MP3 and MP4 Player Buying Guide
Introduction to MP3 Buying Guide
- It's all in the Memory
- Formats
- Screen Size
- Other great features
- Additional accessories
- Is it legal?
- Is it loud?
MP3 and MP4 players are available in a range of colours, shapes and prices. MP3 players give you access to songs at the touch of a button. MP4 players also allow you to watch videos, store photos and even download films. This guide helps you understand how they work and what to look for when choosing one.
Buy an MP3 player from Tesco.com
How does it work?
MP3 and MP4 players work by compressing music and video files. These preserve sound and picture quality whilst taking up less memory and maximising the number of songs or clips which can be played. Files are downloaded onto the player, either via your PC or directly via the Internet. Once files are downloaded, you can play them back as many times as you like, using headphones, external speakers and, in the case of MP4 players, a small display screen.
Loading files
There are two main ways to load music or videos onto your player. You can either transfer material from your PC via a USB cable or download it directly from a website using the built in browser. Most players now come with the software needed to convert files to the MP3 or MP4 format. The majority of the software now uses a simple drag and drop system to upload songs and video from your PC to your MP3/MP4 player; however different models vary so it is always best to read the instructions beforehand. Download websites offer songs, video clips and full-length albums and films. Tesco Entertainment now provides a Download service (www.tescoentertainment.com), with over 8 million tracks to choose from, including all the latest releases, and a growing range of film and video content.
Find out more on Loading files
MP3 or MP4
Both types of media player offer many benefits. Both are light, portable and easy to take wherever you go and both allow you to store files easily. If you just want to listen to music an MP3 player is ideal. However, if you want to watch videos, play games, or store your photo collection, you will require an MP4 player.
MP3 players:
There are two main ways to load music onto your MP3 player. You can either transfer music from your PC or download it from an MP3 download site. Most MP3 players come with the software you need to convert CD audio files to the MP3 format. Music download websites offer songs and albums to buy. For 79p per track you can download MP3s from Tesco.com. You just need an Internet connection and a home computer with the right specifications.
- MP3 players offer good quality sound, are generally very small and portable, and will fit in your pocket or clip onto your belt.
- MP3 players can store a large number of songs, even the most basic of models can store hundreds of tracks, the higher the memory capacity (normally shown in Gigabytes or GB) the more tracks it can hold. For more information see the "it's all in the memory" section below.
- Some ranges offer accessories for their products such as protective cases, skins, car chargers and FM transmitters to help you personalise your music player and get the most from it.
Buy an MP3 player from Tesco.com
MP4 players
- Allow you to download and view photos, video clips or full-length films, as well as music. Different players allow different playback depending on the file type, make sure you read the instruction manual to check which file types can be uploaded to your player.
- Are generally larger than MP3 players in order to accommodate the screen which is needed to view the photos and video clips.
- Usually have a much larger memory than MP3 players, allowing you to store more videos, photos and music and in some products even cater for games.
Buy an MP4 player from Tesco.com
What you'll need
Most PCs, whether desktop or laptop, meet the minimum requirements needed for an MP3/MP4 player, in fact, you are generally safe if your PC or Laptop runs Windows XP or above but make sure you check your computer first, just in case. MP3 and MP4 players typically connect using USB, USB 2.0 or FireWire ports. Transferring a song via USB 2.0 or FireWire is twice as fast as traditional USB and takes a matter of seconds. However this varies depending on the number of files being uploaded.
It's all in the Memory
Memory is one of the most important features as essentially the greater the memory, the more material you will be able to store.
Memory is measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB). Models range in memory size across the music players. The capacity size makes a difference to what you use the MP3/MP4 player for, for example a 1 GB MP3 player holds around 251 songs whereas 160GB is enough room for the equivalent of 80,000 songs, or more than 600 hours worth of video. Most MP4 players have a capacity of at least 8GB, and make use of a small hard-drive, as opposed to the memory chip found in MP3 players. However, it is important to note the memory capacity between MP3s and MP4s is considerably different, MP3s generally have less memory as they are only used for music files and MP4s need to hold pictures, video and music files so generally have a higher capacity of memory.
Which ever player you decide to purchase will allow you to move the files on or off the device easily through a PC or Notebook, so there is no need to worry about running out of room on your device, you can simply copy off or replace tracks with different ones giving you more freedom to change what music you listen to from one week to the next.
The table below will give you an idea how much music different players can hold. In general 1 MB = 1 minute of MP3 music.
Memory Card Capacity | Number of Minutes | Number of Songs | Number of Hours or CDs Hours or CDs | Audio Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 512 MB | 501 668 1003 | 125 167 251 | 8 12 16 | MP3 AAC WMA |
| 1 GB | 1003 1337 2005 | 251 334 501 | 16 24 32 | MP3 AAC WMA |
| 2 GB | 2005 2674 4011 | 501 668 1003 | 32 48 64 | MP3 AAC WMA |
| 4 GB | 4011 5348 8022 | 1003 1336 2006 | 64 96 128 | MP3 AAC WMA |
* We assume that each song is 4 minutes long and each CD contains 60 minutes of music or consists of 15, a 4 minute, songs.
Formats
An MP3 file is probably the most popular format of music files on the market at the moment but it is one of a number of different music files that are available so if you do decide to download other types of format you'll need to check the compatibility of your player before buying the music online. Other similar formats include:
Find out more about other music file formats
Screen Size
The majority of MP3 players come with a screen to allow you to navigate through your tracks and menu system, the screen size varies and some models may not have a screen at all but offer simple directional buttons as well as play, pause etc. MP4 players come with a screen to allow you to watch movies or video clips. The size of the screen varies but can be up to 7 inches. Many players will, however, connect to a TV screen, which is handy if you want to watch films with friends or family or in a hotel room. Some models will even allow you to record live TV programmes, or transfer material between TV and player.
Other great features
There's more to your average player than music, videos and good looks. Other useful features to look out for include:
- Integrated FM tuner: some devices include FM reception, meaning you can switch between songs or videos and your favourite radio station.
- Voice recording: handy if you want to get creative, send recorded, rather than written email, or simply like the sound of your own voice
- The ability to Play games: handy if you need a distraction, but fancy a break from music or film.
- Data storage: some players are almost as good as a personal organiser, allowing you to Store documents, contacts, calendars and to-do lists
Buy an MP3 player from Tesco.com
Additional accessories
There's an ever-growing range of accessories to go with your player. Tesco Direct has an extensive range of useful add-ons, from protective cases and skins to stereo speakers.
Is it legal?
Most audio and video files can be downloaded legally. However, it is a breach of copyright to download material that has been copied illegally and made available on Internet through file-sharing software. It is best to only download from official sites such as Tesco Entertainment.
Buy an MP3 player from Tesco.com
Is it loud?
When enjoying your music and videos, remember that too much exposure to loud noise can damage your hearing, and lead to conditions such as tinnitus. It is therefore advisable when using headphones, not to have your player at high volume for long periods.
Additional navigation
*Tesco Bank Buy Now Pay later available on selected products. Available to over 18s and UK residents only, subject to status.