What is MP3 and how does one use it?
Where can I find an MP3 Player form my Computer?
Portable MP3 Players. How to find the right one.
How_to_Download_a_Sermon_File
How_Do_I_get_MP3_sermon_files_to_my_Palm_Pilot
How Do I make my MP3 sermons play in my car
How do I make my ipod play MP3 files?

A Beginner's Guide to Digital Audio

Are you confused about what MP3 really is? Don't feel bad; you are not alone! The good news is that it isn't so complicated. Here is all you really need to know:

What MP3 is: MP3 is just a method of compressing audio files so they are small enough to send over the Internet. A four-minute song on a CD consumes about 40MB of space, but an MP3 of the same song could be 4MB or even smaller.

Having all your music in MP3 format makes it easy to organize. You can create "playlists" of your favorite music to suit any mood or occasion. You can also download this music from your computer to a portable player.

How to Play and Create MP3 Files: Your computer can probably play MP3 files already, using either Windows Media Player (for the PC) or QuickTime (on the Mac).

I prefer to use Windows Media Player because it comes with Microsoft Windows and It's also free!

The process of converting CD tracks to MP3 files is called "ripping." The most popular ripping program is MusicMatch Jukebox, which is also great for cataloging your music. Windows Media Player can also rip songs. It uses Microsoft's WMA format instead of MP3, but the result is similar. MusicMatch and Windows Media Player both work with most popular models of portable players

MP3 is an audio format. The main "pro" of this format is that after compression from a regular audio file (usually WAV) it will weight from 1/6 up to 1/12 of its original size and will keep 99% of the quality. The main "con" is that you can play MP3 on regular CD Players.

You can transform WAV files from a regular CD into MP3s, copying these files to your hard drive and using an MP3 converter. The files will use less space and you can play them with Windows Media Player, which is the default for Windows.

If you download MP3 from the Internet, and you want to burn them in a regular CD you can use Windows Media Player, Roxio, Nero or any of the burning programs available. If you want them to be played on any regular CD Player, you can use the option on these programs to convert them from MP3 to WAV Files.

You can also play MP3s on car MP3 players, MP3 compatible portable devices, or MP3 compatible DVD players, among others.

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2. Where can I find an MP3 Player for my Computer?

Click Here to get the latest version of Windows Media player.

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3. Portable MP3 Players. How to find the Right one.

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Portable MP3 Players

How to Find the Right One

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Portable MP3 players have only been around for a few years, but many manufacturers are already touting "third generation" players. The choices can be confusing - should you buy a lightweight player with limited internal memory, or a heavier unit that can pack hundreds of songs on a hard drive? And with so many brands, how do you choose the best one?

The first decision to make is type of memory. The earliest players used built-in flash memory, later supplemented by plug-in memory cards. Later models used hard drives for more storage capacity. Now many CD players come with MP3 decoders built in, and you can even play MP3's with your PDA.

The thing to remember is that CD-quality audio consumes about one megabyte (MB) of memory per minute, so a 32MB unit will only give you one album's worth of music. Here's a quick look at the best players in each category:

Top Players with Built-in Memory
These players have no moving parts, so in theory they should last longer than those which use hard drives or CD's. They are also lighter and are well-suited to sports activities. The downside is that memory capacity is much smaller, and it's usually expensive to increase memory.

Top Players with Hard Drives
If you want to carry a massive amount of files around with you, these players are your best bet. Most feature 6GB, 20GB or even larger hard drives in a compact package. That's enough for hundreds of albums! These units tend to be rather heavy.

Top MP3 CD Players
These play regular music CD's or CD's loaded with MP3 files. If you have a CD writer, you can transfer about 10 albums' worth of music to one disk.

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4. How to Download a Sermon File?

Downloading is the process of copying a file from one computer to another across the internet. When you download a sermon from our web site, it means you are copying it from the author or publisher's web server to your own computer. This allows you to install and play the sermon on your own computer or transfer it to your MP3 player..

Here's how to download a file using Internet Explorer and Windows XP. (This example shows a download of the December 19 2004 MP3 sermon file "20041219.mp3") If you're using a different browser such as Netscape Navigator or a different version of Windows, your screens may look a little different, but the same basic steps should work.

Right mouse click on the desired sermon date (December 19th in this case)

2. A menu box will appear. Select "Save target as..." by moving your mouse down.

You will then be asked to select the folder where you want to save the program or file, using a standard "Save As" dialog box. Pay attention to which folder you select before clicking the "Save" button. It may help you to create a folder like "C:\Download" for all of your downloads, but you can use any folder you'd like.

3. The download will now begin. Your web browser will keep you updated on the progress of the download by showing a progress bar that fills up as you download. You will also be reminded where you're saving the file.

4. Depending on which file you're downloading and how fast your connection is, it may take anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours to download. When your download is finished, if you left the "Close this dialog box when download completes" option unchecked, you'll see a dialog box like this one:

5. Now click the "Open" button to run the file you just downloaded. If you don't see the "Download complete" dialog box, open the folder where you saved the file and double-click on the icon for the file there.

Create new folders to organize your collection!

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5. How Do I get MP3 sermon files to my Palm Pilot?

1. Download the MP3 sermon file to your PC

2. A typical Palm Pilot should have an SD memory expansion slot (see #9) like on the Palm Tungsten E.

SD or similar memory cards can be purchased at any local computer store (Staples, OfficeMax, Bestbuy...) or if you like doing rebate www.ecost.com (watch out for the tacked on handling charges). Ecost.com has great deals on memory. Go to the Bargain Countdown section of their web.

3. Open your Palm Desktop and click the "Install" icon.