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Digital
Music Players
By Matt Hyclak
How Digital Music Players Work
Digital music players allow the listener to enjoy high-quality
sound from a compact device capable of holding anywhere from a
few hundred to 15,000 songs. The audio is digitally encoded into
files using a variety of techniques. The most commonly used encoding
format for these files is defined in the Moving Picture Experts
Group’s MPEG-1 layer 3 audio standard (commonly called MP3).
There are two major categories of digital music players: flash
memory-based players and hard disk players.
The first devices to arrive on the market were based on flash
memory. Flash memory is non-volatile, meaning it can retain information
without electricity, but is electronically erasable and reprogrammable.
(Newton, p. 329) Flash based players offered a relatively small
amount of storage, usually between 32 and 128MB. As the price
for this memory has decreased, the amount of storage in these
devices has increased to 512MB. After being digitally compressed,
each song takes about 1MB per minute using the MP3 format, giving
the listener from 30 minutes to eight hours of listening time.
Because the technology is based on electrically programmable circuits,
there are no moving parts.
| Additionally,
the circuits need very little physical space, allowing the
players to be very small. These two factors make the flash
players ideal for running, working out or other activities
where CDs might skip or otherwise be too bulky. There are
flash memory-based players being offered from companies like
iRiver, Rio , Creative and Sony. |
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Figure
1 – Sony Network Walkman MS70D |
For
some listeners, a few hours of music may not be enough. To satisfy
those consumers, manufacturers have been developing devices based
on computer hard disks. The hard disk players can store anywhere
from 5GB to 60GB of music; more than enough space for individual
users to save entire collections, not just a few select songs.
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Because
of the hard disk in these players, the physical dimensions
end up approximating a deck of playing cards. Since there
are moving parts, these players are not ideal for physical
activity, but the storage space offers other benefits. The
devices can be used to store files, hold contact information,
and even display pictures. (Pogue, 2004) The most popular
hard disk based player is by far the Apple iPod, but competition
from Sony, Creative, Rio and even Dell are putting pressure
on Apple. (Greene, 2004) |
Figure
2 – Apple iPod |
The
Background and Promotion of Digital Music Players
Music has been around for centuries. Music had to be performed
live to be enjoyed until innovations in audio recording and playback
began to emerge. In late 1877, Thomas Edison invented the cylinder
phonograph, a device capable of recording and reproducing speech
and music. (Bellis, 2004) This was the beginning of consumer music.
The evolution continued as cylinders gave way to discs in the
early 1900’s. Competitors to Edison, such as Victrola and
Columbia Records, helped cultivate the home music market. The
1950’s brought reel-to-reel recorders in the home. In 1965,
the Stereo-8, or “8-track”, format was developed,
marking the first popular portable tape format for music. (Morton,
2004) Also in 1965, Sony and Philips reached an agreement to use
a common format for compact cassette tapes and manufacturers began
producing the tapes that by 1980 had displaced the 8-track. (Sony,
2004)
Sony began serious development on the concept of making music
portable in the late 1970’s. With the standardization of
the cassette tape, players began to appear that were smaller and
lighter since they no longer required the large reels of previous
designs. A portable device was released July 1, 1979 as the Sony
Walkman. (Sony, 2004) Because the Walkman was so revolutionary
in its size, Sony had a difficult time marketing and promoting
the device as a portable music player, but these actions laid
the groundwork for portable digital music devices that would follow
the Walkman some twenty years later.
The Compact Disc (CD) player was introduced in the United States
in 1983. This was the first major consumer digital audio player,
bringing high quality audio to the homes of Americans. The Compact
Disc’s level of clarity has come to be a benchmark for audio
devices, which still advertise “CD quality sound.”
Sony once again led the portable market with the DiscMan, the
Compact Disc version of the WalkMan. CD-ROM drives were integrated
into computers by 1985. (Despain, 2000) Thus, the CD standardized
a format for audio information and a minimum level of expected
audio quality.
Problems Digital Music Players Solve
The
fact that music is digital now presents new opportunities. The
Internet has changed the face of music forever. Starting with
Napster in 1999, Peer-to-Peer (P2P) sharing programs allowed users
to share and trade files, and were largely used to download music.
The music industry has been slow to react, however, the realization
that the Internet can be used as a new distribution channel is
dawning on them. Digital music player manufacturers such as Apple
and Sony have websites that allow consumers to download songs
from the Internet for a nominal fee, usually about a dollar per
song. Once these songs have been downloaded to a computer, a cable
is used to connect the player to the computer and the songs can
be transferred back and forth. This method of purchasing and listening
to songs as individual tracks instead of entire albums changes
the way music is viewed.
Currently, an artist records a dozen or so songs that are selected
and bundled into an album. The album is duplicated to CDs or (less
frequently) cassette tapes, shipped to distributors across the
world, and sold in retail stores to the consumer. Now that the
possibility exists for distributing these albums over the Internet,
this changes the distribution method. Costs can be decreased since
there is no physical media to manufacture, ship or stock on store
shelves. Even beyond that, the concept of an album no longer holds
any meaning – the consumer can select exactly which songs
he/she would like to purchase and download. This can change the
entire business process of the music industry, shifting the focus
away from developing entire albums toward producing singles. This
may be good or bad, depending on perspective, but it is certainly
a radical change from the way things were done in the past.
How Digital Music Players Interconnect with Other Media
There are two different perspectives of interconnection to consider
when examining digital music players. The first is the interface
used to move audio files to and from the device. In most cases,
a computer is used as an intermediate device connecting the player
to the Internet. Several methods can be used to connect the player
to the computer including USB and Firewire cables, as well as
infrared or Bluetooth wireless connections. The computer is then
used to manage the collection of audio files and oversees the
transfer of data to and from the device. The second interface
to consider is the audio output of the device. In most cases,
this will be a simple headphone jack since many of these devices
are portable. Because the music is stored in a digital format,
however, the inclusion of a digital output jack would appeal to
users connecting the device to high-end stereo equipment.
Regulatory, Economic and Social Factors
The major issue facing the recording industry is now that songs
are incredibly easy to transfer, piracy and illegal sharing of
files is trivial. This has led to lawsuits against companies that
manufacture P2P sharing applications, as well as individual users.
Fortunately, there are solutions to the problem.
MP3 is the most common digital audio file format, however the
standard does not allow for any sort of verification that the
device is permitted to play the file. This has led to innovations
that allow for Digital Rights Management (DRM) information to
be encoded into the file. These enhanced formats include Microsoft’s
Windows Media Audio (WMA), Apple’s Advanced Audio Coding
(AAC) and Sony’s ATRAC. These formats are not compatible,
which prevents files from one download site from being played
on a competing device. (Garrity, 2004) In order for this market
to remain viable, the record industry is going to have to decide
upon a standard for Digital Rights Management so that consumers
are not locked into one particular player or service.
The Apple iPod has been wildly popular, but Apple isn’t
the only company cashing in on the iPod’s success. Third
parties creating iPod accessories are doing extremely well, and
companies such as HP are branding the iPod with their logo and
installing an iTunes icon on the desktop of every new HP computer,
in hopes of boosting their sales. BMW has integrated a docking
station into its 7-series cars, citing that “BMW drivers
often consider the time spent in the car as the best in their
day-likewise iPod owners report that the time spent listening
to their music is a highlight”. (Bulik, 2004)
Not only are digital music players a new technology, they are
becoming a way of life. Because of strong branding, owning one
of these portable players makes one part of a social club. As
prices drop, more players will be sold. Hopefully, the recording
industry can come to an agreement with manufacturers and distributors
to maintain Digital Rights Management in a manner that allows
users to listen to songs on any device they choose; from any “store”
they choose. Care must be taken, however, to ensure the consumer’s
rights are not infringed upon such that they can’t listen
to music that they’ve purchased because of restrictions
encoded into the songs. Apple has done a good job of this by allowing
users to “register” up to 5 computers to play songs
encoded in their AAC format. This type of solution will allow
users to listen to songs at home and at work, but still help the
record industry maintain their copyrighted material.
Successful and unsuccessful applications of the technology
There has been significant effort expended into dethroning the
Apple iPod as the most popular Digital Music player, but nothing
has yielded significant results. Apple has placed its product
well in the eyes of the public, billing it not only as a music
player, but allowing file storage and accessories galore to be
used in conjunction with the player to provide a new concept in
portable device technology.
The capacity of the iPod in 2003 was 10GB for the cost of $399.
At the beginning of 2004, the same $399 would purchase 20GB of
storage. If this trend continues, the amounts of data that can
be stored in a $399 device will double every year. Apple announced
a 60GB version in late 2004 that fits closely into the size trend.
Currently, 20,000 books can be stored in an iPod, but in 10 years
that could be 20 million. (Brooks, 2004) Third party companies
have produced over 1,000 accessories for the iPod, from flash
card readers to FM transmitters to voice recorders, as well as
carrying cases and decorative covers. (Bulik, 2004) The iPod will
allow users to load a calendar in the standard iCal format onto
the iPod to be displayed in an easy to use interface. Contacts
can be imported in vCard format, used by Apple’s Address
Book, Microsoft Outlook, and dozens of other software packages.
The new iPod Photo, released in late October 2004, can display
photos on its color screen. Using the included adapter cable,
the images can be displayed on a television or monitor and set
to music also stored on the device. These revolutionary ideas
have given the iPod its 92% market share in the high-capacity
player market. (Pogue, 2004)
A trend in ever-larger storage can be seen in the music players
of today. A device the size of a deck of cards can hold as much
data as many laptops and even desktop computers. As more features
are added to these devices, the amount of storage needed will
continue to grow. Technology is continuing to make devices smaller
and cheaper, so this should not be difficult for the manufacturers
to achieve.
The
other main area of concentration for these devices is battery
life. Hard-disk based devices can last between 10 and 15 hours,
usually using some sort of rechargeable battery. The smaller flash-based
devices can last even longer on much smaller batteries. The AMP
128, for example, can run for over 17 hours on a single AAA battery.
(Mainelli, 2004) As the popularity of the devices grows, people
will want to listen longer, so expect a push for extended battery
life.
Conclusion
Digital
audio players, regardless of size, shape or file format, are changing
the face of commercial music. Looking around on the street, one
will notice dozens of pedestrians listening to a portable music
device. Digital audio players are beyond a technical phenomenon,
they have become a social phenomenon. As the industry settles
in with the idea of a new method of distribution, new processes
for selecting music to produce, and new ways to reach consumers,
these personal audio devices will continue to evolve and will
be with us for years to come.
Bibliography
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Brooks, Rodney. “The Other Exponentials.” Technology
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8, 2004): 142-143.
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