Primers and Information B-2
Primers and Information
This chapter contains detailed information on key technologies used in the development of your
NOMAD Jukebox 3 as well as details of Scroller operations and icons used in the player’s screens.
About MP3
MP3 is the acronym for Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Audio Layer 3, a type of audio data
compression technology that can significantly reduce a digital audio file’s size by as much as one-
twelfth, with virtually no loss in quality. It is an efficient way to store high-quality music or other audio
content on your computer.
These compressed digital audio files have a file extension of .MP3, and can be downloaded from many
sites on the Internet. You can also produce them legally for personal use, from your original audio CDs.
Making MP3s — audio extraction
The first phase in making an MP3 file is extracting audio data from an audio CD. To extract audio data,
you will need a CD-ROM drive that can extract digital audio data, and a program known as a Ripper.
This program uses the CD-ROM drive to read the audio tracks from the audio CD and stores it on your
hard disk. The time needed for a successful audio extraction depend on:
•
CD-ROM drive speed
•
defects, like scratches on the audio CD
•
error-checking features on the CD-ROM drive
Making MP3s — encoding
Encoding is the second phase of making an MP3 file. Encoders are used to convert the stored audio
tracks, usually WAV files, into MP3 files. MP3 encoding is considered lossy compression, which means
that some data is lost during compression. However, using the standard sampling rate and bitrates will
ensure that your MP3 files retain much of their audio quality. The standard bitrate of most MP3 files is
128Kbps, although some are set higher, at 160 or 192Kbps. Higher bitrates will result in larger MP3 file
sizes, with better audio quality. Use PlayCenter to extract audio tracks and encode MP3s.
It is illegal to encode MP3
files for trade or sale unless
you have the express and
explicit permission of the
copyright holder(s).
Summary of Contents for NOMAN Jukebox 3
Page 9: ...Introduction...
Page 17: ...1 About NOMAD Jukebox 3...
Page 29: ...2 Setting Up Your Player...
Page 42: ...3 Using Your Player...
Page 71: ...4 Using Applications...
Page 80: ...A Glossary...
Page 91: ...B Primers and Information...
Page 104: ...C Handling Instructions...
Page 107: ...D Technical Specifications Error Diagrams...
Page 112: ...E FAQs and Troubleshooting...
Page 118: ...F Technical Support...