Listening to Digital Music on CLUAS

Internet music technologies

Q. What are the differences between MP3 and 'Windows Media Audio'?
MP3 and 'Windows Media Audio' (WMA) are file formats that use different compression technologies (called CODECs) to store music data in a manageable file size.
MP3 files can typically be played on more multi-media software packages than WMA files (e.g. WINAMP, REAL PLAYER and the 'Windows Media Player' all support MP3, but only the 'Windows Media Player' of these supports the WMA format).
WMA files are typically ~40% smaller in size than an MP3 file of equivalent sound quality.
Both file formats are capable of delivering CD or near-CD sound quality.

Q. Can I listen to the songs on CLUAS if I have the "Real Player" installed?
A. Yes, however only the MP3 files on CLUAS can be played on the 'Real Player' (the 'Real player' does not support the 'Windows Media Audio' format). We will let you know, through these FAQ pages, if such support is introduced at some point in the future.

Q. Can I only listen to the songs on my PC? Is there any way I can listen to them independent of my PC?
A. The answers are 'no' and 'yes' respectively! If you download a song you can easily transfer it to portable players such as the "RIO Player" (see picture to the right) which is like a portable personal stereo for internet music that enables you to listen to the music anywhere. Such portable players for sale on the Irish and international markets. The players are capable of playing both MP3 and WMA files. 

Other FAQs

Jump to another category of FAQ from the choices below:

Comparison of 'Download' & 'Play' options
'Downloading' songs
'Playing' (or 'streaming') songs
My connection speed is 28kbs!