MUSIC and VIDEO

Taking your music collection on holiday with you a few years ago would just not have been possible, and as for video it would not have even been considered. Now you can take almost every song you have ever heard on holiday, plus a selection of your favourite films, TV moments or sporting triumphs of your team or sporting idol. So here's a glimpse what’s out there to make this possible and what do you have to think about before you make a purchase of the ideal music or video hardware.

MP3 Players
The easiest way to take your all time favourite music tracks is to load up an MP3 and put it in your pocket…your done. MP3 players can comfortably hold hundreds, even thousands of songs, surely sufficient to hold the average individual’s music collection, whether it’s singles or albums. Many MP3 players do a whole lot more including voice recording, FM radio and large screen versions that can usually playback video too.

Models available also include:

Waterproof
Great for the beach or whilst swimming

Wind-up
Never run out of charge and take and play anywhere (eco-friendly alternative - save on batteries)

FM Transmitter
Transmits audio to FM radio in your car or home

Desktop
Share music with all with a fixed base station

Twin headphone
Let your friend listen to the tracks too

Chair
Folding chair that includes amplifier and speakers, just simply plug in your MP3 player or iPod.

NOTE:  To give you a brief understanding of how much music an MP3 player can hold we have placed a table below. As you can see, the amount of music you can store on a 1GB drive differs according to sampling rate and song length.

Sample Rate               Song Length              Number of Songs
(Kbps)                         (Minutes)                   

128                                          3                                  364
128                                          4                                  273
162                                          3                                  287
162                                          4                                  215
196                                          3                                  238
196                                          4                                  178
256                                          3                                  182
256                                          4                                  137

MP4 Players or Video

As we travel around whether it is on holiday, day trips or just to work our gadgets now have the ability to view images and video. How does watching your favourite soap, drama or film whilst travelling from A to B sound? Trust me it's possible.

There are many differing types of devices that can play video, below are some of the popular ones.

MP4 Player
There are quite a few of the MP3 player versions that will play video files, they will have a larger than standard screen usually up to 2.5-inches. The MP4 or MPEG-4 format not only allows audio but images and video to be converted, allowing you to not only hear but see all the action.

As you would expect the size of the player is generally larger than the standard MP3 but differs very little in its functionality. Should you wish to use your player to view video, we would suggest that you have as high a capacity as possible, up to 16GB and as an added bonus look for versions that have an built-in card slot that will allow you to increase the capacity even more.

Portable Multimedia Player
As memory capacities have gone through a massive boom of late, our portable gadgets have benefited hugely allowing you to view and store an amazing amount of files including music and especially video. Dedicated multimedia players can play full length feature films and will have larger screens of up to 7-inches.

These types of units not only play but can also act as video recorders, even camcorders depending on the type you select. They will also have the ability to output the images to a larger screen TV or monitor for better viewing. USB ports give the advantage of being able to connect to mass storage devices such as external hard drives or flashdrives, make them the ultimate in total audio and video pleasure.

Portable DVD Player
Most of us will have built up a reasonable amount of films or TV programmes on DVD over the years. With society as busy as it is today it's not surprising you just don't have the time to sit down and watch them. Portable DVD players give you the chance to play your favourite DVD's anywhere, whether on a plane, train, car or the beach.

The portable DVD player will incorporate pretty much all of the features your home player will have but with the one added bonus of a built-in LCD screen. Screen sizes can vary and will start from 3.5-inches but will usually be no bigger than 9-inches, some screens may have the ability to turn or swivel.

Many other features include shock protection, USB and SD card facility, DivX compatible and car cigarette adaptor to ensure maximum charge, keeping the kids entertained on those long journeys. If you are not close to a power source then the units do have very good long-life batteries, with a playing time of over 2.5 hours and the ability to recharge.

Radio
Remember the time when we used to gather round the old radio and listen to the Queens speech ….. me neither, however radio has come a long way in its attempts to keep up with technological advances in other audio formats. Most of the old favourites on FM, AM, LW and SW still exist so you can catch up with local, national and international news, views, music and shows from the medium that is constantly tying to adapt to change. The new DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) has given radio stations the function to transmit in crystal clear CD like quality and now most popular stations have a DAB service. There are many stations that will constantly play a particular type of music genre from rock to classical so you will always be able to find music to match your mood.
Radio types again can differ in their powering ability, along with the popular mains and battery versions there are wind up and solar power or a combination of the two. These are great for saving the environment and saving you a few pounds on batteries. Plus have the advantage of being able to keep the music going wherever you are.

Accessories
To enhance, power and protect your portable music and video gadgetry, there is a huge range of accessories available to you. Some of which are listed below.

Power
Whether you want to use alkaline or rechargeable batteries, solar power, in-car, USB or mains then there’s every type of power source available to you.

Speakers
If you want to share the listening pleasure with friends and family, then you can attach a portable or travel speaker to your music source

Headphone
Keeping your music tracks personal means using head or earphones. However there are large types available to you form in ear, over ear, on ear, closed cup and open cup, with bass boost and volume control to add that extra touch.

Cases
Make sure that your personal audio or video units keep protected in all weather. It is better to be safe than sorry so with the wide range of cases available take advantage now.

Desk Station
This will allow you to use your MP3 or iPod and turn the small unit into a Hi-Fi system.