Buying Suggestion For MP3 Players

The music listening devices have come a long way since the cassette players were invented. The MP3 players are the latest addition to this range and they can certainly be described as the best one because the owner of one of these can listen to thousands of songs without carrying the weight of any additional disk or cassette with him/her. However, with so many types, configuration and brands in the market, getting the right MP3 player can be quite confusing and difficult. Moreover, with the prices of a lot of these considerably higher than other players, choosing the wrong one or one which the user doesn't seem to understand can create a lot of problems in the future. The following lines provide a MP3 player buying guide which gives an idea as to what should be looked or asked when going out to buy a player.

What is the budget for player purchase?

As with all other items, you should check your spending capability before going out and selecting which type or brand you wish to go for. Knowledge of the things required can help a lot as a user could actually end up saving good amount of money by going for a player which has all the value added features but none of the cost adding flash and looks. Moreover, the accessories involved in the player's case can also affect the purchase of the player as the user might require a different and better set of headphones as compared to those which are provided with the player. Moreover, one might also consider a carrying case if the user travels a lot or spends more time in an environment which can be faulty for a MP3 player. External speakers might also be required in case the player needs to be played for multiple listeners.

How MP3 player would be used?

Deciding how one wish to use the player can drastically narrow down the choice of the player and the use or technology divides it into three different forms, namely hard disk, flash or compact disk. The hard disk drive players are known to offer the best price to gigabyte/megabyte ratio available in the market these days. The drives used are quite smaller as compared to those installed in a laptop or a computer but is capable enough to save a lot of data. The user also gets to enjoy several features and a large screen with this player's purchase. The battery used in these is rechargeable but the user might have to keep replacing them after a certain point of time or replace the player itself. Moreover, these are quite heavy as compared to the standard flash players because of the screen size and the disk but newer versions carrying lighter disks are lighter and usable in this respect.

The next version is the flash based player which is basically the smaller version of hard drive players. The cheapest ones can store almost 300 songs and these come with the least memory whereas the largest ones can store thousands of songs. Most of them are fitted with the basic controls and almost little to no screen. There are no additional features as carried by the hard disk players but they do include the standard FM player. The last type of MP3 player is the disk player which is hardly being bought these days considering their large size and the additional cost of maintaining discs.
Users planning to use their players while exercising or travelling should consider armband holder or carrying cases, portable speakers or car transmitter connectors for making them work in a car.

What Music quality is desired from the player?

The quality of the music can vary depending on the format the player is playing and the bit rate at which it is playing. The file format plays a major role and one can see this considering the standard MP3 file format is used to name the players. There are a number of audio codec and some of them can play the music or sound with the best quality even after being compressed whereas others might not be able to do that. The file formats include AA (used in audio books and recordings), AAC (used in iPods and real players), AIFF (used in Mac computers but have large size), ATRAC/Atrac plus/Atrac3 (better than MP3 at same bitrates), MP3, MP3 pro (better than standard but not used by most), WAV (used on computers) and WMA (AAC's competitor and used in computers).

The bit rate of the sound also matters a lot as it determines the size of the file and its quality. A higher bit rate comes with high quality and size whereas a low one comes with low size and quality.

Other Things Required From Mp3 Player:

MP3 players have stopped being used just for listening to music as a lot of other things can be done on them. They can also be used as storage devices and this feature allows the user to transfer the data from one place to another effectively. Moreover, a lot of modern MP3 players come with image viewing and video viewing but the users should always go for a player which has a good enough screen before paying more for these additional features. Some other features include radio tuner, audio book viewing, file sharing via camera and even games.

Time an mp3 player should last:

The time an mp3 player can go on without causing any trouble mostly depends on the charger or battery it uses but good care has seen to last the players a number of years without any hiccoughs. The player you desire has a large affect on the battery type that it accompanies and this thing also goes in reverse. The hard drive players go with rechargeable batteries thereby eliminating the buying procedure of batteries again and again but these degrade after using for few years. If the batteries can be replaced then it is good otherwise the player might have to be replaced. Players using disposable batteries come with lifetime costs of battery replacement. If rechargeable players are desired then their maximum play time against a full charge should be checked as it tells how much one can continuously listen after charging the player for once. Moreover, the charger type should also be inquired because having an old or unconventional charger can largely affect the charging options for the user and the player might be rendered useless on travels.

The software on which the mp3 player works should also be standard or easily upgradable. A number of brands launch players which can upgrade themselves when connected with the computer or internet and these should be shown a preference when going out to but a player. Some other things which should be checked is the headset provided with the player (as to whether it is worthy of the price being paid for the player), any extra functions it carries, the display screen's clarity and features, the management of files and their playback and lastly whether or not it can be connected easily to the computer or transfer source.

Blu Ray Players - Important Features and Buying Guide

Blu Ray is the latest high definition video technology that over took HD-DVD as the standard for high definition movies, video and players. With the invention of Blu Ray disks comes not only comes superb picture quality, but also a new durability and longer life span of the disks themselves not before seen with DVD disks and movies. Another benefit is that these disks can store a much larger amount of data and video than the traditional DVD-R and DVD-RW disks. Up to 25GB of data on a single layer disk and up to 50GB of data on a dual layer disk and over 9 hours of high-definition video on a 50GB disc.

Choosing a Blu Ray player will mostly depend on your personal budget as their prices range from budget models to very expensive high performance types. 

For those shopping for the best Blu-ray disc players and know that price is not a limitation, then there are several quality brands to choose from on the market. The problem is that most consumers do not know how to compare one Blu-ray with another. As far as image goes, most of today's brands offer the same high-definition picture quality and really just differ in the features of each player.

When shopping for a Blu-ray player, there are two new features to look for when choosing a brand. The first is called Bonus View and lets you play back picture-in-picture content, which allows for a second video and audio stream.

The second feature to look for is called BD-live which supports Internet-connected activities such as social networking and interactive gaming as long as there is an Ethernet connection to the player.

If a more traditional unit is your preference, then the Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD is more your speed. This top shelf Blu-ray player runs around 800 dollars and comes with the same features as other brands. Where the Pioneer Elite tops other systems is in its audio features. If you pair the Elite with its manufacturer's recommended AV receivers, you will have a premium home entertainment experience like no other Blu-ray disc player on the market.

If you are looking for something cheaper without sacrificing quality, then the LG BD300 is the player for you. With most systems starting at below 300 dollars, these lightweight Blu-ray players offer the same picture quality as most units on the market while also offering the ability to stream Netflix videos right into your home.

Learn more about Blu Ray, with buying guides, model reviews, full Blu Ray Cables guide and more. Shop for all brands and models of players as well as a large selection of Blu Ray movies at very cheap prices at Blue Ray DVD.

Buying A New DVD Player

Whether you are buying your first DVD Player or replacing an old one it's important to know what's available on the market at the moment. It's also useful to know what some of the terminology means - many of us think terms like HD and Progressive Scan sound impressive but don't actually know what it does!

The fact is these days there is so much more to DVD Players than just watching movies. The newer models offer high quality audio and video connections providing crisp clear images and impressive surround sound. As well as playing recordable and rewritable CD's they can handle your MP3 mix discs, some can also play WMA (Windows Media Audio) files. Some Players have SACD (Super Audio CD's) or DVD audio decoding for high resolution multichannel music.

Obviously the perfect DVD Player for you is the one that best meets your needs - it should have the features that matter most to you. For instance, if you still have (and watch!) a lot of VHS tapes then a DVD/VCR Combo Player is a good choice. These are extremely affordable and provide the familiarity of a VCR Player with the enhanced music and movie quality of DVD. You can use it to record your favourite TV shows on VHS, watch movies on DVD and listen to your audio CD's. If you want to archive your VHS tapes consider a DVD Recorder which offer convenient tape-free recording with the functionality of a DVD Player. You can also back up home movies onto DVD. There are a variety of writeable and rewriteable formats available to enable you to use the right disc for the right job.

If you travel a lot a Portable DVD Player could be the answer. These are compact and lightweight and some also offer dual headphone jacks enabling more than one person to listen at the same time. Many of these portable players are car-friendly - as well as having rechargeable batteries some also come with features like cigarette lighter power adapters and car mounting kits.

If you have a High Definition TV HD DVD is a high definition disc format designed to maximise your viewing experience when using HDTV. Another option is a DVD Player with Video Upconversion which will convert DVD video to a resolution that more closely matches that of your High Definition Television. The signal remains digital as it travels through the connections to your television for the cleanest possible transfer.

If your TV is Enhanced Definition (EDTV), High Definition or HDTV-ready a Progressive Scan DVD Player is an option. In fact, even if your existing TV is not progressive capable your next one almost certainly will be which means you would get a great picture now and an even better one when you upgrade your television. So what is Progressive Scan? Progressive Scan displays the entire frame in one sweep (unlike Interlaced Scan which splits each video frame into two fields) and since the whole picture is displayed together it has less flickering and clearer details. To view the progressive scan signals you need a progressive capable TV so if you don't have one at the moment choose a DVD Player that allows you to select either 480i interlaced scan for use with a conventional TV or 480p progressive-scan output for compatible TV's.

A big part of choosing the right player is ensuring it has all the necessary connections to perform with your other audio visual equipment. Nearly all current DVD Players have at least three video jacks - composite, S-video and component. Component inputs are typically only found on mid-priced to high end TV's made in the last few years. The component connection provides the best picture quality. If your TV only has an antenna style RF input you will need to install an RF modulator between the TV and DVD Player. Also a DVD/VCR Combo might be worth considering as some can pass DVD signals through their RF output.

Current players have a digital audio output - coaxial, optical or both. This enables them to send Dolby Digital or DTS signals to your receiver for multichannel surround sound. All DVD Players include standard stereo audio jacks for connecting to stereo receivers and stereo TV's. Some players also have built in decoding with 5.1 channel analog outputs to connect directly to 5.1 ready receivers. These models usually also play multichannel DVD Audio or SACD discs. Some high end players have IEEE1394 jacks (known as FireWire or i.LINK); these single cord connections carry 5.1 channel music to a compatible receiver.

This article was written by Lorraine Simpson, Director of Fifth Ace Ltd. who sell DVD/VCR Combos, Progressive Scan, In Dash DVD and HDTV on their website [http://www.amplechoice.com] Fifth Ace Ltd is based in Scotland and operate a number of websites on various topics including home business, special interest and consumer goods.