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How MP3 Players Work
Home » Gadgets » MP3 Players » How MP3 Players WorkSo what exactly is the technology behind these remarkable little music players? How do they work? It is pretty simple actually – it’s a new combination of a few existing technologies.
MP3 players are basically data storage devices that come with an embedded software application that allows users to transfer the digital files, or MP3s, from their computer to the MP3 player. The MP3s hold songs that are transferred from your computer to your MP3 player through plugging your MP3 player into a USB port on your computer. Once the song is transferred, it is stored in the MP3 player memory. When the user is ready to call upon a song to be played, the microprocessor kicks in. The microprocessor translates the user’s instructions to the DSP, or digital signal processor, and then displays the current song information on the LCD screen on the face of the MP3 player. Meanwhile, the DSP tells the memory what data, or song, it wants to retrieve and begins to decompress the MP3 file. A decompression algorithm undoes the compression of the file, followed by a digital-to-analog converter which turns the bytes back into sound waves. Once the file is turned into sound waves it is streamed to the amplifier, allowing the music to be heard through the headphones that are plugged into the MP3 player.
MP3 players are powered by batteries, while some players can be plugged into outlets through an AC adapter.
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