iPods are More Than Portable Music Players
Christine Harrell asked:
With the evolution of technology, companies like Apple have developed mini-multimedia devices called iPods. These small, but sturdy hand held media players have captured the attention of the world as they have sold over 42 million in recent years. They can now hold over 60 gigabytes of your favorite music, videos, data and files that you would like transferred from one pc to another.
There are wireless additions and open source software that can customize the operating system to handle applications designed by individual developers. The versatility of the iPods over palm pilots and other similar devices has made them valuable tools for work and play. It has been reported that some medical firms use them to transfer x-rays and client files from one practice to another while also being used to play medical videos for patient care. An iPod in the hand of a forward thinker can become a powerful tool, which can revolutionize work flow within many industries.
Training videos are another great use for the iPod and with the large storage capacity they can be used to coach through many medical procedures. For example, imagine ambulance services with personnel who carry iPods with videos that explain how to give CPR, deliver babies, perform tracheotomies, amputations or any other critical procedure just in case of emergency. This is just one way that this piece of technology can be used to save lives.
There really is no limit to the usefulness of the Apple iPod when creative imagination takes hold of one. There will always be, of course, the regular videos that it can play while you are on an airplane to a foreign country. It can hold more music than the average jukebox found at dance halls and social halls. It even categorizes your favorite genres and will quiz you about the very music downloaded into the iPod.
With wireless technologies becoming cheaper while covering wider ranges of distance, the iPod can keep constant connection within a corporate setting which can synchronize with everyone who uses the same information.
There are companies who can customize your iPod as well so that it matches your company logos or colors. Mostly the iPod will continue to be the toy that teens and young adults use to watch videos and listen to their favorite songs while adults add the customized features listed above. As storage devices, the possibilities are endless. How will you use yours?
With the evolution of technology, companies like Apple have developed mini-multimedia devices called iPods. These small, but sturdy hand held media players have captured the attention of the world as they have sold over 42 million in recent years. They can now hold over 60 gigabytes of your favorite music, videos, data and files that you would like transferred from one pc to another.
There are wireless additions and open source software that can customize the operating system to handle applications designed by individual developers. The versatility of the iPods over palm pilots and other similar devices has made them valuable tools for work and play. It has been reported that some medical firms use them to transfer x-rays and client files from one practice to another while also being used to play medical videos for patient care. An iPod in the hand of a forward thinker can become a powerful tool, which can revolutionize work flow within many industries.
Training videos are another great use for the iPod and with the large storage capacity they can be used to coach through many medical procedures. For example, imagine ambulance services with personnel who carry iPods with videos that explain how to give CPR, deliver babies, perform tracheotomies, amputations or any other critical procedure just in case of emergency. This is just one way that this piece of technology can be used to save lives.
There really is no limit to the usefulness of the Apple iPod when creative imagination takes hold of one. There will always be, of course, the regular videos that it can play while you are on an airplane to a foreign country. It can hold more music than the average jukebox found at dance halls and social halls. It even categorizes your favorite genres and will quiz you about the very music downloaded into the iPod.
With wireless technologies becoming cheaper while covering wider ranges of distance, the iPod can keep constant connection within a corporate setting which can synchronize with everyone who uses the same information.
There are companies who can customize your iPod as well so that it matches your company logos or colors. Mostly the iPod will continue to be the toy that teens and young adults use to watch videos and listen to their favorite songs while adults add the customized features listed above. As storage devices, the possibilities are endless. How will you use yours?
Streaming And Portable Music In The Home
Daniel Johansson asked:
Forget DVD-A, SACD and MiniDisc, which have failed to threaten the humble CD. The iPod revolution, computer-based media players and the proliferation of formats such as mp3, ogg and FLAC have provided the catalyst for the explosive popularity of downloading music. It’s here to stay, but how do we integrate new digital media into our homes? This guide aims to outline several methods to break free from listening to such media through computer speakers and portable media players.
For owners of iPods and the like, a docking station provides a low-cost solution to play music through existing HiFi equipment. You’ll also need a 3.5mm stereo jack to RCA (phono) lead to connect from the dock into the back of your HiFi amplifier. The dock can be omitted and the cable used to plug in the headphone out of your mp3 player, but the sound quality is significantly inferior to the lineout connection utilised by a docking station.
FM transmitters are available for mp3 players. This solution allows for more flexibility as any radio receiver in the home can be tuned into the frequency set by these transmitters. They are also the most ideal solution for in-car audio. Highly recommended is the Belkin Tunecast 3, which works with all mp3 players. Beware that the range of these devices is limited and so should be placed in the same room as the FM tuner.
Personal computers are great for storing vast amounts of digital media. The problem is: how do you get music from the study into your living room? Moreover, how do you control what you’re listening to without having to use your computer? Slim Devices’ Squeezebox provides a solution to each of these problems by wirelessly streaming music from your computer to your HiFi system. It is a small box with display and remote that doubles up as an Internet radio player. Unlike the mp3 player FM transmitters, this box can be placed anywhere in the home. Sound quality is excellent and it has been well-received by the audiophile community.
One of the main limitations of the Squeezebox is that is it only designed to stream into one HiFi system. What if you want to be able to play different files at the same time across a variety of different home audio systems? Sonos’ Multi Zone Digital Music System tagline is “Play any song. In any room. From anywhere.” This is a costlier, but ultimate, approach to streaming digital media in the home. As with the Squeezebox, sound quality is surprisingly high fidelity, especially if streaming lossless formats such as FLAC or Apple Lossless.
A Sonos system allows different music to be played in up to 32 rooms! This is enabled by using a “ZonePlayer”, of which two versions are available. One version plugs into your HiFi system, the other is amplified and can be used to drive a set of speakers independently. Using a Sonos controller, which is very similar in operation to an iPod, music can be independently played from room to room, or other rooms can be controlled via one controller. As with the ZonePlayers, up to 32 controllers are supported.
Whether your requirements range from plugging in an mp3 player into your HiFi to installing a true multi-room wireless system, it seems that it is only a matter of time before computer-based music overtakes CD as the dominant format of choice.
Forget DVD-A, SACD and MiniDisc, which have failed to threaten the humble CD. The iPod revolution, computer-based media players and the proliferation of formats such as mp3, ogg and FLAC have provided the catalyst for the explosive popularity of downloading music. It’s here to stay, but how do we integrate new digital media into our homes? This guide aims to outline several methods to break free from listening to such media through computer speakers and portable media players.
For owners of iPods and the like, a docking station provides a low-cost solution to play music through existing HiFi equipment. You’ll also need a 3.5mm stereo jack to RCA (phono) lead to connect from the dock into the back of your HiFi amplifier. The dock can be omitted and the cable used to plug in the headphone out of your mp3 player, but the sound quality is significantly inferior to the lineout connection utilised by a docking station.
FM transmitters are available for mp3 players. This solution allows for more flexibility as any radio receiver in the home can be tuned into the frequency set by these transmitters. They are also the most ideal solution for in-car audio. Highly recommended is the Belkin Tunecast 3, which works with all mp3 players. Beware that the range of these devices is limited and so should be placed in the same room as the FM tuner.
Personal computers are great for storing vast amounts of digital media. The problem is: how do you get music from the study into your living room? Moreover, how do you control what you’re listening to without having to use your computer? Slim Devices’ Squeezebox provides a solution to each of these problems by wirelessly streaming music from your computer to your HiFi system. It is a small box with display and remote that doubles up as an Internet radio player. Unlike the mp3 player FM transmitters, this box can be placed anywhere in the home. Sound quality is excellent and it has been well-received by the audiophile community.
One of the main limitations of the Squeezebox is that is it only designed to stream into one HiFi system. What if you want to be able to play different files at the same time across a variety of different home audio systems? Sonos’ Multi Zone Digital Music System tagline is “Play any song. In any room. From anywhere.” This is a costlier, but ultimate, approach to streaming digital media in the home. As with the Squeezebox, sound quality is surprisingly high fidelity, especially if streaming lossless formats such as FLAC or Apple Lossless.
A Sonos system allows different music to be played in up to 32 rooms! This is enabled by using a “ZonePlayer”, of which two versions are available. One version plugs into your HiFi system, the other is amplified and can be used to drive a set of speakers independently. Using a Sonos controller, which is very similar in operation to an iPod, music can be independently played from room to room, or other rooms can be controlled via one controller. As with the ZonePlayers, up to 32 controllers are supported.
Whether your requirements range from plugging in an mp3 player into your HiFi to installing a true multi-room wireless system, it seems that it is only a matter of time before computer-based music overtakes CD as the dominant format of choice.
