Friday, October 5, 2007

Choosing the Best MP3 Player for Travel

MP3 players are now capable of many things including making your life easier while traveling.

With more of us traveling these days whether it be across State, interstate or around the world, often one home comfort we miss is our music. The choice of music player has been limited over the years to either tape cassette or a CD player, the major problem was the carrying of the units and the box of tapes or CD's.

With the invention of the MP3 player, the saving of both weight and space has been greatly improved, and the convenience is just fantastic. But the wide choice of MP3 players available has created a few other challenges, mainly with the huge choice and functionality of MP3 players available today.

Choosing the Best MP3 player for Travel, has not been so easy, until Today.

Imagine combining your CD player, DVD player, Laptop (the important info), voice recorder and extra memory cards for your digital camera all into one small unit.

The following will give you a few ideas as to what functionality is available in MP3 players available today, that you could use while traveling.

First things first:
To Choose the Best MP3 player for travel we need to have an idea as to what we may want to use it for.

Some Ideas, apart from listening to music,
Listening to the radio station (for local interest or emergency)
A podcast (Download a recording of the local places of interest)
A voice recorder (to make notes of where you have been or places of interest)
Reading or listening to eBooks (while in transit)
While jogging (we all need a bit of exercise even when on holiday)
Storing and viewing Photo's from our camera or videos stored from before we left home.
Are you going to go snorkling, if so do you want your music?
Filing our itinary and flight details.
Playing Games, to fill in time.
Use your MP3 player to make a journal of your travels.

This list has just a few ideas as to what the modern MP3 players can do, once you have thought through your own needs you will be in a much better position to 'Choose the best MP3 player for your travels'.

For more information on MP3 players for travel check out www.mp3 music player info.com Where you can download an eBook on 'Choosing the best MP3 player for you' and see many of the latest MP3 players and accessories.


About the Author

Charles West sells Technology products (cameras, DVD's, sound systems and of coarse MP3 players etc) for a retailer. Over the last couple of years he has come across many people who need a little more help in understanding the idea of MP3's and the different types of MP3 players and their uses. So to help he has developed http://www.mp3 music player info.com for people to understand all the many variants and uses of MP3 players.


Why do my Burned CDs not Play in my CD Player?

So you just burned a mix CD of your favorite tunes for a road trip you and your friends are going on. You play the disc back on your computer, everything works like a charm. You might have even tried playing it back on your new home stereo, and just like on your computer, it plays fine. You head out, pop the CD into your car stereo you bought in 1998, and………nothing. The disc just spins and you get no playback. I’ve had this happen to me on numerous occasions. And have always wondered, why does my CD play on some players yet not on others? There are a few different things that factor into this.

1. CD-R vs. CD-RW. You should be burning your audio CDs to CD-R media, not CD-RW media (CD re-writable). Some newer players will play CD-RW discs. But for the most part, the majority of audio CD players will only play CD-R discs.

2. Burn speed. Each brand of CD-R has a certified maximum burn speed, which is expressed as a multiple of the audio playback speed. So, a disc certified at 24x can be burnt at 24 times faster than the audio CD will be spinning when it is played. You must set the burn rate in your CD duplication software according to the disc’s specification, or the data will not be written reliably. This can result in skips, or CD-Rs that will play to a certain point and then just stop. Ideally you want to burn your CD lower than the certified speed, to take into account manufacturing defects in your burner or the disc.

3. Brand of CD-R If you have been burning CDs for a while, you probably have noticed that some brands of CD-Rs work well in some players, and some do not. CD-R discs are said to be “burned”. When you burn a CD-R disc, a focused laser beam darkens the chemical dye on your disc to mimic the bumps and flat spots that are generated on a replicated disc. (For more info on the differences between burning (CD duplication) and pressing (CD replication), please read my last article. http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Differences-Between-Short-Run-And-Long-Run-Cd-And-Dvd-Duplication-And-Replication&id=158412 ) Unfortunately, sometimes the mimicry is not perfect. And if you have an older CD player that was not designed to play CD-Rs, it will not always play them reliably.

By all means this is not a complete guide for troubleshooting your CD burning problems. But it should at least give you a little more insight into why those darn mix CDs you burned will not play in your home or car stereo! My best advice is that you burn your CDs according to the certified maximum burn speed (lower if possible), and try out different brands of CD media until you find one that works best in your player.



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Inside Camcorders: Terms, Definitions, DVD Formats/Capacities - What Camcorder is Best for You?

WHAT IS THE CAPACITY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MINIDV AND FULL SIZE DVD’S?

DVD’s come in Two Sizes. The mini CD size of 80 mm (about 3 1/8” in diameter) and the Standard CD size of 120 mm (about 4 ¾” in diameter). The Full Size DVD’s look just like Standard CD’s. DVD’s have two useable sides. Each side can have two layers for a total of four layers per disc.

DVD FORMATS AND CAPACITIES
120 mm (4 ¾”) DVD – FULL SIZE DVD
DVD ROM (Read Only Memory) (Full Size DVD 120 mm)
Maximum of two layers per side

Top Layer: 4.27 Gigabytes
Bottom Layer: 4.27 Gigabytes

Single Sided (two layers) 9.4 Gigabytes
Double Sided (two layers per side) 17 Gigabytes

80 mm (3 1/8") MiniDV
DVD ROM (Read Only Memory)
Maximum of two layers per side

Top Layer: 1.46 Gigabytes
Bottom Layer: 1.46 Gigabytes

Single Sided (two layers) 2.92 Gigabytes
Double Sided (two layers per side) 5.32 Gigabytes

120 mm (4 ¾”) DVD – FULL SIZE DVD
DVD WORM (Write Once, Read Many)
Maximum of one layers per side

Single Sided (one layer) 4.7 Gigabytes
Double Sided (one layer per side) 9.4 Gigabytes

120 mm (4 ¾”) DVD – FULL SIZE DVD
DVD RW (Read Write, Rewritable) and RAM (Random Access Memory) Maximum of one layers per side

Single Sided (one layer) 4.7 Gigabytes
Double Sided (one layer per side) 9.4 Gigabytes

If you just want to preserve and watch your raw video footage and don't want to do anything else, a DVD camcorder is good choice. Today the miniDV is still the Camcorder of choice. They offer the best quality, the largest selection and the highest compatibility with video editing programs.

Camcorders that record to hard drive are probably going to reign in the future, however you will be stuck with lower quality MPEG-2 and lower compatibility with video editing programs.


WHAT IS THE DIFFERENT BETWEEN OPTICAL ZOOM AND DIGITAL ZOOM?

A digital camcorder's optical zoom involves the use of actual moving lenses to zoom in (like in a binocular) while the digital zoom goes in closer digitally and enlarges the picture electronically. This results in a lower resolution thereby producing a lower quality picture. When using optical zoom, there is no loss in quality, but when digital zoom is used, the image may become grainy. Look for a camcorder with a decent amount of optical zoom like 10x or 20x. If you plan to use your Camcorder to tape sporting events, a 20x or 25x optical is best.

WHAT IS CCD?

A CCD camcorder uses a small, rectangular piece of silicon rather than a piece of film to receive incoming light called a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD). The CCD is the most element of the camcorder because it is a grid of individual light-sensitive cells called "photosites" or pixels. Each photosite is one element of the whole picture that is formed and is called a picture element or “pixel". The more common CCDs found in camcorders and other retail devices have a pixel array that is a few hundred pixels high by a few hundred pixels wide (e.g., 500x300, or 320x200), yielding tens of thousands of pixels.

DO YOU KNOW AN IMAGE MADE FOR WIDESCREEN IS DIFFERENT THAN ONE ADAPTED TO WIDESCREEN?

So why is the way you record widescreen images so important? Because you want an image made for widescreen, not adapted for widescreen. Widescreen is the future-every HD television is widescreen. Camcorders should use the entire width of its image sensor to capture your precious video in true 16:9 format. What difference does that make? With more pixels captured, you get better image quality. Some camcorders force the wider picture into a smaller space on the sensor - giving you a less true image, with fewer pixels and lower quality. Remember - widescreen is the future - be sure you invest in that future when choosing your Camcorder.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HD AND HDV?

HDV is a video tape recording format developed to record HD signals. Therefore, HDV is real high definition. It has two distinguishing characteristics from earlier HD recording formats. First, it utilizes widely available and economical DV tape cassettes as a storage medium. Secondly, it employs highly efficient MPEG-2 compression.

WHAT IS RGB?

Bayer color filter array is a popular format for digital acquisition of color images. In order to obtain color information, the color image sensor is covered with either a red, a green, or a blue filter, in a repeating pattern. This pattern, or sequence, of filters can vary, but the widely adopted “Bayer” pattern, which was invented at Kodak, is a repeating 2x2 arrangement.

When the image sensor is read out, line by line, the pixel sequence comes out GRGRGR, etc., and then the alternate line sequence is BGBGBG, etc. This output is called sequential RGB (or sRGB).

Jennifer Giuliano
ECommerce Retailer & Stay at Home Mother of Three
http://www.electrifymenow.com
info@electrifymenow.com

After being "job eliminated" from my employer after almost 16 years, I decided it was time for me to start a business of my own. One my children could be involved with and one that could be handed down to them later in life. I currently have two online businesses and am in the process of opening four more that I hope to have operating by July 2006.

I chose eCommerce Retail because there are many things I am passionate about and one was helping people. I am able to do a variety of things that make a positive impact on people and families. It also allows me to be home with my children during the most precious times of their life and this is what I am most passionate about!



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The Differences Between Short Run And Long Run Cd And Dvd Duplication And Replication

Your band has just completed your demo CD and you have to send it off to be copied for distribution. Somehow you get put in charge of taking care of the CD copying. Diving into the CD and DVD duplication company’s website, you’re bombarded with cryptic technical terms you don’t understand. Two of those terms in particular jump out at you, short run duplication and long run replication. What’s the difference, and what do they both mean exactly? Well, I’m here to de-mystify this part of the process for you, hopefully making your job easier.

Short Run – Duplication
Short run CD and DVD duplication refers to the process in which CDs and DVDs are copied in amounts usually not exceeding 500 units. Duplication is done utilizing CD-R technology, effectively “burning” discs instead of creating them from scratch. There are a few drawbacks that come along with the duplication process, but also there are benefits as well. The benefits are a quicker turnaround rate, and cheaper project costs. While the main drawback of CD and DVD duplication is that duplicated discs do not always work in every home CD player, especially older models.

Long Run – Replication
Long run CD and DVD replication is the process in which CDs and DVDs are manufactured in amounts exceeding 500 units. The main difference between duplication and replication is that in the replication process the CDs or DVDs are molded, covered in reflective material, and then stamped with the data. This difference results in CDs and DVDs that are cheaper per unit and are 100% compatible in playback hardware. The main drawback of long run CD and DVD replication is the production time, which usually averages around 2 weeks.

With this information, I hope that your trip into the world of CD production is a little bit easier to understand and complete.



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