MP3s and MP4s are commonly used digital audio formats. You can listen to any audio program imaginable in MP3 and MP4.

A unique quality about these audio files are they have a significant amount of what they call "compression" in the file size. This means it takes less hard drive space on your computer than other commonly used digital audio formats like AAC, WAV, and AIFF. You could potentially carry tens of thousands of MP3s and MP4s on your computer without impeding the machine. 

The flip side to these formats vs. other digital audio formats is MP3s and MP4s are so highly compressed there is usually some loss of audio quality from the original recording. However, most of the time listening to an audio lecture, dramatization, or some music you may never tell the difference. In some cases it may be noticeable, but for most listeners it doesn't take away from the enjoyability of the audio program. The quality lost is never so great it would take away from the audio program's intended purpose.

Also, MP3s and MP4s are not compatible with all audio playing devices. When burned onto a CD the audio may not play for some stereos. This happens because the MP3/MP4 formats came much later than some audio players, so the players were not built for compatibility. However, most all audio players today are able to play them. (Be sure to check your music player to see if it can play MP3s and MP4s before you make a purchases from Domininon Downloads.)

The greatest positive trait to digital audio in these formats is their portability. You can take them with you on the go with an iPod, Zune, or other MP3 player. You can save them on any computer, back them up on an external hard drive, and burn them to CDs. The audio files are easy to sort, import, export, and transfer. If need be, there are many affordable digital audio editing applications that let you customize the audio to suit your purposes.

That's all you need to know for starters. Still don't get it? For more technical information, see what Wikipedia has to say about MP3s.

Note: Dominion Downloads uses both of these audio formats. Technicalities of the MP4 format are superior to MP3, so when possible Dominion Downloads uses the MP4 format. Most downloads in the store have specs that identify which format it is in. When you download the audio it indicate which format it is in as well.

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