The media has certainly played a major role in every individual’s life. The media stores and manages memories in form of files. These files can be accessed shortly. Media has been extensively used to capture and freeze memories that have been retrieved at a later date. That a form of media is commonly used for audios and videos.
Audios and videos are usually very large files. As such, storage can be an issue especially if you want to do it permanently. However, to have an easy time with storage, the large videos and audios will need to be compressed. In olden days, such files were stored in CDs or media players. Today, these same files are stored in two famous formats called the MPEG and MP3.
MPEG Vs. Mp3
The main difference between these two formats of compression is that MPEG is a format used to compress and store both audio and video files. MP3 on the other hand is used to compress and store audio files only. It has no option of supporting video files.
The main purpose of the creation and development of the MPEG format was for the compression and transmission of both audio and video files. The compression done using MPEG reduces the file sizes in a way that the file quality is not tampered with. Once the files are converted, they can be stored on CDs.
MP3 on the other hand is considered a larger format of the MPEG. This format helps to compress and transmit audio files only. Once the audio files have been compressed, they are stored in suitable media players. These media players support storage of data in megabytes and not gigabytes.
Comparison between MPEG and MPC
- The full name for MPEG is Moving Pictures Experts Group. MP3 on the hand stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3.
- The MPEG format was created with the purpose of compressing and storing both audio and video files. MP3 on the other hand was intended to compress and store audio files only.
- MPEG was created with an aim which was to set a good standard for audio and video compression. The compression was to make the files easy to transport into their storage spaces. MP3 on the other hand was created for patent encoding. The format transmits and compresses audio files only.
- MPEG is meant to compress and manage audio files so that they reach their desired balance in terms of quality and size. Mp3 has since its creation been used to compress lossy files and has since become popular.
- MPEG is still in use regardless of the fact that there have been more advanced technologies that have come to replace it. MP3 has since been suspended from use after the later versions of it were created and developed.
What is MPEG?
The full name for MPEG is Moving Pictures Experts Group. It came into being in 1988. At first, MPEG had just 500 members. With time, however, it continued to grow and gain huge popularity. The main reason MPEG was created was to support compression of video and audio files.
The reason MPEG came into being was to compress audio and video files into smaller sizes that could be accommodated in their desired storage devices. The good thing about file compression is that it does not hinder the quality of the audio or the video. Quality remains intact. Once the files are compressed, they are stored in CDs and VCDs.
MPEG comes in various versions and compatibility is fully dependent on the various storage devices. MPEG-1 files are stored in VCDs after compression, the MPEG-2, a successor of the initial compresses and stores its files in CDs and VCDs while MPEG-4 compresses and stores files in Blu-ray.
MP4 is most common and popularly used by most people. Files are compressed, transmitted to mobile phones and other like devices.
What is MP3?
MP3 is known as a smaller version of the large MPEG. It is known in full as MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3. The main reason this format was developed was to compress audio files only. It deals with audio media files. The lossy audio files that are compressed and managed by MP3 are stored in media players. MP3 was the only format that allowed storage of compressed files in portable media players that were famous during MP3’s introduction.
Mp3 was the very first format that allowed the compression of audio files. All files were compressed into megabytes and not gigabytes. This made it easier to store them into smaller files instead of using compact disks. There are media players who have embraced the MP3 as their standard format. Mp3 was so popular in terms of its usage but ever since the introduction of its extended version, it is no longer in use. Other formats that have replaced the MP3 include AAC and WMA.
Difference between MPEG and MP3
- MPEG is known in full as Moving Pictures Experts Group. It is a larger layer of the MPEG which stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3.
- While both these formats are used in compressing and managing audio files, MPEG has room for video file compression which is not possible with the MP3 format.
- MPEG was created and developed with the aim of setting a standard for video and audio compression. The compression makes it possible to store these files in portable VCDs and DVDs. The file size was compressed and the smaller files were stored in CDs. MP3 on the other hand was created and developed to assist in patent encoding of files which assisted in the compression and transmission of files.
- MPEG compressed and managed files to enable them reach a desired size without necessarily compromising on the quality. MP3 on the other hand was meant to compress lossy files with the aim of storing them in portable media players.
- MPEG is still being widely used even with the new versions that have come up but MP3’s use was suspended after new versions came in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both media formats have been in use for a long time and have continued to gain popularity.