CD/MP3 Players

More commonly referred to as an MP3 player, a digital audio player ("DAP") is a portable consumer electronics device that stores, organizes and plays audio files. Some DAPs are also referred as portable media players as they have image-viewing and/or video-playing support. more...

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Most DAPs are powered by rechargeable batteries, some of which are not user replaceable. Listening to music stored on DAPs is typically through earphones connected with a 3.5 mm jack.

Digital audio players are generally categorized by storage media:

Flash-based Players – These are non mechanical solid state devices that hold digital audio files on internal flash memory or removable flash media called memory cards. Due to technological advancements in flash memory, these originally low-storage devices are now available commercially ranging up to 32 GB. Because they are solid state and do not have moving parts they require less battery power and may be more resilient to hazards such as dropping or fragmentation than hard disk-based players. Basic MP3 player functions are commonly integrated into USB flash drives.;

Hard drive-based Players or Digital Jukeboxes – Devices that read digital audio files from a hard disk drive (HDD). These players have higher capacities currently ranging up to 250 GB. At typical encoding rates, this means that thousands of songs – perhaps an entire music collection – can be stored on one player.;

MP3 CD Players – Portable CD players that can decode and play MP3 audio files stored on CDs.;

History

The predecessors to digital audio players are portable CD and MiniDisc players, which are commonly known as "Portable Audio Devices". Although the data is digitally stored on discs, neither one is able to support digital file formats.

The first mass-produced DAP was created in 1997 by SaeHan Information Systems, which domestically sold its “MPMan” player in the middle of 1998. The South Korean company then licensed the players to Eiger Labs which distributed them - now branded as Eiger Labs MPMan F10 - to the North American market during the summer of 1998. The flash-based players were available in 16 MB storage capacity.

The Rio PMP300 from Diamond Multimedia was introduced in September 1998, a few months after the MPMan. It was a success during the holiday season, with sales exceeding expectations. Interest and investment in digital music were subsequently spurred from it. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) soon filed a lawsuit, alleging that the device encouraged copying music illegally, but Diamond won a legal victory on the shoulders of the Sony Corp. v. Universal City Studios case and DAPs were legally ruled as electronic devices. Because of the player's notoriety as the target of a major lawsuit, the Rio is erroneously assumed to be the first DAP.

Read more at Wikipedia.org