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A portable media player ] is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. The data is typically stored on a compact disc , Digital Video Disc , Blu-ray Disc , flash memory, microdrive, or hard drive; most earlier PMPs used physical media, but modern players mostly use flash memory. In contrast, analogue portable audio players play music from non-digital media that use analogue signal storage, such as cassette tapes or vinyl records.
Digital audio players were in the past often marketed and sold as "MP3 players", even if they also support other file formats and media types. The PMP term was introduced later for devices that had additional capabilities such as video playback. Generally speaking, they are portable, employing internal or replaceable batteries, equipped with a 3.5 mm headphone jack which users can plug headphones into or connect to a boombox or shelf stereo system, or may be connected to car and home stereos via a wireless connection such as Bluetooth. Some players also include FM radio tuners, voice recording and other features.
DAPs started in the late 1990s following the creation of the MP3 codec in Germany. MP3-playing devices were mostly pioneered by South Korean startups, who by 2002 would control the majority of global sales. However the industry would eventually be defined by the popular Apple iPod. In 2006, 20% of Americans owned a DAP/MP3 player and it was mostly driven by the young, as more than half of American teens owned one, while 30% of young adults aged 18 to 34 did so. 210 million PMPs were sold worldwide, worth $19.5 billion, in 2007, and in 2008 video-enabled players would overtake audio-only players. Increasing sales of smartphones and tablet computers have led to a decline in sales of PMPs and DAPs, leading to most devices being phased out, such as the iPod Touch on May 10, 2022, though certain flagship devices like the Sony Walkman are still in production. Portable DVD/BD players are still manufactured by brands across the world.