
MP3 files are usually download-and-play files rather than streaming sound files that you link-and-listen-to with RealPlayer and similar products (However, streaming MP3 is possible.) Winamp (PC), iTunes(Mac), and mpeg123 (UNIX) are popular MP3 players, but there are many others.

Otherwise, you can download a player from one of several popular MP3 sites. Many Windows users will find that they have a player built into their operating system. MP3 files (identified with the file name suffix of ".mp3") are available for downloading from a number of Web sites. MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) is a standard technology and format for compressing a sound sequence into a very small file (about one-twelfth the size of the original file) while preserving the original level of sound quality when it is played.
