particular praise.
The far larger popular and rock music industries were slower to adopt the new format, especially in the huge consumer markets in Europe and the United States. This "highbrow niche" status of the CD format changed dramatically in May, 1985, when UK rock band Dire Straits released the album Brothers in Arms. One of the first all-digital rock recordings and the first by a major act, Brothers in Arms played to the strengths of the CD by offering more and longer tracks, running ten minutes longer than the album's concurrent LP and cassette releases. It spurred the sale of compact disc players like no other recording before it, helped to drive down the price of players, induced other acts and record labels to release more music on CD and firmly established the format in the mind of the average consumer.
http://articles.directorym.com/CD_Players_Albuquerque_NM-r89-Albuquerque_NM.html
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
How much should I expect to pay
These days, CD technology is commonplace enough that you'll actually see portable CD players in the $50-and-under category, which was the going range for low-end portable cassette players some 15 years ago. Don't expect too much from this price range--basic features and less-than-stellar sound quality--but you'll get at least basic CD-player functionality.
The average price for a decent portable disc player is about $100-200, for which you should expect good digital-to-analog converters (the chief arbiter of any player's sound quality), features like programmability and random-play, extended battery life (10 hours or more from two or four AA batteries), and some form of anti-skip protection to guard against interruptions in music playback due to jostling or bumping.
More expensive players will offer more features, better build quality, and sometimes, though not always, better sound. Features can include longer anti-skip buffers, longer battery life, equalization (such as bass boost), AM/FM radio, and spiffier headphones.
http://articles.directorym.com/CD_Players-a89.html
The average price for a decent portable disc player is about $100-200, for which you should expect good digital-to-analog converters (the chief arbiter of any player's sound quality), features like programmability and random-play, extended battery life (10 hours or more from two or four AA batteries), and some form of anti-skip protection to guard against interruptions in music playback due to jostling or bumping.
More expensive players will offer more features, better build quality, and sometimes, though not always, better sound. Features can include longer anti-skip buffers, longer battery life, equalization (such as bass boost), AM/FM radio, and spiffier headphones.
http://articles.directorym.com/CD_Players-a89.html
Get This to the CD Player, Stat!
Thinking beyond Jay-Z and Coldplay, researchers at Ohio State University have turned a standard compact disk into a biochemical laboratory. Their specially designed CD completely automates a commonly used assay for classifying HIV and some cancers, eliminating many tedious steps and producing results in one-tenth of the time.
As early as four decades ago, researchers at Monsanto tried to use centrifugal force to push liquids through a series of chambers on a plastic disk, says L. James Lee of Ohio State. His updated “lab on a CD” contains a series of wells and channels, each no deeper than the width of a human hair. Blood or cell samples are placed in one set of the disk’s chambers. Test chemicals are then mixed sequentially by changing the speed that the CD rotates: Solutions in wells closer to the outside move outward at lower rotation speeds, while those closer to the center remain in place until the CD spins more quickly.
Besides saving time, the lab CD also uses less of the expensive antibodies needed for common disease tests, cutting material costs by up to 90 percent. Within two years, technicians may be listening to their favorite music CDs while their experiments spin nearby on a similar disk.
http://discovermagazine.com/2004/oct/get-this-to-the-cd-player1006
As early as four decades ago, researchers at Monsanto tried to use centrifugal force to push liquids through a series of chambers on a plastic disk, says L. James Lee of Ohio State. His updated “lab on a CD” contains a series of wells and channels, each no deeper than the width of a human hair. Blood or cell samples are placed in one set of the disk’s chambers. Test chemicals are then mixed sequentially by changing the speed that the CD rotates: Solutions in wells closer to the outside move outward at lower rotation speeds, while those closer to the center remain in place until the CD spins more quickly.
Besides saving time, the lab CD also uses less of the expensive antibodies needed for common disease tests, cutting material costs by up to 90 percent. Within two years, technicians may be listening to their favorite music CDs while their experiments spin nearby on a similar disk.
http://discovermagazine.com/2004/oct/get-this-to-the-cd-player1006
Friday, October 19, 2007
DVD and CD Duplication Services
How to get the best cd duplication service at the best price
If you are looking for a good price on a dvd or cd duplication service, it is worth knowing the difference between duplication and replication. The duplication process uses a recorder to "burn" your data into a pre-manufactured cd or dvd. These CDrs and DVDrs are quite simply blank discs, and your data, whether it is text files, music, computer programs, multi-media or video, is added by using a dvd or cd recorder. This process takes between 3 and 80 minutes per disc (depending on the speed of the recorder). The time factor means that it is less cost effective to use a cd duplication service if you are ordering large numbers of cds or dvds.
Replication - the alternative cd duplication service
DVD and CD replication can best be explained as "stamping" your data into an injection molded cd or dvd. These discs have a silver look to them, similar to the audio CD discs that you would buy in a music store. CD / DVD Replication is used with larger orders, where it is vital to get the "per disc" price as low as possible.
So, if you only require a few copies, DVD / CD duplication is a more cost effective option than replication, because the set-up costs are minimal by comparison. In fact, to complete smaller numbers of discs by duplication is not only less expensive, but the job can be competed more quickly. But if you want more than about 500 copies, you would be better off using the replication process because your data is actually built into the construction of the DVD or CD, and not added later.
To print on to your DVD/CD it would not be advisable to use inkjet printing which smears and smudges, or labels which look tacky, unprofessional and can peel up or jam. Be sure to use a print system that directly prints onto the surface of the CD or DVD. Your discs will look just like the mass produced CD / DVD albums you buy from the shops.
At Deckchair we will offer you a quality DVD/CD duplication or replication service with a fast turnaround. We can help you with all aspects of the process including artwork and package design. We are very experienced in the design of interactive cds which provides a very professional way to showcase your products or information about your company.
Article Source: http://www.kokkada.com
http://www.kokkada.com/Article/DVD-and-CD-Duplication-Services/21631
If you are looking for a good price on a dvd or cd duplication service, it is worth knowing the difference between duplication and replication. The duplication process uses a recorder to "burn" your data into a pre-manufactured cd or dvd. These CDrs and DVDrs are quite simply blank discs, and your data, whether it is text files, music, computer programs, multi-media or video, is added by using a dvd or cd recorder. This process takes between 3 and 80 minutes per disc (depending on the speed of the recorder). The time factor means that it is less cost effective to use a cd duplication service if you are ordering large numbers of cds or dvds.
Replication - the alternative cd duplication service
DVD and CD replication can best be explained as "stamping" your data into an injection molded cd or dvd. These discs have a silver look to them, similar to the audio CD discs that you would buy in a music store. CD / DVD Replication is used with larger orders, where it is vital to get the "per disc" price as low as possible.
So, if you only require a few copies, DVD / CD duplication is a more cost effective option than replication, because the set-up costs are minimal by comparison. In fact, to complete smaller numbers of discs by duplication is not only less expensive, but the job can be competed more quickly. But if you want more than about 500 copies, you would be better off using the replication process because your data is actually built into the construction of the DVD or CD, and not added later.
To print on to your DVD/CD it would not be advisable to use inkjet printing which smears and smudges, or labels which look tacky, unprofessional and can peel up or jam. Be sure to use a print system that directly prints onto the surface of the CD or DVD. Your discs will look just like the mass produced CD / DVD albums you buy from the shops.
At Deckchair we will offer you a quality DVD/CD duplication or replication service with a fast turnaround. We can help you with all aspects of the process including artwork and package design. We are very experienced in the design of interactive cds which provides a very professional way to showcase your products or information about your company.
Article Source: http://www.kokkada.com
http://www.kokkada.com/Article/DVD-and-CD-Duplication-Services/21631
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Linn Sondek CD12 CD Player
A funny thing happened to Linn Product's Brian Morris when he attempted to bring Linn's new Sondek CD12 through Customs as hand-luggage:
Customs agent: "What's in the box, sir?"
Brian: "A CD player."
Customs agent: "Value?"
Brian: "$20,000."
Customs agent: "Who are you trying to kid? I know what CD players are worth—I've got one. Go stand over there until we sort this out."
It took a whole day, Linn's customs broker, and a flurry of phone calls, but eventually Brian did bring the CD12 into this country and deliver it to me in Santa Fe. But the customs agent's question was actually a good one. CD technology is now fairly mature. In fact, some might argue that, with the increased data-storage capacity of the DVD, not to mention the impending DVD-Audio standard, the CD might even be entering its twilight phase. Who on earth would bring a $20,000 CD player to market now?
Linn Products, obviously. As a company, Linn has always gone its own way—at its own pace—and if the idea of producing a no-holds-barred CD player at this particular moment strikes some people as foolhardy, the folks at Linn just don't care. They point out that there are millions and millions of CDs out there that will benefit from a player like the Sondek CD12, and that it will be years before there's anything like that selection on DVD, or whatever the next digital music medium will be. Besides, they point out, the typical Linn customer already has a substantial investment in software and is anxious to extract from it as much musical pleasure as possible, even if that means spending an amount less obsessed observers would label ludicrous.
If this argument sounds familiar, it's because Linn has said the same thing before—specifically, 17 years ago, when, in the pre-dawn of the CD age, people were predicting the demise of the turntable and the vinyl disc. Here we are, nearly two decades into the digital era, and there are more high-end turntables for sale than there ever were during the analog era. No, the LP hasn't exactly triumphed, but there are still a lot of music lovers out there who love their records and are willing to spend "ludicrous" amounts to hear them played properly.
http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/86/
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Sony launches 'dancing' music player
Sony on Monday unveiled a new robotic music player shaped like an egg with flapping wings that can twist to its tunes.
The "Rolly" is a digital music player that plays music through built-in speakers and has colour lights that flash as it "dances".
Users can set the movements along with the music they download from their personal computers and Bluetooth devices, the company said.
The music player, which will go on sale in Japan on September 29, has one gigabyte of memory to store tunes.
Sony, which withdrew from robot technology development due to its financial difficulties, said the new product was an audio product first and foremost.
"The motion control and sensor technologies (developed in earlier robot projects) are applied to Rolly, but this is an audio product," said Sony spokeswoman Saori Takahashi.
Sony developed dog-shaped robots called Aibo and humanoids, Qrio, but withdrew from robot development last year to focus on more lucrative flat-screen televisions.
The company was once a leader in portable music players, bringing the world the Walkman, but it has since fallen well behind rival Apple and its phenomenally popular iPod.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/articles/sony-launches-dancing-music-player/2007/09/11/1189276676793.html
The "Rolly" is a digital music player that plays music through built-in speakers and has colour lights that flash as it "dances".
Users can set the movements along with the music they download from their personal computers and Bluetooth devices, the company said.
The music player, which will go on sale in Japan on September 29, has one gigabyte of memory to store tunes.
Sony, which withdrew from robot technology development due to its financial difficulties, said the new product was an audio product first and foremost.
"The motion control and sensor technologies (developed in earlier robot projects) are applied to Rolly, but this is an audio product," said Sony spokeswoman Saori Takahashi.
Sony developed dog-shaped robots called Aibo and humanoids, Qrio, but withdrew from robot development last year to focus on more lucrative flat-screen televisions.
The company was once a leader in portable music players, bringing the world the Walkman, but it has since fallen well behind rival Apple and its phenomenally popular iPod.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/articles/sony-launches-dancing-music-player/2007/09/11/1189276676793.html
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
How to Transfer Music onto a Portable MP3 Player
You have finally taken the plunge with your first MP3 player and are so excited to use it for the first time. You break it out of the box and your excitement turns to dismay as your realize that you have no idea how to get music on the darned thing. The good news is that, in most cases, getting music onto your player is a fairly simple task. The bad news is that there are many different MP3 players, and not all of them use the same way to get music onto them. However, they all use the same basic principles. Hopefully armed with some basic information, you can figure out how to get music on your player with little difficulty.
The Process
Overall, the process of transferring music files consists of the following:
* Install music management software on your computer
* Determine the source of the music files that you want to transfer
* Create the appropriate music file format for your transfer
* Connect your MP3 player to your computer
* Transfer your music files to your player
* Disconnect your player
Step 1: Install music management software on your computer
In order to create music files from your CDs and transfer music onto your MP3 player, you need to install music software onto your computer if it is not already installed. Usually, the appropriate software for your player is bundled with the MP3 player. If so, install that software, as it is probably the best option for your MP3 player. Two of the more popular examples of music management software include MusicMatch Jukebox and iTunes.
Step 2: Determine the Source of the Music to Transfer
The next step in getting music on your MP3 player is to determine the music that you want to transfer. The music must be owned by you and be in a format that you can easily convert to a format that can be read by your player. The two most common ways are through a music CD that you own or through a download from an Internet music store. Though possible, it is more difficult to use an old album or cassette tape as your source for music. This article does not address these cases.
Step 3: Create MP3s or other appropriate media from the source
If you are downloading from the Internet, your music files should already be in a format playable by your MP3 player. Skip to Step 4.
If you are using a music CD as your source:
1. Insert the CD into your computer.
2. Launch the music management software that you installed above. The application should recognize the CD and if you are connected to the Internet, should provide you with the artist name, album title and all of the names of the songs.
3. Check the preferences for ripping/creating/importing MP3s. This should be under a main menu on your software. For creating basic MP3s, make sure that the selected encoder is for MP3s (Note: almost all MP3 players will play MP3 format, so if you are unsure what format to use, choose this one). Also note the name and the location on the computer of the MP3s that will be created from your CD. For the best sounding audio quality adjust the sound quality to the best option available.
4. Rip the CD. There is usually a button on the software to rip the CD. On iTunes, it is called import and located in the top right corner. On MusicMatch it is called record and is a red record button located on the Recorder window.
5. DO NOTHING on the computer until the rip is complete. This is important because you may create MP3s that skip if your computer is not dedicated to ripping the CD.
http://www.techlore.com/article/10385/How-to-Transfer-Music-onto-a-Portable-MP3-Player/
The Process
Overall, the process of transferring music files consists of the following:
* Install music management software on your computer
* Determine the source of the music files that you want to transfer
* Create the appropriate music file format for your transfer
* Connect your MP3 player to your computer
* Transfer your music files to your player
* Disconnect your player
Step 1: Install music management software on your computer
In order to create music files from your CDs and transfer music onto your MP3 player, you need to install music software onto your computer if it is not already installed. Usually, the appropriate software for your player is bundled with the MP3 player. If so, install that software, as it is probably the best option for your MP3 player. Two of the more popular examples of music management software include MusicMatch Jukebox and iTunes.
Step 2: Determine the Source of the Music to Transfer
The next step in getting music on your MP3 player is to determine the music that you want to transfer. The music must be owned by you and be in a format that you can easily convert to a format that can be read by your player. The two most common ways are through a music CD that you own or through a download from an Internet music store. Though possible, it is more difficult to use an old album or cassette tape as your source for music. This article does not address these cases.
Step 3: Create MP3s or other appropriate media from the source
If you are downloading from the Internet, your music files should already be in a format playable by your MP3 player. Skip to Step 4.
If you are using a music CD as your source:
1. Insert the CD into your computer.
2. Launch the music management software that you installed above. The application should recognize the CD and if you are connected to the Internet, should provide you with the artist name, album title and all of the names of the songs.
3. Check the preferences for ripping/creating/importing MP3s. This should be under a main menu on your software. For creating basic MP3s, make sure that the selected encoder is for MP3s (Note: almost all MP3 players will play MP3 format, so if you are unsure what format to use, choose this one). Also note the name and the location on the computer of the MP3s that will be created from your CD. For the best sounding audio quality adjust the sound quality to the best option available.
4. Rip the CD. There is usually a button on the software to rip the CD. On iTunes, it is called import and located in the top right corner. On MusicMatch it is called record and is a red record button located on the Recorder window.
5. DO NOTHING on the computer until the rip is complete. This is important because you may create MP3s that skip if your computer is not dedicated to ripping the CD.
http://www.techlore.com/article/10385/How-to-Transfer-Music-onto-a-Portable-MP3-Player/
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sony Digital Relay CD External CDRW/MP3 Player Review
With MP3s gaining popularity even among the unwashed masses, demand for CD/MP3 players is rising; with the huge storage capacity of CDs as compared to Flash memory based devices, CD based solutions have a real advantage, but most people don't have a CD Burner installed on their computer. A portable CD/MP3 player/burner seems like a great solution to this problem; plus there's a lot of other target markets for this kind of product, too; as a developer I'm always burning CDs and it's really annoying to have to use a shared computer to burn CDs. A CD burner is a born match for a laptop computer; sharing files with clients is made much easier, plus the MP3 player functionality is useful for those long plane rides. The Sony Digital Relay (or CRX10U) seems like a perfect match for all of these cases.
Features
The Digital Relay I received was a final production unit, but it came in a plain cardboard box (the retail boxes were still in the works) with a driver disk, a CDR containing my utilities and a bunch of cables. When I first took a look at the Relay I thought "Damn, they should have called it the Digital Whale!" because it's at least an inch and a half longer than a normal CD player and makes my poor Rio look like a little shrimp in comparison. Upon further inspection the reason the relay is extra long is be cause it runs off of Sony's camcorder batteries. To get an equivalent voltage out of AA batteries would require a lot more space, and the power is definitely needed: after plugging in and turning on the Relay for a few minutes it got pretty warm; Sony must have a lot of electronics in there because they definitely warm up your pocket. The Digital Relay totally looks like a laptop accessory as it looks good contrasted with classic laptop black, and I'm sure it will color co-ordinate well with a Vaio Laptop. ;) I immediately loved the silver color because it matched my Sony MDR-V300 headphones.
Specs
Here's what Sony says:
Digital Relay CD-R/CD-RW Drive (CRX10U-A2) Sony's first battery-operated, portable CD-R/RW burner can also perform as a stand-alone CD player. The computer peripheral incorporates a USB interface for plug-and-play connectivity, and comes with a complete suite of feature-intensive Macintosh® and Windows® software, an InfoLithium® rechargeable battery, an AC power adapter, a wired-remote with an LCD display, earphones, cables and blank Sony media. The Digital Relay drive will be available in April for about $400.
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/digitalrelay/
Features
The Digital Relay I received was a final production unit, but it came in a plain cardboard box (the retail boxes were still in the works) with a driver disk, a CDR containing my utilities and a bunch of cables. When I first took a look at the Relay I thought "Damn, they should have called it the Digital Whale!" because it's at least an inch and a half longer than a normal CD player and makes my poor Rio look like a little shrimp in comparison. Upon further inspection the reason the relay is extra long is be cause it runs off of Sony's camcorder batteries. To get an equivalent voltage out of AA batteries would require a lot more space, and the power is definitely needed: after plugging in and turning on the Relay for a few minutes it got pretty warm; Sony must have a lot of electronics in there because they definitely warm up your pocket. The Digital Relay totally looks like a laptop accessory as it looks good contrasted with classic laptop black, and I'm sure it will color co-ordinate well with a Vaio Laptop. ;) I immediately loved the silver color because it matched my Sony MDR-V300 headphones.
Specs
Here's what Sony says:
Digital Relay CD-R/CD-RW Drive (CRX10U-A2) Sony's first battery-operated, portable CD-R/RW burner can also perform as a stand-alone CD player. The computer peripheral incorporates a USB interface for plug-and-play connectivity, and comes with a complete suite of feature-intensive Macintosh® and Windows® software, an InfoLithium® rechargeable battery, an AC power adapter, a wired-remote with an LCD display, earphones, cables and blank Sony media. The Digital Relay drive will be available in April for about $400.
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/digitalrelay/
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Explore Sanibel with Sanibel Vacation Rental
Sanibel is situated in southwest Florida, the reason as to why the tourist gets attracted to this place is its shelling beaches, islands, wildlife, outdoor activities such as biking, golfing, bird watching etc. Not only the adventure but it blends its culture in the form of its art, theatre and music.
Sanibel is just as vacation paradise for all tourists as Sanibel provides a complete package of enjoyment and the knowledge of its culture.
There are number of places where the person can accommodate during his vacation at Sanibel. He can use hotels, motels or even vacation rentals. But, the accommodation which is recommended is Sanibel vacation rental as this gives a feeling of home in the holidaying town.
Sanibel Vacation rental can be in the form of small cottages, villas, bungalows, apartments, small inns, condos etc. There are number of vacation rental in Sanibel which serve as a second home to the person. But, on using all the amenities of second home the person is required to pay rent in return. This rent depends on the size, location and number of people who will reside in Sanibel vacation rental.
Today information technology has made it possible that the person can book vacation rental in Sanibel from his home town. The only thing he is required to do is the locating the agents and traveling agencies who arrange holidaying at Sanibel. After locating agents, the next step is to ask them for quote and along with that he will be required to fill an application form asking some personal and location preference detail. Once the application has been filled the agent will let the person know the entire Sanibel vacation rental in respect to his preference and his budget. Thus, the last step will be to choose the location of Sanibel vacation rental but after comparing it with rates of other vacation rental in Sanibel. This will help in availing the competitive and cheap deal.
It is sure that through Sanibel vacation rental, the person can save an amount of money as they are definitely cheaper than accommodating in a hotel or any other accommodation. Above that, though it is cheaper mode but still offers more comfort than any other mode.
In Sanibel vacation rental, the person can enjoy in his living room as it has all spectrum of entertainment such as television, DVD, CD player etc. Or, even the person can relax in his bed room by listening music as he did at his home. Lastly, generally it is seen that the person misses his home made food but now he will be not deprived of that as he can also cook in the Sanibel vacation rental.
Thus, it is absolutely right to say that exploring Sanibel through Sanibel vacation rental will be a great experience of holidaying.
Article Source: http://www.articleset.com
Sanibel is just as vacation paradise for all tourists as Sanibel provides a complete package of enjoyment and the knowledge of its culture.
There are number of places where the person can accommodate during his vacation at Sanibel. He can use hotels, motels or even vacation rentals. But, the accommodation which is recommended is Sanibel vacation rental as this gives a feeling of home in the holidaying town.
Sanibel Vacation rental can be in the form of small cottages, villas, bungalows, apartments, small inns, condos etc. There are number of vacation rental in Sanibel which serve as a second home to the person. But, on using all the amenities of second home the person is required to pay rent in return. This rent depends on the size, location and number of people who will reside in Sanibel vacation rental.
Today information technology has made it possible that the person can book vacation rental in Sanibel from his home town. The only thing he is required to do is the locating the agents and traveling agencies who arrange holidaying at Sanibel. After locating agents, the next step is to ask them for quote and along with that he will be required to fill an application form asking some personal and location preference detail. Once the application has been filled the agent will let the person know the entire Sanibel vacation rental in respect to his preference and his budget. Thus, the last step will be to choose the location of Sanibel vacation rental but after comparing it with rates of other vacation rental in Sanibel. This will help in availing the competitive and cheap deal.
It is sure that through Sanibel vacation rental, the person can save an amount of money as they are definitely cheaper than accommodating in a hotel or any other accommodation. Above that, though it is cheaper mode but still offers more comfort than any other mode.
In Sanibel vacation rental, the person can enjoy in his living room as it has all spectrum of entertainment such as television, DVD, CD player etc. Or, even the person can relax in his bed room by listening music as he did at his home. Lastly, generally it is seen that the person misses his home made food but now he will be not deprived of that as he can also cook in the Sanibel vacation rental.
Thus, it is absolutely right to say that exploring Sanibel through Sanibel vacation rental will be a great experience of holidaying.
Article Source: http://www.articleset.com
Crime: An Analysis
Introduction
It seems that thinkers, philosophers, social critics, and typically anyone concerned with the plight of those who must endure through misery and suffering, usually make references to the poverty, oppression, and crime of those who must go through a harder life. Throughout the ages, the political leaders of a nation, whom have been elected by their campaign funds or their birth rights, have always given great concern to ending crime. Murder, robbery, and rape have typically been regarded as the greatest crimes in society, each one created in its own nature. Murder is the highest form of vengeance, and in societies where feuds and arguments have been the general discourse, there will be this crime. While men and women live together, they have often neglected the articulate nature of science, art, and learning. Instead of decided to advance civilization, change the world, and love each other, they have created war among themselves, for their own reasons. Robbery itself is a crime that is as old as the existence of property. Instead of deciding to increase their own wealth, by the labor of their hands, man decided to benefit from the reward of another man's hand. Rape itself has been detested throughout all of Western Europe, but it is only a recent phenomena that the motive changed. For a great deal of time, rape was simply regarded as expensive property damage. Finally when the people realized that women are themselves capable of independent thought, and a desire to express and experience inner emotions, rape has been changed, from property damage to personal assault. While the monarchs and elected officials of nations, and their countless followers, have endeavored to offer their plans and ideas on ending crime, few have attempted to discover the cause of crime. It has almost always been assumed that the source of crime is a simple disobedience to the law. It was only in the 20th century that the Western world finally discovered that criminal activity was not in fact caused be a diseased brain. It still remains a doctrine of many of today's politicians and their supporters that crime in caused by savagery, an "evil" nature, or simply a disobedience to the law, and this view is expressed in their speeches, their public reports, and their communication with the public.
It is crime that I shall be investigating within this paper. By crime, I mean a violation of either the laws or social customs (new and old) in a society.
A Profile of Crime in America
Before continuing in this piece, it is probably most important to first note the most common types of crime that occur within this nation. In state penitentiaries, 49% were sentenced for a violent crime, 20% were sentenced for a property crime, and 21% were sentenced for a drug crime (for the year 2000). In city jails, a fourth were held for violent crimes, a fourth were held for property crimes, and a fifth were held for drug crimes (for the year 1996). [*1] However, there are overlapping crimes. Robbery, for instance, for something as small as a few dollars, may go unpersecuted, but the crime of assault or battery may end up with the suspect serving several years. Offenders of violent crimes had used a weapon in 46% of all robberies, as an example (for the year 2002). [*2] With that, I continue in my analysis.
Crimes of Greed
Nature of the Crime
When I speak of Crimes of Greed, I want it to be understood that I am speaking of robbery, of mugging, of theft of property in any manner. The desire to steal property can be understood by all. It is but a human desire, one that exists inside all of us, to have the essentials of life, such as food, shelter, and the like. In fact, it is hardly human, and rather completely natural to all forms of life. This instinct to gather the necessities, at all costs, is wholly normal. I am not attempting to justify it, but rather, only understand it. Humans, however, vary somewhat than other creatures of this planet. For some of us, it is not enough to have what is necessary to life. We must have wealth, we must have financial security. A loaf of bread every day while living in the smallest of apartments might very well meet the necessities. Yet, it is as much a dream as it is a desire to think that one day, you can have luxury, and those things you've always hoped for as a child. A loaf of bread and a cockroach infested apartment, sure, they may very well meet your necessities. But what about a television set? A CD player? A DVD player? A stylish wardrobe? A condominium? Maybe your own house? As I said, it is only human to want wealth and possibly extravagance, or the idea that you are "well off" and need not worry about financial insecurities. The instinct to obtain that what you need to survive can be found in all life forms and the desire to become wealthy and even recognized is closer to the human species, though I wouldn't be surprised if similar desires were found in the other creatures of this world.
The instinct for survival and desire of wealth are apparent parts of human society and have found themselves expressed in culture. The question now is, what are the methods by which people go about procuring these desires? Primarily, there are two methods: legal employment and criminal activity (or, Crimes of Greed, "Property Crimes"). On behalf of legal employment, one must first understand that this hardly signifies something worthy, just, or virtuous. The officials of the Nazi army were well-paid and well-respected -- and despite the fact that it may have been their task to persecute those of the Jewish ethnicity, they were legally employed. So, too, were the Roman soldiers, whose task it was to invade foreign lands with the intent to rob and plunder. Only a nominal difference took place when American soldiers are sent world wide, to raid countries like Vietnam, Haiti, Guatemala, Cambodia, Colombia, or others. Millions of lives taken and thousands of homes burned to the ground, all under the banner of legal employment, but not only legal employment, but a job that was respected by society and honored by the government.
These are the two options for a human being's natural inclinations of wealth: legal employment, and the alternative, the alternative going by the title of "crime." Of those who commit crime, statistics show that their ability to generate revenue through legal employment is deficient. In federal and state prisons, 63% percent of jail inmates belonged to racial or ethnic minorities in 1996. [*1] The importance of this statistic is the history of racila and ethnic minorities. Less than two hundred years ago, the African race was released from the bondage of slavery, only to be given unequal conditions and poverty. Only some decades ago did they really achieve social, political, or economic equality in opportunity -- and still, even though the opportunity is present, they are in the thick sand of poverty. A black family, with two parents working minimum wage, will have a harder time sending their children to a university, than a white family, with two parents working middle class jobs. And then consider the plight of the Native Americans. They owned the land and the resources that make up virtually all property in this nation -- and it was stolen. In prisons, altogether, an estimated 57% of inmates had a high school diploma or its equivalent. [*1] And, indeed, there is no denying that lack of a high school diploma will prevent acceleration, either with money-making ability or job opportunities.
Nationally, in local jails, over a third of all inmates reported some physical or mental disability. Altogether, only 54% of inmates had a high school diploma or its equivalent. Thirty-six of all inmates were not employed during the month before they were arrested for their current offense. A quarter of the jail inmates said they had been treated at some time for a mental or emotional problem. [*1] There is no denying that all of these statistics debilitates the inmates from acquiring a legal job. Besides those who fall into the category of debilitated, what can be said of those who are on an equal level with others as far as legal employment ability? It is in only one or two instances where the state minimum wage with a full time job is enough to reach the poverty level. The fact that these individuals are not just randomly committing crimes, and that they are in fact acting based on their conditions, is quite obvious. Of the 272,111 persons released from prisons in 15 States in 1994, an estimated 67.5% were rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within 3 years, 46.9% were reconvicted, and 25.4% resentenced to prison for a new crime. [*1]
The ultimate cause of the Crimes of Greed is poverty. There is no premeditated motive based on disobedience to the law or disrespect for the law -- it is based on the ability to make wealth. The economy is the cause of crime. This new realization actually throws responsibility from the criminal to the heads of the economy, or to those who sustain the economy. Tens of millions of Africans, for instance, were born in poverty, because their ancestors were bondaged to slavery without the right to freedom. When an man of African descent commits a crime of theft, it may be less linked to his disobedience than his desire for food. And the same can be said of any man who commits a crime of greed. Though it is hardly deniable that poverty is the cause of these crimes of theft, is it justified to state that the economy is the cause of poverty? Any person who understand basic economics cannot deny this. Capitalism has allowed the most extreme wealth to a few and the most extreme poverty to all. Workers are paid only one tenth of the wealth they create. [*3] The rest of the 90% of that wealth goes into the pockets of the Capitalist class. If workers, in fact, were paid all of the wealth that they labored to create, then their revenue would increase by tenfold -- this would mean they could still live in poverty only working 4 hours a week, or double what they are currently making by working only 8 hours a week. More wealth to those who create it, and less work time to the laborers who created all wealth.
There are, of course, various interested players in the system of Capitalism. If the few are the oppressors, and the many are the oppressed, why is it that a revolution has not come? The answer is simple: the oppressed are conditioned to believe that slavery is freedom. From the day a citizen can attend school, they are forced to by law, where they are taught nothing more than lies in an oppressive system that involves torture and abuse. Then the work experience comes where wage-slavery threatens people with starvation if they do not succumb. The media has been purchased by megacorporations and receives grants from the government -- never is the truth wholly told. The government lied to the public during the Vietnam War and in fact, few people know today that the war was an attempt to keep Vietnam as a colony of France -- the same reason why the colonies of America revolted. The next secret war of the US Army is always around the corner, when the US imperialist government overthrows a democratically elected president and supports their own dictator in South American nations. Poverty has never existed in such prevalence, except those nations touched by contemporary Capitalism, a fact that no economist would be bold enough to refuse. The wars go on and the soldiers die thinking that liberty is what they are fighting for, but when they find themselves in a foreign land burning villages, only those who are free in mind will say, "Is this really for liberty?" The next anti-Capitalism or anti-police brutality is met with rubber bullets and pepper spray, as police officers brutalize and murder citizens -- and they think that order is "people not being outraged that 40% of the children here don't have enough to eat." [*4] So when people express an anti-government opinion, they can rest in prison cells while the president delivers another address to the people, arguing that invading and destroying another country so we can exploit them for their cheap labor and resources is the same thing as independence. Because when people fight back against their government, they are called "terrorists" -- and when a person expresses a revolutionary opinion, they are called an "insurgent." The media publicizes it and the people buy. From the first day, people are given the mindset that fighting back is futile.
Maybe a police officer will think it's a lie that "liberty means shooting protestors." Maybe a soldier will think it's a lie that "doing your duty means killing civilians." Maybe a news reporter will think it's a deception that they refuse to cover the stories of soldiers executing civilians. Tom Hurndall was shot in the head by an Israeli police officer during a peaceful protest. All of the major news networks refused to carry the story. [*5] He was protesting the destruction of a home with bulldozers by a government that oppressed Palestinians. The other 2,500 deaths of refugees, protestors, and political dissidents went uncovered. Carlo Giuliani was shot in the head by Italian police while protesting Capitalism. [*6] Because today, struggling to be free has been labeled as "anarchy and terrorism," because a movement for and by the people is the equivalent of a "terror cell." Why talk about the deaths of innocent civilians at the hands of police and soldiers, when we can raise enough support for another war?
Out of sight. Out of mind. The police and soldiers take on the "insurgent" masses while the media convinces the rest that slavery is freedom.
http://www.articleset.com/Politics-and-Government_articles_en_Crime-An-Analysis.htm
It seems that thinkers, philosophers, social critics, and typically anyone concerned with the plight of those who must endure through misery and suffering, usually make references to the poverty, oppression, and crime of those who must go through a harder life. Throughout the ages, the political leaders of a nation, whom have been elected by their campaign funds or their birth rights, have always given great concern to ending crime. Murder, robbery, and rape have typically been regarded as the greatest crimes in society, each one created in its own nature. Murder is the highest form of vengeance, and in societies where feuds and arguments have been the general discourse, there will be this crime. While men and women live together, they have often neglected the articulate nature of science, art, and learning. Instead of decided to advance civilization, change the world, and love each other, they have created war among themselves, for their own reasons. Robbery itself is a crime that is as old as the existence of property. Instead of deciding to increase their own wealth, by the labor of their hands, man decided to benefit from the reward of another man's hand. Rape itself has been detested throughout all of Western Europe, but it is only a recent phenomena that the motive changed. For a great deal of time, rape was simply regarded as expensive property damage. Finally when the people realized that women are themselves capable of independent thought, and a desire to express and experience inner emotions, rape has been changed, from property damage to personal assault. While the monarchs and elected officials of nations, and their countless followers, have endeavored to offer their plans and ideas on ending crime, few have attempted to discover the cause of crime. It has almost always been assumed that the source of crime is a simple disobedience to the law. It was only in the 20th century that the Western world finally discovered that criminal activity was not in fact caused be a diseased brain. It still remains a doctrine of many of today's politicians and their supporters that crime in caused by savagery, an "evil" nature, or simply a disobedience to the law, and this view is expressed in their speeches, their public reports, and their communication with the public.
It is crime that I shall be investigating within this paper. By crime, I mean a violation of either the laws or social customs (new and old) in a society.
A Profile of Crime in America
Before continuing in this piece, it is probably most important to first note the most common types of crime that occur within this nation. In state penitentiaries, 49% were sentenced for a violent crime, 20% were sentenced for a property crime, and 21% were sentenced for a drug crime (for the year 2000). In city jails, a fourth were held for violent crimes, a fourth were held for property crimes, and a fifth were held for drug crimes (for the year 1996). [*1] However, there are overlapping crimes. Robbery, for instance, for something as small as a few dollars, may go unpersecuted, but the crime of assault or battery may end up with the suspect serving several years. Offenders of violent crimes had used a weapon in 46% of all robberies, as an example (for the year 2002). [*2] With that, I continue in my analysis.
Crimes of Greed
Nature of the Crime
When I speak of Crimes of Greed, I want it to be understood that I am speaking of robbery, of mugging, of theft of property in any manner. The desire to steal property can be understood by all. It is but a human desire, one that exists inside all of us, to have the essentials of life, such as food, shelter, and the like. In fact, it is hardly human, and rather completely natural to all forms of life. This instinct to gather the necessities, at all costs, is wholly normal. I am not attempting to justify it, but rather, only understand it. Humans, however, vary somewhat than other creatures of this planet. For some of us, it is not enough to have what is necessary to life. We must have wealth, we must have financial security. A loaf of bread every day while living in the smallest of apartments might very well meet the necessities. Yet, it is as much a dream as it is a desire to think that one day, you can have luxury, and those things you've always hoped for as a child. A loaf of bread and a cockroach infested apartment, sure, they may very well meet your necessities. But what about a television set? A CD player? A DVD player? A stylish wardrobe? A condominium? Maybe your own house? As I said, it is only human to want wealth and possibly extravagance, or the idea that you are "well off" and need not worry about financial insecurities. The instinct to obtain that what you need to survive can be found in all life forms and the desire to become wealthy and even recognized is closer to the human species, though I wouldn't be surprised if similar desires were found in the other creatures of this world.
The instinct for survival and desire of wealth are apparent parts of human society and have found themselves expressed in culture. The question now is, what are the methods by which people go about procuring these desires? Primarily, there are two methods: legal employment and criminal activity (or, Crimes of Greed, "Property Crimes"). On behalf of legal employment, one must first understand that this hardly signifies something worthy, just, or virtuous. The officials of the Nazi army were well-paid and well-respected -- and despite the fact that it may have been their task to persecute those of the Jewish ethnicity, they were legally employed. So, too, were the Roman soldiers, whose task it was to invade foreign lands with the intent to rob and plunder. Only a nominal difference took place when American soldiers are sent world wide, to raid countries like Vietnam, Haiti, Guatemala, Cambodia, Colombia, or others. Millions of lives taken and thousands of homes burned to the ground, all under the banner of legal employment, but not only legal employment, but a job that was respected by society and honored by the government.
These are the two options for a human being's natural inclinations of wealth: legal employment, and the alternative, the alternative going by the title of "crime." Of those who commit crime, statistics show that their ability to generate revenue through legal employment is deficient. In federal and state prisons, 63% percent of jail inmates belonged to racial or ethnic minorities in 1996. [*1] The importance of this statistic is the history of racila and ethnic minorities. Less than two hundred years ago, the African race was released from the bondage of slavery, only to be given unequal conditions and poverty. Only some decades ago did they really achieve social, political, or economic equality in opportunity -- and still, even though the opportunity is present, they are in the thick sand of poverty. A black family, with two parents working minimum wage, will have a harder time sending their children to a university, than a white family, with two parents working middle class jobs. And then consider the plight of the Native Americans. They owned the land and the resources that make up virtually all property in this nation -- and it was stolen. In prisons, altogether, an estimated 57% of inmates had a high school diploma or its equivalent. [*1] And, indeed, there is no denying that lack of a high school diploma will prevent acceleration, either with money-making ability or job opportunities.
Nationally, in local jails, over a third of all inmates reported some physical or mental disability. Altogether, only 54% of inmates had a high school diploma or its equivalent. Thirty-six of all inmates were not employed during the month before they were arrested for their current offense. A quarter of the jail inmates said they had been treated at some time for a mental or emotional problem. [*1] There is no denying that all of these statistics debilitates the inmates from acquiring a legal job. Besides those who fall into the category of debilitated, what can be said of those who are on an equal level with others as far as legal employment ability? It is in only one or two instances where the state minimum wage with a full time job is enough to reach the poverty level. The fact that these individuals are not just randomly committing crimes, and that they are in fact acting based on their conditions, is quite obvious. Of the 272,111 persons released from prisons in 15 States in 1994, an estimated 67.5% were rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within 3 years, 46.9% were reconvicted, and 25.4% resentenced to prison for a new crime. [*1]
The ultimate cause of the Crimes of Greed is poverty. There is no premeditated motive based on disobedience to the law or disrespect for the law -- it is based on the ability to make wealth. The economy is the cause of crime. This new realization actually throws responsibility from the criminal to the heads of the economy, or to those who sustain the economy. Tens of millions of Africans, for instance, were born in poverty, because their ancestors were bondaged to slavery without the right to freedom. When an man of African descent commits a crime of theft, it may be less linked to his disobedience than his desire for food. And the same can be said of any man who commits a crime of greed. Though it is hardly deniable that poverty is the cause of these crimes of theft, is it justified to state that the economy is the cause of poverty? Any person who understand basic economics cannot deny this. Capitalism has allowed the most extreme wealth to a few and the most extreme poverty to all. Workers are paid only one tenth of the wealth they create. [*3] The rest of the 90% of that wealth goes into the pockets of the Capitalist class. If workers, in fact, were paid all of the wealth that they labored to create, then their revenue would increase by tenfold -- this would mean they could still live in poverty only working 4 hours a week, or double what they are currently making by working only 8 hours a week. More wealth to those who create it, and less work time to the laborers who created all wealth.
There are, of course, various interested players in the system of Capitalism. If the few are the oppressors, and the many are the oppressed, why is it that a revolution has not come? The answer is simple: the oppressed are conditioned to believe that slavery is freedom. From the day a citizen can attend school, they are forced to by law, where they are taught nothing more than lies in an oppressive system that involves torture and abuse. Then the work experience comes where wage-slavery threatens people with starvation if they do not succumb. The media has been purchased by megacorporations and receives grants from the government -- never is the truth wholly told. The government lied to the public during the Vietnam War and in fact, few people know today that the war was an attempt to keep Vietnam as a colony of France -- the same reason why the colonies of America revolted. The next secret war of the US Army is always around the corner, when the US imperialist government overthrows a democratically elected president and supports their own dictator in South American nations. Poverty has never existed in such prevalence, except those nations touched by contemporary Capitalism, a fact that no economist would be bold enough to refuse. The wars go on and the soldiers die thinking that liberty is what they are fighting for, but when they find themselves in a foreign land burning villages, only those who are free in mind will say, "Is this really for liberty?" The next anti-Capitalism or anti-police brutality is met with rubber bullets and pepper spray, as police officers brutalize and murder citizens -- and they think that order is "people not being outraged that 40% of the children here don't have enough to eat." [*4] So when people express an anti-government opinion, they can rest in prison cells while the president delivers another address to the people, arguing that invading and destroying another country so we can exploit them for their cheap labor and resources is the same thing as independence. Because when people fight back against their government, they are called "terrorists" -- and when a person expresses a revolutionary opinion, they are called an "insurgent." The media publicizes it and the people buy. From the first day, people are given the mindset that fighting back is futile.
Maybe a police officer will think it's a lie that "liberty means shooting protestors." Maybe a soldier will think it's a lie that "doing your duty means killing civilians." Maybe a news reporter will think it's a deception that they refuse to cover the stories of soldiers executing civilians. Tom Hurndall was shot in the head by an Israeli police officer during a peaceful protest. All of the major news networks refused to carry the story. [*5] He was protesting the destruction of a home with bulldozers by a government that oppressed Palestinians. The other 2,500 deaths of refugees, protestors, and political dissidents went uncovered. Carlo Giuliani was shot in the head by Italian police while protesting Capitalism. [*6] Because today, struggling to be free has been labeled as "anarchy and terrorism," because a movement for and by the people is the equivalent of a "terror cell." Why talk about the deaths of innocent civilians at the hands of police and soldiers, when we can raise enough support for another war?
Out of sight. Out of mind. The police and soldiers take on the "insurgent" masses while the media convinces the rest that slavery is freedom.
http://www.articleset.com/Politics-and-Government_articles_en_Crime-An-Analysis.htm
CDs, DVDs As Backup Media and Their Preservation
Even more complex is the mode of preserving data for backup and archival purposes. For backing up and saving any data, what is requisite is a hardy backup media. Any authentic backup media should qualify certain criteria. First and foremost, it should be easily available at an economical price, so as to enable the user to store data in bulk, at a low price. A good backup media should be reasonably fast and should offer an optimum speed. Finally, any worthwhile backup media should be reliable and almost flawless. Over the years, various storage media entered the market, with their own unique set of features and abilities. The list of options was further widened with the entry of CD-R into the market, in 1979.
The very first CD was invented by Sony and Philips and was initially used for transferring small amounts of data. In the beginning, it failed to pick up as a back up device, owing to its high cost. However, with a substantial fall in the prices in the following years, it soon replaced the floppies, which are almost extinct now. The storage capacity of CDs was further enhanced with the advent of DVDs, after 1995. DVDs work the same way as CDs, but, have a much higher storage capacity. CDs and DVDs offer a good level of reliability and have a life span ranging from 10 to 100 years. They are easy to use and furnish a medium speed. CDs and DVDs are very popular and easily available at low prices. Hence they prove to be reasonably suitable as backup media. However, they are in the risk of becoming obsolete, in the next few years, with the arrival of next generation media such as thumb drives and compact flash disks, which use static, non-mobile RAM for saving data. Despite this factor, CDs and DVDs are extensively being used as back up media and thus it is vital to have the knowledge regarding how to protect CDs and DVDs from data loss.
CDs and DVDs demand a careful handling. A few important steps and precautions that should be taken, so as to preserve CDs and DVDs are as follows:
Handling and Care
Minor scratches on the surface of a CD or a DVD cause no harm, as the laser penetrates below the surface to decipher data. However scratches which are deep and run along the track are lethal and may do considerable harm to the quality of backed up data. Hence the optical disks should always be handled delicately by the edges only. In case of CDs, the data containing layer is located directly below the label side. Any deep scratch on the label side may lead to loss of data. Thus never use any stick-on labels on this side. The adhesive may harm the surface. Do not use sharp tipped pens or pencils to write on the label side. Only felt tipped pens should be used to label a CD or DVD. Always write on the clear inner hub lying at the center of any optical disk.
http://www.articles888.com/articles/64/1/CDs-DVDs-As-Backup-Media-and-Their-Preservation/Page1.html
The very first CD was invented by Sony and Philips and was initially used for transferring small amounts of data. In the beginning, it failed to pick up as a back up device, owing to its high cost. However, with a substantial fall in the prices in the following years, it soon replaced the floppies, which are almost extinct now. The storage capacity of CDs was further enhanced with the advent of DVDs, after 1995. DVDs work the same way as CDs, but, have a much higher storage capacity. CDs and DVDs offer a good level of reliability and have a life span ranging from 10 to 100 years. They are easy to use and furnish a medium speed. CDs and DVDs are very popular and easily available at low prices. Hence they prove to be reasonably suitable as backup media. However, they are in the risk of becoming obsolete, in the next few years, with the arrival of next generation media such as thumb drives and compact flash disks, which use static, non-mobile RAM for saving data. Despite this factor, CDs and DVDs are extensively being used as back up media and thus it is vital to have the knowledge regarding how to protect CDs and DVDs from data loss.
CDs and DVDs demand a careful handling. A few important steps and precautions that should be taken, so as to preserve CDs and DVDs are as follows:
Handling and Care
Minor scratches on the surface of a CD or a DVD cause no harm, as the laser penetrates below the surface to decipher data. However scratches which are deep and run along the track are lethal and may do considerable harm to the quality of backed up data. Hence the optical disks should always be handled delicately by the edges only. In case of CDs, the data containing layer is located directly below the label side. Any deep scratch on the label side may lead to loss of data. Thus never use any stick-on labels on this side. The adhesive may harm the surface. Do not use sharp tipped pens or pencils to write on the label side. Only felt tipped pens should be used to label a CD or DVD. Always write on the clear inner hub lying at the center of any optical disk.
http://www.articles888.com/articles/64/1/CDs-DVDs-As-Backup-Media-and-Their-Preservation/Page1.html
Friday, October 12, 2007
There's More to MP3
The association with the term is such that MP3 is considered synonymous to songs. What few know is that it also offers the facility of Pod casting which is fast turning into a hot trend in the field of online audio. Pod casting is a term evolved by fusing digital music players (Pod from I-Pod) transmission (or broadcasting). In Pod casting programmes the participants hold an interactive session of chatting, playing songs, etc and convert the recording into a digital audio file. Pod casters mostly patronize the MP3 format.
In a compact disc (CD) the sound quality is superior as musical sounds are recorded on it by turning them into digits. 44,100 samples per second, 16 bits per sample and two channels (for stereo sound) are required to store music on a CD. About 10 million bytes (megabytes) of data per minute of music are stored on a CD and for a three-minute song 30 megabytes of data are needed. Anybody who has tried to download files on the Internet would understand that 30 megabytes is a massive quantum of memory space and using a modem for the purpose of Internet connectivity, 30 megabytes of data could take several hours to download.
For the purpose of recording/storing video data, MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) has created systems of compression. Thus, to fit video and movie data into smaller spaces for movie; DVDs, HDTV broadcasts and DSS satellite systems, MPEG compression is used. A subsystem that compresses sound is called MPEG Audio Layer-3. The MP3 system enables a 30-megabyte sound file from a CD to be compressed to 3 megabytes and stored in an MP3 disc. It makes no difference to the sound quality and on downloading an MP3 file it plays as well as the original file. It is also possible to download an MP3 file and stretch it back to the original size for the purpose of recording it on a writable CD that could be played on a CD player that cannot read MP3 files. It is mere conversion of different formats to make the process of downloading that much easier.
Copyrights protected article written by Andrew Stratton for Surveillance Technology. More articles and information about the Music and Entertainment can be viewed easily altogether at this location http://www.surveillancetechnology.com/entertainment-system.htm. Please be free to explore the website for more information on every surveillance products and their features.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Stratton
In a compact disc (CD) the sound quality is superior as musical sounds are recorded on it by turning them into digits. 44,100 samples per second, 16 bits per sample and two channels (for stereo sound) are required to store music on a CD. About 10 million bytes (megabytes) of data per minute of music are stored on a CD and for a three-minute song 30 megabytes of data are needed. Anybody who has tried to download files on the Internet would understand that 30 megabytes is a massive quantum of memory space and using a modem for the purpose of Internet connectivity, 30 megabytes of data could take several hours to download.
For the purpose of recording/storing video data, MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) has created systems of compression. Thus, to fit video and movie data into smaller spaces for movie; DVDs, HDTV broadcasts and DSS satellite systems, MPEG compression is used. A subsystem that compresses sound is called MPEG Audio Layer-3. The MP3 system enables a 30-megabyte sound file from a CD to be compressed to 3 megabytes and stored in an MP3 disc. It makes no difference to the sound quality and on downloading an MP3 file it plays as well as the original file. It is also possible to download an MP3 file and stretch it back to the original size for the purpose of recording it on a writable CD that could be played on a CD player that cannot read MP3 files. It is mere conversion of different formats to make the process of downloading that much easier.
Copyrights protected article written by Andrew Stratton for Surveillance Technology. More articles and information about the Music and Entertainment can be viewed easily altogether at this location http://www.surveillancetechnology.com/entertainment-system.htm. Please be free to explore the website for more information on every surveillance products and their features.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Stratton
Alpine Car Audio Systems - A Brief Overview
Get yourself grooving to your favorite tunes even in the car. Stay tuned to music 24/7. With the latest Alpine car audio systems, you can spice up those monotonous long drives.
A standard Alpine car audio system (Like any other car audio system) includes various components like amplifiers, subwoofers, head units, CD changers, crossovers and remotes.
I will talk about a few of them here. I hope this will help you make a more informed choice. That is, decide if an Alpine car audio system is the best for you.
Let's roll...
Alpine Amplifiers
Amplifiers basically amplify or boost an audio signal. There are mono, 2-channel and multi-channel amplifiers. Let's use the Alpine MRP-M650 for our case study...
It is a 400W mono subwoofer amplifier. It has the following features:
• It has a frequency response range of 20Hz-200Hz.
• It comes with gold plated screw terminals.
• It has built-in crossovers and a variable low-pass filter.
Alpine amplifiers are highly recommended for their high sound quality and value for money. This particular product has received amazing reviews from users. It is priced at approximately $200.
Alpine CD players/Head units
The Alpine CDE-9846 is a CD player with a built-in amplifier. It has the following features...
• It provides a maximum power of 45 watts.
• It has CD text. This means that the receiver can display song and disc title information.
• It comes with a detachable face and source tone memory.
On the flip side, this product does not come with remote controls. It also does not have CD changer controls and is not compatible with satellite radios. Nevertheless, it has received excellent ratings -- So it's worth giving it a look. It is available for around $140.
Speakers
The Alpine SPS-13C2 is a two-way 175W car speaker with the following specifications:
• The woofer has an Aluminum coated polypropylene cone.
• It has an RMS power range of 35 Watts. RMS stands for Root Mean Square, which is an accurate means of measuring and comparing the power of a speaker.
Car speakers are usually priced in pairs. These speakers are available for approximately $50.
There are other accessories like the subwoofers, crossovers, overhead monitors, headphones and CD changers that make an audio system complete. Go ahead, buy an Alpine car audio system. Your car deserves nothing but the best.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chimezirim_Chinecherem_Odimba
A standard Alpine car audio system (Like any other car audio system) includes various components like amplifiers, subwoofers, head units, CD changers, crossovers and remotes.
I will talk about a few of them here. I hope this will help you make a more informed choice. That is, decide if an Alpine car audio system is the best for you.
Let's roll...
Alpine Amplifiers
Amplifiers basically amplify or boost an audio signal. There are mono, 2-channel and multi-channel amplifiers. Let's use the Alpine MRP-M650 for our case study...
It is a 400W mono subwoofer amplifier. It has the following features:
• It has a frequency response range of 20Hz-200Hz.
• It comes with gold plated screw terminals.
• It has built-in crossovers and a variable low-pass filter.
Alpine amplifiers are highly recommended for their high sound quality and value for money. This particular product has received amazing reviews from users. It is priced at approximately $200.
Alpine CD players/Head units
The Alpine CDE-9846 is a CD player with a built-in amplifier. It has the following features...
• It provides a maximum power of 45 watts.
• It has CD text. This means that the receiver can display song and disc title information.
• It comes with a detachable face and source tone memory.
On the flip side, this product does not come with remote controls. It also does not have CD changer controls and is not compatible with satellite radios. Nevertheless, it has received excellent ratings -- So it's worth giving it a look. It is available for around $140.
Speakers
The Alpine SPS-13C2 is a two-way 175W car speaker with the following specifications:
• The woofer has an Aluminum coated polypropylene cone.
• It has an RMS power range of 35 Watts. RMS stands for Root Mean Square, which is an accurate means of measuring and comparing the power of a speaker.
Car speakers are usually priced in pairs. These speakers are available for approximately $50.
There are other accessories like the subwoofers, crossovers, overhead monitors, headphones and CD changers that make an audio system complete. Go ahead, buy an Alpine car audio system. Your car deserves nothing but the best.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chimezirim_Chinecherem_Odimba
The importance of mp3 Player during your day and life
There are many electronic gadgets that have a very important role in your life, I'll talk about the most important gadget nowadays, it's the mp3 player, I'll tell you how mp3 player can change your life for the better.
There are many electronic gadgets that have a very important role in your life, I'll talk about the most important gadget nowadays, it's the mp3 player, I'll tell you how mp3 player can change your life for the better, and I'll inform you how you can enjoy it during your day.For traveling, mp3 player is perfect for traveling, you can enjoy your favorite music during long travels to not get bored. In fact, mp3 player can really change your mood for the better in the traveling time.For sports, mp3 player is very cool and helpful during sports, it can help you to not feel tired while you enjoy your favorite music, it can get you do more sports to be a good athlete.At your free time, why you may get bored at free times, listen to your favorite recordings, songs and music while you spend your free time, anytime and anywhere. It will be very exciting to spend your free time with your favorite music.For lectures, record your lecture, representation, interviews using recording option in your mp3 player, according to the light weight and small size of the mp3 player, the recording process is very easy now.During your routine work at home, while you listen to your favorite music, it will be more easy to finish it at the perfect time.In your car, it's very easy to listen to your music by mp3 player using the mp3 transmitter which can convert the digital voice to radio waves which can be received by the car antenna.At rest time in your work, it may be more exciting to have your rest time with your music, it will be a very nice rest time to complete your work in a better mood.You can discover more important uses for the mp3 playerFeature Articles, when you know that you can enjoy it anywhere and anytime.
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/technology/the-importance-of-mp3-player-during-your-day-and-life.html
There are many electronic gadgets that have a very important role in your life, I'll talk about the most important gadget nowadays, it's the mp3 player, I'll tell you how mp3 player can change your life for the better, and I'll inform you how you can enjoy it during your day.For traveling, mp3 player is perfect for traveling, you can enjoy your favorite music during long travels to not get bored. In fact, mp3 player can really change your mood for the better in the traveling time.For sports, mp3 player is very cool and helpful during sports, it can help you to not feel tired while you enjoy your favorite music, it can get you do more sports to be a good athlete.At your free time, why you may get bored at free times, listen to your favorite recordings, songs and music while you spend your free time, anytime and anywhere. It will be very exciting to spend your free time with your favorite music.For lectures, record your lecture, representation, interviews using recording option in your mp3 player, according to the light weight and small size of the mp3 player, the recording process is very easy now.During your routine work at home, while you listen to your favorite music, it will be more easy to finish it at the perfect time.In your car, it's very easy to listen to your music by mp3 player using the mp3 transmitter which can convert the digital voice to radio waves which can be received by the car antenna.At rest time in your work, it may be more exciting to have your rest time with your music, it will be a very nice rest time to complete your work in a better mood.You can discover more important uses for the mp3 playerFeature Articles, when you know that you can enjoy it anywhere and anytime.
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/technology/the-importance-of-mp3-player-during-your-day-and-life.html
MP3 Players - Buying Guideline
The articles describes the main types of MP3 player and some guiding points of choosing an MP3 player: which are the main features of an MP3 player, what should one pay attention to when choosing a player and other issues.
MP3 is today one of the most popular acronyms, the complete name of which not many know. At the same time it is the most popular audio formats for the time of traveling. Many, many people buy new MP3 players and get rid of their old CD MP3 players. Why does this happen? Because the new players, based on flash cards, mini hard disks or had disks are more 'portable' and in most cases are able storing more information, i.e. more music and more hours listening to your favorite tracks.
So what should one pay attention to, when buying an MP3 player? There's actually not much to know about, but there are some key moments everyone should mind.
There are three main types of MP3 players, which are distinguished by the type of storage they have:
* Flash-based;
* MicroDrive-based;
* HDD-based.
A Flash-based MP3 player means the gadget has an integrated flash memory with a fixed amount of memory. However, some devices are equipped with a slot for additional flash cards of a certain type, whether SD (Secure Digital), MMC (MultiMedia Card) or any other multimedia flash cards, compatible with MP3 players.
The storage of such gadgets starts with 128 megabytes (this is not the minimum of a flash card, but having less megabytes is absolutely useless for an MP3 player). This is however very little for today and it is a rarity. You can only store about 20-30 files (depending on the quality and length of the tracks). Maximum storage is limited only to what the manufacturer of the player limits it to. On the other hand the storage is limited to the capacity the gadget is able to read. For example today many manufacturers start producing 8 GB and more Secure Digital flash cards, which would not be read by every device. So when buying any device with flash cards slot, be aware of what is the storage limit of the gadget.
Such a device would be perfect for working out, as there are no movable parts within and the player doesn't need any buffering, as the old CD players did.
An MP3 player with a Micro Drive will store, in most of the cases, more files, i.e. up to 6-10 gigabytes, but the ability to store files is more convenient, and it would be rather enough to have all the favorite tunes at hand.
HDD-based MP3 players are able storing a great amount of files, which is actually not that necessary. A person can hardly have so much favorite music: such a gadget can store from 20 to 60 gigabytes. This is rather much for a media player, which is able to play only audio files. Yet there are players, like iPods, which can playback video files and show them on the small screen. This function of the media player is rather useful for traveling long distances.
Since the HDD and the Micro Drive based players are actually based on hard drives, it is strongly not advisable to use them during workouts, as there are movable parts inside the hard drives and they could be damaged when shaken.
All the MP3 players, whatever their storage is, have a USB compatibility with the PC, as there should be a place to copy music from. However, some players are able downloading music from the internet via a wireless connection.
It should be also taken into consideration the power supply of the gadget: the flash-based devices will be delivered with disposable batteries, mainly AAA or AA (but a pair of rechargeable batteries can be always found), whereas the other two types of players would be delivered mostly with a rechargeable battery, compatible only with this particular model.
Modern MP3 players are not limited only to playback of MP3 files, as some can also playback WMA files, audio tracks from WMV files, AAC files, and other formats. So be sure to find out he exact list of formats the player you chose can playback.
Be careful to choose a gadget, which suits your lifestyle. For example if you like to travel a lot, then a micro drive player (or even one with a HDD) is the one for you, because so you can store all your important files near you. But if you often work out and music is an important part of the exercise, the flash MP3s are right for you.
Once again, be careful what you choose. Even if an MP3 for someone is a small thing, keep in mind that small things build up you life, so be wise when you choose them.
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/multimedia/mp3-players-buying-guideline.html
MP3 is today one of the most popular acronyms, the complete name of which not many know. At the same time it is the most popular audio formats for the time of traveling. Many, many people buy new MP3 players and get rid of their old CD MP3 players. Why does this happen? Because the new players, based on flash cards, mini hard disks or had disks are more 'portable' and in most cases are able storing more information, i.e. more music and more hours listening to your favorite tracks.
So what should one pay attention to, when buying an MP3 player? There's actually not much to know about, but there are some key moments everyone should mind.
There are three main types of MP3 players, which are distinguished by the type of storage they have:
* Flash-based;
* MicroDrive-based;
* HDD-based.
A Flash-based MP3 player means the gadget has an integrated flash memory with a fixed amount of memory. However, some devices are equipped with a slot for additional flash cards of a certain type, whether SD (Secure Digital), MMC (MultiMedia Card) or any other multimedia flash cards, compatible with MP3 players.
The storage of such gadgets starts with 128 megabytes (this is not the minimum of a flash card, but having less megabytes is absolutely useless for an MP3 player). This is however very little for today and it is a rarity. You can only store about 20-30 files (depending on the quality and length of the tracks). Maximum storage is limited only to what the manufacturer of the player limits it to. On the other hand the storage is limited to the capacity the gadget is able to read. For example today many manufacturers start producing 8 GB and more Secure Digital flash cards, which would not be read by every device. So when buying any device with flash cards slot, be aware of what is the storage limit of the gadget.
Such a device would be perfect for working out, as there are no movable parts within and the player doesn't need any buffering, as the old CD players did.
An MP3 player with a Micro Drive will store, in most of the cases, more files, i.e. up to 6-10 gigabytes, but the ability to store files is more convenient, and it would be rather enough to have all the favorite tunes at hand.
HDD-based MP3 players are able storing a great amount of files, which is actually not that necessary. A person can hardly have so much favorite music: such a gadget can store from 20 to 60 gigabytes. This is rather much for a media player, which is able to play only audio files. Yet there are players, like iPods, which can playback video files and show them on the small screen. This function of the media player is rather useful for traveling long distances.
Since the HDD and the Micro Drive based players are actually based on hard drives, it is strongly not advisable to use them during workouts, as there are movable parts inside the hard drives and they could be damaged when shaken.
All the MP3 players, whatever their storage is, have a USB compatibility with the PC, as there should be a place to copy music from. However, some players are able downloading music from the internet via a wireless connection.
It should be also taken into consideration the power supply of the gadget: the flash-based devices will be delivered with disposable batteries, mainly AAA or AA (but a pair of rechargeable batteries can be always found), whereas the other two types of players would be delivered mostly with a rechargeable battery, compatible only with this particular model.
Modern MP3 players are not limited only to playback of MP3 files, as some can also playback WMA files, audio tracks from WMV files, AAC files, and other formats. So be sure to find out he exact list of formats the player you chose can playback.
Be careful to choose a gadget, which suits your lifestyle. For example if you like to travel a lot, then a micro drive player (or even one with a HDD) is the one for you, because so you can store all your important files near you. But if you often work out and music is an important part of the exercise, the flash MP3s are right for you.
Once again, be careful what you choose. Even if an MP3 for someone is a small thing, keep in mind that small things build up you life, so be wise when you choose them.
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/multimedia/mp3-players-buying-guideline.html
DIY lab scanner made from standard CD drive
Fixing two additional light sensors to a normal CD or DVD drive can transform it into a highly accurate scanner for chemical or medical tests, Spanish researchers have shown. The team has developed a modified CD drive that detected tiny quantities of pesticide in samples placed on top of an ordinary compact disk.
Biologists and chemists often detect and measure compounds of interest, such as disease pathogens in blood or pollutants in water, by triggering interactions between these compounds and known proteins and antibodies. These immunoassay tests produce further compounds that can then be measured accurately, typically using light.
However, the machines used for light detection are expensive, normally costing between 30,000 and 60,000 euros, says Angel Maquieira, of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain.
Maquieira and colleagues found that an off-the-shelf CD drive can be modified to do the same job. While a laboratory machine has to precisely scan samples with light and record the results, a CD player uses similar precision to read the tiny pits that encode music or data on a disk.
"The main advantages of using a CD reader are versatility, simplicity, ease of operation, and portability for point-of-need applications," Maquieira told New Scientist.
Measuring light
Maquieira and colleagues soldered two extra light sensors inside a CD player, and used software to control the way the device "plays" a disk.
The first sensor identifies the sector of a disk containing a sample using black marks on the edge of the disk. The second analyses the sample itself, measuring the amount of laser light that is able to pass through the disk. The off-the-shelf disks used normally reflect around 30% of the laser beam onto the reading head, with the rest passing through.
In experiments, the researchers used their modified drive to detect traces of three different pesticides. A sample – half a millimetre across on a disk – was treated normally, using a set of reactions that produce an amount of dye or silver that is inversely proportional to the amount of pesticide in the sample.
The amount of laser light that passed through the disk to the second sensor indicated the levels of dye or silver. The modified drive was thus able to detect levels of pesticide as low as 0.02 micrograms per litre.
Although the hacked device lags behind the performance of specialised machines, it is accurate enough for many lab tasks, the team says.
High capacity
Other researchers have previously used the reading head from a CD drive to scan chemical samples. Using the whole drive is both faster and cheaper, Maquieira says.
He adds that thousands of samples could be placed on a single disk. "Currently, working at minimum capacity, we can manage 3072 dots, but the real capacity is much higher – more than 10000 per CD," he says.
Patrick Corran, who uses immunoassays at the London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine, says modified CD drives could be perfect for use in poorer countries. "I study malaria and I'm always aware of the importance of making equipment available to developing countries," he told New Scientist. "A cheap-and cheerful device made from mass produced and easily available products could help with that."
However, Corran believes that the Spanish team's procedure needs to be developed further. "They still do part of the assay in a normal plate. Until the whole thing can be done on a CD it doesn't have a great technical advantage."
Corran adds that future disk drives may be even more useful, since next-generation systems like Blu-ray and HD-DVD use shorter wavelength lasers that are closer to those found inside laboratory machines.
http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn12688-diy-lab-scanner-made-from-standard-cd-drive.html
Biologists and chemists often detect and measure compounds of interest, such as disease pathogens in blood or pollutants in water, by triggering interactions between these compounds and known proteins and antibodies. These immunoassay tests produce further compounds that can then be measured accurately, typically using light.
However, the machines used for light detection are expensive, normally costing between 30,000 and 60,000 euros, says Angel Maquieira, of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain.
Maquieira and colleagues found that an off-the-shelf CD drive can be modified to do the same job. While a laboratory machine has to precisely scan samples with light and record the results, a CD player uses similar precision to read the tiny pits that encode music or data on a disk.
"The main advantages of using a CD reader are versatility, simplicity, ease of operation, and portability for point-of-need applications," Maquieira told New Scientist.
Measuring light
Maquieira and colleagues soldered two extra light sensors inside a CD player, and used software to control the way the device "plays" a disk.
The first sensor identifies the sector of a disk containing a sample using black marks on the edge of the disk. The second analyses the sample itself, measuring the amount of laser light that is able to pass through the disk. The off-the-shelf disks used normally reflect around 30% of the laser beam onto the reading head, with the rest passing through.
In experiments, the researchers used their modified drive to detect traces of three different pesticides. A sample – half a millimetre across on a disk – was treated normally, using a set of reactions that produce an amount of dye or silver that is inversely proportional to the amount of pesticide in the sample.
The amount of laser light that passed through the disk to the second sensor indicated the levels of dye or silver. The modified drive was thus able to detect levels of pesticide as low as 0.02 micrograms per litre.
Although the hacked device lags behind the performance of specialised machines, it is accurate enough for many lab tasks, the team says.
High capacity
Other researchers have previously used the reading head from a CD drive to scan chemical samples. Using the whole drive is both faster and cheaper, Maquieira says.
He adds that thousands of samples could be placed on a single disk. "Currently, working at minimum capacity, we can manage 3072 dots, but the real capacity is much higher – more than 10000 per CD," he says.
Patrick Corran, who uses immunoassays at the London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine, says modified CD drives could be perfect for use in poorer countries. "I study malaria and I'm always aware of the importance of making equipment available to developing countries," he told New Scientist. "A cheap-and cheerful device made from mass produced and easily available products could help with that."
However, Corran believes that the Spanish team's procedure needs to be developed further. "They still do part of the assay in a normal plate. Until the whole thing can be done on a CD it doesn't have a great technical advantage."
Corran adds that future disk drives may be even more useful, since next-generation systems like Blu-ray and HD-DVD use shorter wavelength lasers that are closer to those found inside laboratory machines.
http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn12688-diy-lab-scanner-made-from-standard-cd-drive.html
Thursday, October 11, 2007
New CD and DVD Technology -- Blu-Ray and HD-DVD
The compact disc has been around since 1978, developed by Phillips and Sony. The reason it was developed was to take over for the Laserdisc as the industry standard digital audio disc. Since its invention, we have seen many updates on the compact disc technology. The most recent being the CD-R and DVD discs. With the CD-R, you can now burn your own discs at home, and then modify those discs at a later date. DVD technology allows us to record video onto a disc, where we used to only be able to record audio and data. As time rolls by, and the disc industry advances, we are presented with new forms of these technologies. The two new contenders are Blu-Ray discs and HD-DVD, here’s a little information about each of these new disc types.
1. Blu-Ray
This type of disc, also known as Blu-Ray Disc, is the next generation of optical disc. It was developed by the Blu-Ray Disc Association, a group of consumer electronic/PC/media manufacturers, including: Apple, HP, Mitsubishi, Phillips, Sony, and others. The Blu-Ray disc type was mainly developed for recording, rewriting, and playing back high-definition (HD) video. It’s also perfect for storing large amounts of data, exceeding previous DVD-R disc storage capabilities. It can hold more than 5 times the amount of information that a traditional DVD can hold, up to 25GB single layer, and up to 50GB dual layer. One of the main differences of the Blu-Ray disc is the type of laser that the disc is read with. Normal DVDs are read with a red laser, the Blu-Ray discs are read with a blue-violet laser. The main benefit of this change is the wave length of the laser types. The traditional red laser has a wider focus, so the blue-violet laser can be focused more precisely allowing more tightly packed data. This equals more data in less space on the disc, this results in the additional storage space available on the new Blu-Ray discs. These new discs are backwards compatible with regular DVDs, which they are expected to replace in the near future.
2. HD-DVD
HD-DVD discs, High Definition Versatile Discs or High Definition Digital Video Discs, are very similar to the Blu-Ray discs. This disc type is being developed by a group of consumer electronics/PC companies, headed by Toshiba. They also use a blue-violet laser to read the contents of the disc, which results in an increase in storage capacity compared to normal DVD discs. The HD-DVD can store 15GB single layer and 30GB double layer, making their storage capacity 10GB per layer smaller than the Blu-Ray. But Toshiba has announced a triple layer disc that can hold 45GB of information, and the HD DVD discs can hold both HD DVD and regular DVD information on one disc.
Right now these two disc types are battling it out to become the next generation of DVD disc technology, conjuring up images of the battle between Betamax and VHS in the 80’s. I guess we’re all wondering who’s going to come out on top? In my honest opinion, I believe that Blu-Ray will become the new standard. Both disc types offer HD capability and large data storage capacity, so it’s kind of hard to say which is better. The Blu-Ray, with its greater maximum storage capacity and the fact that it’s being backed by more of the large consumer electronic/PC/media manufacturers, I believe will win the battle. But it’s all still up in the air, so only time will tell.
http://www.content.onlypunjab.com/Article/New-CD-and-DVD-Technology----Blu-Ray-and-HD-DVD/4200320092003285381
1. Blu-Ray
This type of disc, also known as Blu-Ray Disc, is the next generation of optical disc. It was developed by the Blu-Ray Disc Association, a group of consumer electronic/PC/media manufacturers, including: Apple, HP, Mitsubishi, Phillips, Sony, and others. The Blu-Ray disc type was mainly developed for recording, rewriting, and playing back high-definition (HD) video. It’s also perfect for storing large amounts of data, exceeding previous DVD-R disc storage capabilities. It can hold more than 5 times the amount of information that a traditional DVD can hold, up to 25GB single layer, and up to 50GB dual layer. One of the main differences of the Blu-Ray disc is the type of laser that the disc is read with. Normal DVDs are read with a red laser, the Blu-Ray discs are read with a blue-violet laser. The main benefit of this change is the wave length of the laser types. The traditional red laser has a wider focus, so the blue-violet laser can be focused more precisely allowing more tightly packed data. This equals more data in less space on the disc, this results in the additional storage space available on the new Blu-Ray discs. These new discs are backwards compatible with regular DVDs, which they are expected to replace in the near future.
2. HD-DVD
HD-DVD discs, High Definition Versatile Discs or High Definition Digital Video Discs, are very similar to the Blu-Ray discs. This disc type is being developed by a group of consumer electronics/PC companies, headed by Toshiba. They also use a blue-violet laser to read the contents of the disc, which results in an increase in storage capacity compared to normal DVD discs. The HD-DVD can store 15GB single layer and 30GB double layer, making their storage capacity 10GB per layer smaller than the Blu-Ray. But Toshiba has announced a triple layer disc that can hold 45GB of information, and the HD DVD discs can hold both HD DVD and regular DVD information on one disc.
Right now these two disc types are battling it out to become the next generation of DVD disc technology, conjuring up images of the battle between Betamax and VHS in the 80’s. I guess we’re all wondering who’s going to come out on top? In my honest opinion, I believe that Blu-Ray will become the new standard. Both disc types offer HD capability and large data storage capacity, so it’s kind of hard to say which is better. The Blu-Ray, with its greater maximum storage capacity and the fact that it’s being backed by more of the large consumer electronic/PC/media manufacturers, I believe will win the battle. But it’s all still up in the air, so only time will tell.
http://www.content.onlypunjab.com/Article/New-CD-and-DVD-Technology----Blu-Ray-and-HD-DVD/4200320092003285381
CD Player, Changer, and Recorder Buying Guide
The Basics: CD Players, Changers, and Recorders
Single-disc CD players were the first players available when CD technology was introduced in the early 1980s. They performed only the very basic transport functions: play, stop, fast-forward, reverse, and pause.
When the other varieties of multiple-disc players came out (magazine cartridge changers, carousel changers, and mega jukebox changers), sales of single players dropped. Even worse for single player sales was the advent of DVD-Video players. In addition to handling DVD, these machines have no problem playing CD. Nevertheless, single-disc CD players still have many advantages over all these other options that many audiophiles are still willing to pay a premium for. The theory is that having one transport, with only one type of laser pickup that is optimized for CD, will produce a better sound than a DVD player or changer can. True audiophiles feel that the mechanics of multiple-disc changers degrade the transport as well, affecting the sound. There are also people who have no need to load any more discs than the one disc they wish to listen to.
Originally intended for the professional and high-end markets, mega-CD changers caught on with the general public, and as with most electronics, the prices fell quickly. When first introduced, these had a capacity of about 20 discs. By today's standards, those are tiny. Many manufacturers have mega-changers with a 400-disc capacity; some are even able to link to another changer, doubling that capacity. People can store their entire CD collection in these players. The only question that remains after deciding to get a mega-changer is what to do with all those empty CD boxes?
Just as quickly as large multiple-CD changers took over the market, DVD changers have replaced them. Manufacturers learned that it doesn't take much to add DVD capabilities to their CD changer line. Currently, the number of CD-only changers is dwindling, with DVD changers rapidly taking over much of the space on retail shelves.
CD recorders have become the norm of CD player purchases. They come in two varieties--those capable of recording only to CD-R (recordable) and those that record to both CD-R and CD-RW (rewritable). CD-R was introduced as a "write-once" format for recording audio in 1992, a few years after recording was made available for computer data storage. CD-R allow you to record up to 80 minutes of content separated into as many as 99 tracks. Once the table of contents (TOC) is finalized, a CD-R cannot be recorded on again. These discs are playable on most CD players, but some CD and DVD players are not compatible with CD-R. When using dedicated audio CD-R recorders, you must use discs specified for audio recording. Computer-grade (data) discs, though less expensive, are not suitable for audio recordings.
CD-RW let you record, erase, and rerecord on a disc, although different discs are designed specifically for data or audio use, so make sure you purchase the right ones. During the initial copying with a dedicated audio CD-RW recorder, single tracks can be changed and rerecorded. After the disc is finalized, the entire disc must be erased before it can be recorded on again. Many conventional CD players cannot read CD-RW, as the recording layer's reflectivity is not high enough for typical laser pickups to read.
How to Shop
Single-disc CD players generally have a more solid frame, a well-designed remote control, and perhaps a higher resolution D/A converter--20 or 24-bit resolution compared to the standard 16-bit.
Whether they copy only onto CD-R or to both CD-R and CD-RW, CD recorders produce incredible digital copies. Looking at spec sheets, you'll see that the difference in sonic performance is infinitesimally small, inaudibly so. Therefore, you can safely purchase a player from online sources or your local retailer. Computer CD burners work only with a computer interface; do not try to purchase one for your home stereo system. Avoid any low-price option with flimsy plastic trays--the physical mechanics of players is most likely where initial failure begins.
Digital outputs are a nice feature, but make sure they use the same type that your receiver or preamp accepts, assuming they have digital inputs. Digital connections come in two flavors: coaxial, which uses an RCA jack; and optical, or Toslink fiber optic, which uses a special optical jack. Digital outputs are recommended to use for making a recording to another digital format.
http://products.howstuffworks.com/cd-players-changers-and-recorders-buying-guide.htm
Single-disc CD players were the first players available when CD technology was introduced in the early 1980s. They performed only the very basic transport functions: play, stop, fast-forward, reverse, and pause.
When the other varieties of multiple-disc players came out (magazine cartridge changers, carousel changers, and mega jukebox changers), sales of single players dropped. Even worse for single player sales was the advent of DVD-Video players. In addition to handling DVD, these machines have no problem playing CD. Nevertheless, single-disc CD players still have many advantages over all these other options that many audiophiles are still willing to pay a premium for. The theory is that having one transport, with only one type of laser pickup that is optimized for CD, will produce a better sound than a DVD player or changer can. True audiophiles feel that the mechanics of multiple-disc changers degrade the transport as well, affecting the sound. There are also people who have no need to load any more discs than the one disc they wish to listen to.
Originally intended for the professional and high-end markets, mega-CD changers caught on with the general public, and as with most electronics, the prices fell quickly. When first introduced, these had a capacity of about 20 discs. By today's standards, those are tiny. Many manufacturers have mega-changers with a 400-disc capacity; some are even able to link to another changer, doubling that capacity. People can store their entire CD collection in these players. The only question that remains after deciding to get a mega-changer is what to do with all those empty CD boxes?
Just as quickly as large multiple-CD changers took over the market, DVD changers have replaced them. Manufacturers learned that it doesn't take much to add DVD capabilities to their CD changer line. Currently, the number of CD-only changers is dwindling, with DVD changers rapidly taking over much of the space on retail shelves.
CD recorders have become the norm of CD player purchases. They come in two varieties--those capable of recording only to CD-R (recordable) and those that record to both CD-R and CD-RW (rewritable). CD-R was introduced as a "write-once" format for recording audio in 1992, a few years after recording was made available for computer data storage. CD-R allow you to record up to 80 minutes of content separated into as many as 99 tracks. Once the table of contents (TOC) is finalized, a CD-R cannot be recorded on again. These discs are playable on most CD players, but some CD and DVD players are not compatible with CD-R. When using dedicated audio CD-R recorders, you must use discs specified for audio recording. Computer-grade (data) discs, though less expensive, are not suitable for audio recordings.
CD-RW let you record, erase, and rerecord on a disc, although different discs are designed specifically for data or audio use, so make sure you purchase the right ones. During the initial copying with a dedicated audio CD-RW recorder, single tracks can be changed and rerecorded. After the disc is finalized, the entire disc must be erased before it can be recorded on again. Many conventional CD players cannot read CD-RW, as the recording layer's reflectivity is not high enough for typical laser pickups to read.
How to Shop
Single-disc CD players generally have a more solid frame, a well-designed remote control, and perhaps a higher resolution D/A converter--20 or 24-bit resolution compared to the standard 16-bit.
Whether they copy only onto CD-R or to both CD-R and CD-RW, CD recorders produce incredible digital copies. Looking at spec sheets, you'll see that the difference in sonic performance is infinitesimally small, inaudibly so. Therefore, you can safely purchase a player from online sources or your local retailer. Computer CD burners work only with a computer interface; do not try to purchase one for your home stereo system. Avoid any low-price option with flimsy plastic trays--the physical mechanics of players is most likely where initial failure begins.
Digital outputs are a nice feature, but make sure they use the same type that your receiver or preamp accepts, assuming they have digital inputs. Digital connections come in two flavors: coaxial, which uses an RCA jack; and optical, or Toslink fiber optic, which uses a special optical jack. Digital outputs are recommended to use for making a recording to another digital format.
http://products.howstuffworks.com/cd-players-changers-and-recorders-buying-guide.htm
CD and SACD Players: How to Choose
From jukebox changers that house 400 CDs, to CD-R/RW dubbing decks that let you record your own customized discs, today's music lover has a wide variety of options when shopping for a CD player. Whether you're looking for a simple single-disc player or a unit capable of unlocking the multichannel thrills of ultra-high-fidelity Super Audio CDs, it's important to get a deck with the convenience features you want and the format-playing flexibility you need.
How many discs do you want at your fingertips?
One major differentiator to consider when you're choosing a CD player is disc capacity. If you rarely have time to listen to more than a single CD or a few songs at a time, a single-disc player is probably all you need. Even these players feature programming functions that let you cherry-pick only the tracks you want to hear on a disc, and play them back in any order you choose.
If, on the other hand, you love the idea of hours of uninterrupted playback, or the ability to random play songs from several discs at a time, get a multi-disc changer. All of our 5-disc carousel changers let you change up to four discs while the fifth keeps playing, for nonstop music.
Jukebox changer options
For the ultimate in playback flexibility, go for a mega changer. Also referred to as jukebox changers, these units provide a permanent home up to 400 of your favorite discs. Think of how much faster and easier it'll be to get straight to the music — your entire CD collection will already be loaded and ready to go.
If you've decided you want a jukebox changer, one feature you might want to keep an eye out for is disc naming capability. Some mega changers let you enter the title and artist name for each CD stored, which makes searching for a particular disc especially easy. A few even provide an input for a PC keyboard, which allows super-speedy name entry.
And for those of you with truly massive music collections, some of our mega changers let you connect a second changer and operate the two units as one. This not only increases your disc capacity tremendously, but in many cases also provides sophisticated playback options like cross-fading and no-delay shuffle play.
CD recorders
If you've ever wanted to record your own discs, you'll love the world of possibilities that a CD recorder offers. From quickly dubbing copies of your favorite CDs for the road to archiving copies of treasured old LPs and cassettes, a CD recorder lets you create discs from almost any audio source, digital or analog. You can even pick choice tunes from a dozen different sources to compile any "mixed" disc you can dream up.
CD recorders, also called CD-R/RW decks, make it simple and affordable to create great-sounding discs — direct digital recording means that your copies will sound virtually indistinguishable from their original CD sources. And you'll be able to play back your self-made CD-Rs in almost all newer home, car, and portable CD and DVD players and changers. You'll also be able to record CD-RWs, which don't play back in as wide a range of players as CD-Rs, but do allow you to re-record different music on the same disc dozens of times.
Note: Blank computer CDs are not compatible with audio CD recorders, so be sure to use blank audio discs (the logo on the packaging must include the words "Digital Audio").
What types of discs do you want to play?
Of course, all players handle the standard CDs you're used to buying in music stores, but a lot of new disc types have emerged in the past few years. And when it comes to format flexibility, all CD players are not created equal.
If, for example, you've got a computer or a component CD recorder that lets you burn your own CD-Rs or CD-RWs, you'll probably want a player that can handle these formats. Almost all newer players can play recordable CD-Rs, and many also work with rewritable CD-RWs, but if this is an important feature for you, be sure to check before you buy.
If you're an Internet audio fan with loads of MP3 files on your PC, and you have the ability to burn them onto CD-Rs or CD-RWs, you may want a CD player that can play back such MP3 discs through your main A/V system. Crutchfield offers a wide variety of decks with MP3 CD playback, including CD recorders, DVD/CD decks, and portable CD players.
SACD
A newer type of disc is the SACD, or Super Audio Compact Disc. These discs require a specialized player because they're based on an entirely new recording technology called Direct Stream Digital (DSD). SACD players, however, are built to play both SACDs and standard CDs with outstanding precision.
DSD captures four times as much musical information as the Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) technology used for CDs. As a result, SACDs sound warmer, smoother, and more "analog" than standard compact discs. SACD faithfully captures the purity and freshness of the original musical performance, right down to the ambience of the studio or concert venue where it was performed.
This unprecedented level of sonic realism is further enhanced by SACD's multichannel capabilities. Some SACDs are recorded in two-channel stereo, but many take advantage of the format's ability to store music in up to 6 discrete channels. Best of all, this multichannel capability is designed for compatibility with a standard 5.1-channel home theater system.
For more information about high-resolution audio, see our article on SACD and DVD-Audio.
Making a direct digital connection
You'll want to check for digital input/output compatibility if you want to make a direct digital connection between your CD player and A/V receiver. SACDs require digital-to-analog conversion that can currently only be provided by SACD players themselves. Therefore, SACD signals can only be sent to a receiver using analog connections. That means you'll need a home theater receiver with a 5.1-channel analog input to enjoy multichannel SACD sound.
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/learningcenter/home/cd.html?print=1&page=all
How many discs do you want at your fingertips?
One major differentiator to consider when you're choosing a CD player is disc capacity. If you rarely have time to listen to more than a single CD or a few songs at a time, a single-disc player is probably all you need. Even these players feature programming functions that let you cherry-pick only the tracks you want to hear on a disc, and play them back in any order you choose.
If, on the other hand, you love the idea of hours of uninterrupted playback, or the ability to random play songs from several discs at a time, get a multi-disc changer. All of our 5-disc carousel changers let you change up to four discs while the fifth keeps playing, for nonstop music.
Jukebox changer options
For the ultimate in playback flexibility, go for a mega changer. Also referred to as jukebox changers, these units provide a permanent home up to 400 of your favorite discs. Think of how much faster and easier it'll be to get straight to the music — your entire CD collection will already be loaded and ready to go.
If you've decided you want a jukebox changer, one feature you might want to keep an eye out for is disc naming capability. Some mega changers let you enter the title and artist name for each CD stored, which makes searching for a particular disc especially easy. A few even provide an input for a PC keyboard, which allows super-speedy name entry.
And for those of you with truly massive music collections, some of our mega changers let you connect a second changer and operate the two units as one. This not only increases your disc capacity tremendously, but in many cases also provides sophisticated playback options like cross-fading and no-delay shuffle play.
CD recorders
If you've ever wanted to record your own discs, you'll love the world of possibilities that a CD recorder offers. From quickly dubbing copies of your favorite CDs for the road to archiving copies of treasured old LPs and cassettes, a CD recorder lets you create discs from almost any audio source, digital or analog. You can even pick choice tunes from a dozen different sources to compile any "mixed" disc you can dream up.
CD recorders, also called CD-R/RW decks, make it simple and affordable to create great-sounding discs — direct digital recording means that your copies will sound virtually indistinguishable from their original CD sources. And you'll be able to play back your self-made CD-Rs in almost all newer home, car, and portable CD and DVD players and changers. You'll also be able to record CD-RWs, which don't play back in as wide a range of players as CD-Rs, but do allow you to re-record different music on the same disc dozens of times.
Note: Blank computer CDs are not compatible with audio CD recorders, so be sure to use blank audio discs (the logo on the packaging must include the words "Digital Audio").
What types of discs do you want to play?
Of course, all players handle the standard CDs you're used to buying in music stores, but a lot of new disc types have emerged in the past few years. And when it comes to format flexibility, all CD players are not created equal.
If, for example, you've got a computer or a component CD recorder that lets you burn your own CD-Rs or CD-RWs, you'll probably want a player that can handle these formats. Almost all newer players can play recordable CD-Rs, and many also work with rewritable CD-RWs, but if this is an important feature for you, be sure to check before you buy.
If you're an Internet audio fan with loads of MP3 files on your PC, and you have the ability to burn them onto CD-Rs or CD-RWs, you may want a CD player that can play back such MP3 discs through your main A/V system. Crutchfield offers a wide variety of decks with MP3 CD playback, including CD recorders, DVD/CD decks, and portable CD players.
SACD
A newer type of disc is the SACD, or Super Audio Compact Disc. These discs require a specialized player because they're based on an entirely new recording technology called Direct Stream Digital (DSD). SACD players, however, are built to play both SACDs and standard CDs with outstanding precision.
DSD captures four times as much musical information as the Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) technology used for CDs. As a result, SACDs sound warmer, smoother, and more "analog" than standard compact discs. SACD faithfully captures the purity and freshness of the original musical performance, right down to the ambience of the studio or concert venue where it was performed.
This unprecedented level of sonic realism is further enhanced by SACD's multichannel capabilities. Some SACDs are recorded in two-channel stereo, but many take advantage of the format's ability to store music in up to 6 discrete channels. Best of all, this multichannel capability is designed for compatibility with a standard 5.1-channel home theater system.
For more information about high-resolution audio, see our article on SACD and DVD-Audio.
Making a direct digital connection
You'll want to check for digital input/output compatibility if you want to make a direct digital connection between your CD player and A/V receiver. SACDs require digital-to-analog conversion that can currently only be provided by SACD players themselves. Therefore, SACD signals can only be sent to a receiver using analog connections. That means you'll need a home theater receiver with a 5.1-channel analog input to enjoy multichannel SACD sound.
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/learningcenter/home/cd.html?print=1&page=all
Facts About Mp3 Player, Mp4 Player And Ipod
The invention of the MP3 player, with MP4 player and iPod following it, has revolutionized the music industry. These lightweight, reasonably priced, portable music gadgets are almost everywhere you look. Earlier they used to be the obsession of the geeks, nerds and the electronic enthusiasts but today these players are a must have consumer electronic item for almost everyone whether it is the stay at house mom, working business executive, fitness freak joggers, teenagers or even the bored granddad.
MP3 player has personalized music like never before. The MP3 craze has reached its peak with people wanting more and more features in their players. What they want is to download their complete collection of music in their player. You can download and store more than thousands of songs inexpensively into your device and listen to it whenever you want; whether at office or at home or tolerating a boring lecture or even struggling past a heavy traffic jam. A music player seems to be in every hand nowadays. These are wireless, portable, wonders of music and entertainment that can store, systematize and play music on demand.
The three main types of digital audio players are MP3 CD Players that can play both data CDs and audio CDs with MP3 format files, Flash-based Players that are solid state devices with internal media or memory cards type external media and Digital Jukeboxes like the apple iPod and Creative Zen which can read digital audio files from a hard drive. These types of players are the most advanced in technology and have high memory ranging from 1.5 GigaByte to 100 GigaByte.
There is a myth regarding MP3 and MP4 player as Mp4 being a successor of Mp3 player, but these two are different things. Fundamentally, Mp3 is a specific category of audio format while Mp4 is actually a container format. But an Mp4 player can also play Mp3 files besides MP4 format files with complete clarity just like the original player.
The iPod was introduced by Apple Inc. and was launched in October 2001. The varieties of iPod available today include video fifth generation iPod, the small iPod nano and the display free iPod shuffle. You can use Apple`s iTunes software to transfer music of your choice to the devices. An iPod supports and plays MP3, AAC, AIFF, Protected AAC, WAV and some other audio file formats. The Apple iPod also has some additional features like displaying text files, viewing contacts and synchronizing it with the host computer, gaming facilities like the Brick, solitaire, Parachute and Music Quiz. A lot of accessories have been made for the iPod such as sound recorders, wired remote control, FM radio tuners, and cables for enabling TV connections.
iPods have often been criticized due to their short life-span, delicate hard drives.There are also some health risks associated with frequent use of these players which can lead to loss in audio capacity and can also lead to absent mindedness.
All of these music players are portable and use either a semi-permanent rechargeable battery or conventional batteries that can be disposed or recharged. Some MP3 / MP4 players also have additional features like playing FM stations, games, microphone for voice recording, address storage book and etc.
The MP3 player have created a huge mass hysteria amongst some age groups leading to many companies joining the bandwagon to design and market different types of MP3, MP4 players and iPods. It has also given rise to an entirely new industry of downloading sites. This heavy competition has forced companies to find new and innovative use of these players like incorporating features like camera, mobile and etc.
This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.
http://www.ex-designz.net/articleread.asp?aid=4013
MP3 player has personalized music like never before. The MP3 craze has reached its peak with people wanting more and more features in their players. What they want is to download their complete collection of music in their player. You can download and store more than thousands of songs inexpensively into your device and listen to it whenever you want; whether at office or at home or tolerating a boring lecture or even struggling past a heavy traffic jam. A music player seems to be in every hand nowadays. These are wireless, portable, wonders of music and entertainment that can store, systematize and play music on demand.
The three main types of digital audio players are MP3 CD Players that can play both data CDs and audio CDs with MP3 format files, Flash-based Players that are solid state devices with internal media or memory cards type external media and Digital Jukeboxes like the apple iPod and Creative Zen which can read digital audio files from a hard drive. These types of players are the most advanced in technology and have high memory ranging from 1.5 GigaByte to 100 GigaByte.
There is a myth regarding MP3 and MP4 player as Mp4 being a successor of Mp3 player, but these two are different things. Fundamentally, Mp3 is a specific category of audio format while Mp4 is actually a container format. But an Mp4 player can also play Mp3 files besides MP4 format files with complete clarity just like the original player.
The iPod was introduced by Apple Inc. and was launched in October 2001. The varieties of iPod available today include video fifth generation iPod, the small iPod nano and the display free iPod shuffle. You can use Apple`s iTunes software to transfer music of your choice to the devices. An iPod supports and plays MP3, AAC, AIFF, Protected AAC, WAV and some other audio file formats. The Apple iPod also has some additional features like displaying text files, viewing contacts and synchronizing it with the host computer, gaming facilities like the Brick, solitaire, Parachute and Music Quiz. A lot of accessories have been made for the iPod such as sound recorders, wired remote control, FM radio tuners, and cables for enabling TV connections.
iPods have often been criticized due to their short life-span, delicate hard drives.There are also some health risks associated with frequent use of these players which can lead to loss in audio capacity and can also lead to absent mindedness.
All of these music players are portable and use either a semi-permanent rechargeable battery or conventional batteries that can be disposed or recharged. Some MP3 / MP4 players also have additional features like playing FM stations, games, microphone for voice recording, address storage book and etc.
The MP3 player have created a huge mass hysteria amongst some age groups leading to many companies joining the bandwagon to design and market different types of MP3, MP4 players and iPods. It has also given rise to an entirely new industry of downloading sites. This heavy competition has forced companies to find new and innovative use of these players like incorporating features like camera, mobile and etc.
This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.
http://www.ex-designz.net/articleread.asp?aid=4013
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
D-Link DMP-CD100 MP3 CD Player Review
This is the time when there are so many options for us computer freaks that it sometimes overwhelms us. Think back a year and you could not have imagined half the stuff that is going on right now. We were awed by small portable mp3 players that could hold 8-10 songs, we were impressed with the second and third generation portables that added more features and memory but the problem that always manifested itself with every iteration was the limited capacity of SmartMedia cards (the media of choice for portable). These cards ranged from 8MB to 64MB, a fully loaded player with 64MB internal memory and 32MB external memory could hold around 18 songs and a player with 128MB total could hold many 22-24.
What’s the problem? You can always buy more SmartMedia cards. WRONG. SmartMedia is not cheap like donuts, they are actually VERY expensive at around $100-150 for 32-64MB, these are a luxury reserved for the economically prestigious and the rest of us are left with transferring out the old songs and uploading new ones, draining battery life and adding time to an already busy schedule. The smart people over in Korea recognized this problem and designed something along the lines of an mp3 player and a computer in one and created an mp3 player with a built in hard drive to store songs with. Smart idea, right? Not really.
Hard drives as we all know belong inside a computer, which is plugged into a wall, which provides an endless stream of electricity. Hard drives take up an enormous amount of power (that is, when you’re considering the unit being powered with standard AA batteries) when it spins up and spins down, which it does frequently when it accesses songs to put in a buffer. Also, hard drive based players take a while to access songs because it needs to spin up and down to move those files into the buffer memory. Sure, it’s a large amount of memory but would you be willing to have 15 hours of songs of which you can only play 4 hours of before the battery runs dry? Plus, the cost of the drives and technology adds a lot of money to the cost of the players which range from $400-600. Then came the generation of mp3 players/CD players in one. These devices can play mp3 files burned on a CD as well as CD audio. A good idea because they would actually go 8-10 hours without running out of juice and can hold a full 650MB worth of mp3’s and your CD collection as well. With CD media dropping in price, this seems to be one of the better ideas for a player. Today we will look at one suck device made by D-Link Systems called the DMP-CD100
http://www.slcentral.com/reviews/hardware/periph/dlink/dmpcd100/
What’s the problem? You can always buy more SmartMedia cards. WRONG. SmartMedia is not cheap like donuts, they are actually VERY expensive at around $100-150 for 32-64MB, these are a luxury reserved for the economically prestigious and the rest of us are left with transferring out the old songs and uploading new ones, draining battery life and adding time to an already busy schedule. The smart people over in Korea recognized this problem and designed something along the lines of an mp3 player and a computer in one and created an mp3 player with a built in hard drive to store songs with. Smart idea, right? Not really.
Hard drives as we all know belong inside a computer, which is plugged into a wall, which provides an endless stream of electricity. Hard drives take up an enormous amount of power (that is, when you’re considering the unit being powered with standard AA batteries) when it spins up and spins down, which it does frequently when it accesses songs to put in a buffer. Also, hard drive based players take a while to access songs because it needs to spin up and down to move those files into the buffer memory. Sure, it’s a large amount of memory but would you be willing to have 15 hours of songs of which you can only play 4 hours of before the battery runs dry? Plus, the cost of the drives and technology adds a lot of money to the cost of the players which range from $400-600. Then came the generation of mp3 players/CD players in one. These devices can play mp3 files burned on a CD as well as CD audio. A good idea because they would actually go 8-10 hours without running out of juice and can hold a full 650MB worth of mp3’s and your CD collection as well. With CD media dropping in price, this seems to be one of the better ideas for a player. Today we will look at one suck device made by D-Link Systems called the DMP-CD100
http://www.slcentral.com/reviews/hardware/periph/dlink/dmpcd100/
Terratec Promedia m3po Hi-Fi MP3 CD Player Review
MP3 technology has been ever-evolving, and has moved into nearly everyone's lives. There is an abundance of MP3 devices like portable MP3 players, portable MP3 CD players, etc, etc. It seems like every time you visit Best Buy, there's a few more out there.
We have even seen MP3 players move into all sorts of applications, including the automobile, but today we will see MP3's delve into the high-fidelity home theater.
The product we're going to look at is the Terratec m3po MP3 CD player. What is meant by an MP3 CD player is that you can either have the choice to burn actual MP3 files onto a CD and play them from the player or have the MP3's on a hard drive and play them from the player like that. Don't quite understand, or want to hear more? Don't worry, I'll be going more in depth later on in the review.
So, you've never heard of Terratec have you? Terratec is a company based out of Germany. They make a plethora of multimedia-related products including, sound cards, web cams, and more. You can check them out on the web at Terratec.net.
Specs
Technical specifications
* Playback of MP3 files direct from CD
* Playback of conventional audio CDs
* Playlist support in the widely-used M3U format
* Additional installation space for a conventional 3.5 inch AT-bus hard disk
* Supports ISO9660/Joliet and FAT16/32 file systems on CD and harddrive
* MP3 data over interpret, album and title (ID TAGS) are read and directly shown in the display
* All MPEG audio bit rates, scan rates and variable bit rate streams (8-48 kHz, 8-320 kbps) are supported
* Clear and practically-oriented infrared remote control
* Variable playback speed possible without affecting pitch
* Quick access to titles using the shuttle
* Title list saved in the internal RAM
* Special playback modes for a variety of uses
* Later update of the operating system is possible through CD-ROM
* 32-bit RISC processor for controls
* High-quality hardware MPEG decoder
Outputs
* Line Out (Cinch)
* Separately adjustable headphone output (6.5 mm jack)
http://www.slcentral.com/reviews/hardware/periph/terratec/m3po/
We have even seen MP3 players move into all sorts of applications, including the automobile, but today we will see MP3's delve into the high-fidelity home theater.
The product we're going to look at is the Terratec m3po MP3 CD player. What is meant by an MP3 CD player is that you can either have the choice to burn actual MP3 files onto a CD and play them from the player or have the MP3's on a hard drive and play them from the player like that. Don't quite understand, or want to hear more? Don't worry, I'll be going more in depth later on in the review.
So, you've never heard of Terratec have you? Terratec is a company based out of Germany. They make a plethora of multimedia-related products including, sound cards, web cams, and more. You can check them out on the web at Terratec.net.
Specs
Technical specifications
* Playback of MP3 files direct from CD
* Playback of conventional audio CDs
* Playlist support in the widely-used M3U format
* Additional installation space for a conventional 3.5 inch AT-bus hard disk
* Supports ISO9660/Joliet and FAT16/32 file systems on CD and harddrive
* MP3 data over interpret, album and title (ID TAGS) are read and directly shown in the display
* All MPEG audio bit rates, scan rates and variable bit rate streams (8-48 kHz, 8-320 kbps) are supported
* Clear and practically-oriented infrared remote control
* Variable playback speed possible without affecting pitch
* Quick access to titles using the shuttle
* Title list saved in the internal RAM
* Special playback modes for a variety of uses
* Later update of the operating system is possible through CD-ROM
* 32-bit RISC processor for controls
* High-quality hardware MPEG decoder
Outputs
* Line Out (Cinch)
* Separately adjustable headphone output (6.5 mm jack)
http://www.slcentral.com/reviews/hardware/periph/terratec/m3po/
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