Panelplayer User Manual v.1.4
Page 4
1Introduction
1.1 What is Panelplayer?
Panelplayer is a sophisticated amplified player of audio MP3 with a solid state memory,
designed to manage sequences of audio messages, musical items, commercial
communications and all kinds of audio MP3 files in a rapid, effective and interactive way.
Coupled with switches, touch-sensors or infrared movement sensors, it permits one to
create info-interactive areas, didactic and museum routes, information totems for trade
fairs and expositions, musical shows and interactive points for commercial promotions.
1.2 What is Mp3?
Mp3 is an acronym for Mpeg-1 layer 3. This is an audio compression standard which
eliminates sounds which the human ear cannot hear via a psycho-acoustic algorithm. The
purpose of this compression is to reduce the space taken up by an audio file while still
ensuring excellent quality. The greater the compression, the less the audio quality. The
right compromise, which guarantees a quality comparable to that of a Compact Disc, is
128 Kbps (thousands of bits per second) which represents the most widely used manner,
and reduces the size of an uncompressed file by 10 times.
1.3 Encoder
Software which compresses a CD audio or wave file in MP3. There are many programmes
of this kind, and it is virtually impossible to say which is the best.
1.4 Decoder
Software which decompresses an MP3 audio file in order to send it to a digital-analog
converter and reconstruct the original audio signal.
1.5 Player
Hardware and software system able to read MP3 audio files. Panelplayer is able to carry
out this function.
1.6 Wave
High quality audio format (extension .wav), compatible with the tracks of normal music
CD’s. If one uses a wave file in format 44.1 KHz/sec. at 16 bit in stereo, one will get
exactly the same quality as a music CD, but the size of the file is about 10Mb per minute.
1.7 Audio compression in various formats.
The following graphic shows the space taken up by an uncompressed audio file of about 5
minutes (.wav) and compressed in MP3 at 128Kbps (MP3).
Wave 51,1 MB
MP3 4,6 MB
