MP3
Technology & Computing abbreviation · File Format
| Stands for | MPEG-1 Audio Layer III |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
MP3 stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer III, a file format abbreviation.
Lossy audio compression format that shrinks music to about a tenth of CD size by discarding sounds the human ear is unlikely to perceive. It became the universal format for digital music downloads, podcasts and portable players.
Example: I converted the old CDs to 320 kbps MP3 so they play in the car.
Usage notes
Karlheinz Brandenburg's team at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute led its development, and it was standardized in the early 1990s; the .mp3 extension was chosen in 1995. Winamp (1997) and Napster (1999) made it famous, along with a wave of music piracy. Engineers tuned the codec using Suzanne Vega's song "Tom's Diner". Its key patents expired in 2017. A 128 kbps file uses about 1 MB per minute.
Related abbreviations
More file format abbreviations
- M4V – MPEG-4 Video file (Apple)
- MD – Markdown
- MIDI – Musical Instrument Digital Interface
- MKV – Matroska Video
- MOBI – Mobipocket e-book
- MOV – QuickTime Movie
- MP4 – MPEG-4 Part 14
- MPEG – Moving Picture Experts Group
- MSI – Microsoft Installer package
- MSIX – MSIX app package
- NEF – Nikon Electronic Format
- OBJ – Wavefront object file