MP3

MP3 is slang for "MPEG Layer-3", and an acronym of MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 audio layer 3. MPEG stands for "Moving Picture Experts Group," and refers to the experts who developed MPEG - a set of industry standards for digitally encoding video and audio information.

The file extension for the audio layer (layer 3) of a MPEG file is MP3. This layer uses perceptual (what can be heard) audio coding and psychoacoustic compression to remove redundant or irrelevant sound signals.

MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 is the compression scheme used to transfer audio files via the Internet and store in portable players and digital audio servers. MP3 is a compression algorithm developed by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and later standardised by the MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) that permits audio files to be highly compressed and yet retain excellent levels of quality.

It is capable of 10:1 compression with no noticeable loss in quality. MP3s have become a popular way to distribute CD quality music on the Internet. MP3s reduce unnecessary data that is imperceptible to the human ear.(*)

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