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Additional Information
T
erms
ATRAC3
Short for “Adaptive Transform Acoustic
Coding3”. This is an audio compression tech-
nology for high-quality and high compression. It
is possible to compress music data to about
1/10th the level of a CD, allowing miniaturiza-
tion of storage media.
Bit rate
This expresses data volume per second, or bps
units (bits per second). The higher the rate, the
more information is available to reproduce the
sound. Using the same encoding method (such
as ATRAC3), the higher the rate, the better the
sound. (As different encoding methods are use
for MP3 and ATRAC3, a simple comparison is
impossible.)
Check in/Check out
Transferring music data managed on a hard
disc (the music server) to a “Memory Stick” or
another recording medium is called “check out”.
Returning checked out music data to the hard
disc is called “check in”. (Music data that has
been checked out can not be checked in to a
PC or other equipment.)
Except for music data for special applications
where supplementary conditions operate,
according to SDMI basic rules, up to four copies
can be made from a single music data item.
(One is saved on the hard disc, and the remain-
ing three can be checked out to “Memory
Stick”.)
ID3 Tag
This is a method of embedding track-related
information in a MP3 file. This embedded infor-
mation can include the track title, the artist’s
name, the album title, the music genre, the year
of production, comments and other data. The
contents can be freely edited using software
with ID3 Tag editing functions. Although the
tags are restricted to the number of characters,
the information can be viewed when the track is
played back.
ISO9660 format
This is the international standard for the format
logic of CD-ROM folders and files. For the
ISO9660 format, there are regulations for the
following two levels.
Level 1:
The file name is in 8.3 format (the name con-
sists of up to 8 characters, half-byte English
capital letters and half-byte numerals and the
“_” sign, with a file-extension of three charac-
ters.)
Level 2:
The file name can have up to 31 characters
(including the separation mark “.” and a file
extension). Each folder contains less than 8
hierarchies.
Extended formats
Joliet:
File names can have up to 64 characters.
Romeo:
File names can have up to 128 characters.
m3u
Playlists created using the “WINAMP” software
have a playlist file extension (.m3u).
MagicGate
Data recorded on a “MagicGate Memory Stick
(MG Memory Stick)” is encrypted using copy-
right protection technology and can be mutually
authenticated with “MG Memory Stick” compati-
ble equipment. A “MG Memory Stick” can only
be used to record and playback when there is
verification between the “MG Memory Stick”
and the compatible equipment.
“MagicGate Memory Stick”
This is the name used for a “Memory Stick” that
uses the “MagicGate” copyright protection tech-
nology. This is an IC recording media for
recording and playback of music and other data
requiring copyright protection technology.
