MP3
M
MP3
Definition
MPEG-1 Audio Layer III: the most widely used lossy audio compression format. Developed by the Fraunhofer Society, it dramatically reduced audio file sizes while maintaining acceptable quality.
MP3: The Music Revolution
MP3 was standardized in 1993 and became the format that transformed the music industry. It uses perceptual coding to remove audio frequencies that are less audible to humans, achieving compression ratios of 10:1 or higher. Common bitrates range from 128 kbps (acceptable quality) to 320 kbps (near-CD quality). While newer formats like AAC and Opus offer better quality at lower bitrates, MP3 remains the most universally supported audio format.