What is Mp3?

MP3 also known as MPEG Layer 3 is a multimedia audio format, based on sound compression using the method called 'lossy MPEG compression'. Lossy MPEG compression means that the data that can not be heard normally are not included in the file. The concept belongs to the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, and this was its third successful after the MPEG Audio used for Philips DCC digital boxes and MPEG Layer 2 used in Video CDs sound. Its main advantage was at its emergence and still remains the small space that is occupied by mp3 songs, but the disadvantage is that the sound quality suffers during compression.

Since the year of 1987, the Fraunhofer Institute from Germany has started working on a project for the audio compression method described above, based on the perceptual coding technique. This is an algorithm that exploits the weaknesses of the human ear, providing a sound as close to the original as possible. MPEG Audio MPA also called MPEG Audio is the first success of the institute and was used only for Philips DCC digital boxes Philips DCC also known as the Digital Compact Cassette, a competitor to Sony's Mini Disc between 1992 and 1996. His successor, MPEG Layer 2 known as MP2 was used for Video CDs sound and other multimedia devices and today is relatively widespread in the video industry. A third version of the standard MPEG Audio Layer 3 has the advantage of a high audio quality, which earned it great popularity.

With the spreading trend of the Internet and the shared network resources by default to type 'P2P' which is a shared network resource of type 'peer to peer' that allows a file to be simultaneously accessed by different users, the MP3 phenomenon has increased its spreading also and is soon becoming an illegal way to transfer and storage of music by downloading mp3 for free. To avoid illegal actions the best way to download mp3 music is from sites where you have to pay the download because of the legal issues.