ALL ABOUT AUDIOBOOKS ON MP3-CD

WHAT IS AN MP3-CD?

An MP3-CD looks, sounds and feels like a regular CD (compact disc). However, the content file(s) is more compressed. MP3 stands for both the extension on the file and the type of file—MPEG, Moving Picture Experts Group, Audio Layer 3. (Layer 3 is one of three coding schemes for the compression of audio signals.) Layer 3 uses compression to remove all redundant and irrelevant parts of a sound signal—what the human ear doesn’t hear anyway. The result in real terms is that layer 3 shrinks the original sound data by a factor of 12 without sacrificing sound quality.

A regular CD holds a maximum of 74 minutes of audio, compared to the MP3-CD’s storage capability of up-to 16 hours (at 96kbps). 

This advantage makes MP3-CDs the logical choice for audiobooks.

WHERE CAN I PLAY AN AUDIOBOOK MP3-CD?

New CD players which are marked as MP3-CD compatible will play MP3-CD audiobooks as will most new DVD players, computer CD drives, new in-dash car audio systems, and several new 2005 automobiles (factory installed).

New CD players that are formatted to play MP3-CDs will also play regular CDs. 

However, older CD players built to play only regular CDs will not play the new MP3-CDs.

WHAT DIFFERENCES ARE THERE IN MP3-CD AUDIOBOOKS

Today,  titles in MP3-CD format conform to meet the Audiobook standards jointly published by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Audiobook Publishers’ Association (APA). Audiobooks that display the Audiobook Format logo are formatted with a special table of contents file for easy navigation when played on players bearing the Audiobook Compatible logo. 

While it’s true that most MP3-CD audiobooks will play on any MP3-CD player, only an Audiobook Compatible player is built to read the special table of contents file that enables the book to be navigated by each page (60-seconds long) or by chapter. 

Only players that display the Audiobook Compatible logo will play Audiobook Format files in the order in which they were intended, read and navigate the the table of contents file, and restart the audiobook at the same spot when it was turned off —a feature often called “bookmarking” or “auto resume”.

All MP3-CD audiobooks are made so that any MP3-CD player can skip forwards and backwards in the book by complete chapter. 

However, without use of the CEA/APA Audiobook standards, unwelcome pauses and chapters played out of sequence may be experienced.