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  CNET GLOSSARY: Terms for the techie
MP3
MPEG-1, Layer 3 A compression technology, part of the MPEG specification, that produces small, high-quality audio files by eliminating sound signals that the human ear cannot register. MP3 refers to the file format as well as the compression standard. To create an MP3 file, you need a ripper--a program that copies a song from a CD to your hard drive--and an encoder to convert the file to the MP3 format. To play the file, you need MP3 player hardware or software for your computer. Most users simply download MP3 files from Web sites such as Apple's iMusic. 
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