MP3 Logo — MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III , more commonly known as MP3 is a format of audio compression that uses a proprietary digital algorithm with loss to get a smaller file size. It is a format of audio music commonly used for both computers as portable audio players .
MP3 was developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group ( MPEG ) to form part of the standard MPEG-1 and later and more extended MPEG-2 . Created using an MP3 compression 128kbit / s have a size of approximately 11 times lower than its namesake in CD. An MP3 can also be compressed using a higher or lower bit rate per second, resulting directly in their degree of end audio quality, and in the resulting file size.This format was pioneered by Karlheinz Brandenburg , director of electronic media technologies at the Fraunhofer Institute IIS, part of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft — research network of Germans — who along with Thomson Multimedia controls the bulk of patents related to MP3. The first was recorded in 1986 and several more in 1991. It was not until July 1995 when Brandenburg was first used by the. Mp3 for MP3 files related to that stored in his computer. A year later entered the institute for patents 1.2 million euros . Ten years later this figure has reached 26.1 million.
After the development of autonomous players, laptops or integrated music channels (stereo) MP3 format goes beyond the world of computing. The MP3 format became the standard for streaming audio and audio compression with loss of fidelity medium due to the possibility of adjusting the quality of compression proportional to the size per second ( bit rate ), and therefore the final size of the file, which could come to occupy 12 and even 15 times less than the original uncompressed file.
It was the first audio compression format popularized by the Internet , as it made possible the exchange of music files. The lawsuits against companies like Napster and AudioGalaxy are the result of the ease with which they share these files. In early 2002 other compressed audio formats as Windows Media Audio and Ogg Vorbis are becoming massively included in programs, operating systems and stand-alone players, which led to expectations that the MP3 was gradually falling into disuse, in favor of other formats, such as these, of much better quality. One of the factors influencing the decline of MP3 is that it has patent . Technically, having a patent does not mean that its quality is inferior or superior, but prevents the community to continue improving and can make you pay for the use of a codec . This is what happens with MP3 players. Still, in late 2009, the mp3 format is still the most used and enjoyed more success, bringing new versions.