MP3 The Definitive Guide

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<< IMPROVE YOUR WRITING << TECHNOLOGY << MULTIMEDIA MP3 The Definitive Guide recording, storing, and playing the latest audio file format Last year 'MP3' surpassed 'sex' as the most sought-after term on the top search engines - and this is the name given to a complicated encoding algorithm devised in an obscure German laboratory. How things change. Just in case you don't know, MP3 stands for MPEG-1, Layer 3 - a code for compressing the size of audio files for digital distribution. However, it has become much more than just a technical code name. Every day, hundreds of thousands of MP3 music files are searched for, shared, and recorded onto huge databases. The MP3 revolution is seriously threatening the traditional ways that people find, listen to and create music. Scot Hacker is clearly an enthusiast with an in-depth knowledge of the subject. And plenty of practical experience too. He covers how MP3 works; how to get and play MP3 files, and how to create your own (including dealing with playlists and tags). There is full coverage of the various kinds of software and hardware players required - often illustrated with items from his own kit. He deals with webcasting and servers, and covers the legal questions of copying and copyright in a frank and unstuffy manner. The book is cross-platform, so he treats Win95/98/NT (but not 2000) Linux, and the Mac and BeOS operating systems in all chapters. His guide is well illustrated, and he covers using both commercial, and Open Source (free) software. This is an activity which generates an enormous amount of jargon. Fortunately, codec, jacking, lossiness, ripping, and skins are all explained in the very comprehensive glossary. There has been some criticism of O'Reilly using 'The Definitive Guide' as a sub-title to so many of its publications - but this is an instance in which it seems fully justified. None of the other MP3 books I have looked at are anywhere near as comprehensive as this - although Bruce Fries' book MP3 and Audio Internet Handbook does go into more technical detail on some issues. This guide should appeal to a broad audience of users, from the those just getting into this exciting new technology, to those who want to fully immerse themselves in the complexities and possibilities that MP3 presents. © Roy Johnson 1998 [more articles on IT and Society] Scot Hacker, MP3 The Definitive Guide, Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly, 2000, pp.388, ISBN 1565926617 Discounts of 40% at Amazon!

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