Audio The Outsiders Article

The Various Audio Book Formats

If you are interested in audio books, chances are there is a specific format for you whether it is on a cassette tape, a compact disc or digital downloads. Or, you could enjoy all three types and possibly interchange them depending on use, whether it is at school, work, at the gym or in your car.

The audio book on tape was the original version in the 1980s. Some people only listen to books on cassette tape. Some people prefer compact discs because they last longer and offer more up to date technology.

With the internet, there is an opportunity to download files from the internet for free or for a small fee. The increase use of portable Ipods and other devices makes it very easy to take a book on the road in your car, on a bike or to school or work.

There are a multitude of audio book formats. The portable MP3 players have a 64 or 128 kps format that do not take up a great deal of space and the audio quality is still very good.

The MP3 format is very popular because it is easily accessible and portable. Itunes and Apple sell not only music but audio books. There are variances in the type of formats they offer. So make sure you know what you are looking for and how you are going to listen to the audio book. Many people still prefer cassette tapes because it is very basic technology and you can find a cassette player almost anywhere.

There are audio books on CD which are very popular. This is digital technology and it replaces the old analog format. The sound quality is better and has a cleaner sound. Audio books can also be downloaded directly from the internet rather than from a disc. They are played on CD players in boats, cars, stereos, and portable players. These files can be compressed and played on an MP3 player.

There are audio books which can be downloaded. They are converted and then changed to digital files. Then they can be listened to on Ipods and MP3 players. This makes them portable so, that they can be taken anywhere.

Have you heard about audio chips? The secure digital cards or cards called SD are used in cameras. They are the memory of the camera which saves photos. Audio books can be stored on these cards that are about the size of a quarter. Then they can be listened to on PDAs and cell phones.

So, technology has certainly come a long way in the audio book market. At one time, the rage was cassette recorders. Can you imagine listening to an audio book from your cell phone? The technology for this is just around the corner.