The invention of the MP3 format was the result of the combined efforts of several individuals and organizations. Here's an overview of the key players involved in its creation:
1. The Fraunhofer Society: The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, a research organization based in Germany, began developing the MP3 format in the late 1980s. A team of engineers led by Karlheinz Brandenburg worked on the project, which aimed to create a digital audio format that would compress audio files without sacrificing sound quality.
2. Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG): A working group of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), MPEG was responsible for developing the standards for digital audio and video compression. In 1992, the group adopted the MP3 format as part of its MPEG-1 standard.
3. Thomson Consumer Electronics: In the mid-1990s, Thomson, a multinational electronics company, acquired the rights to the MP3 format from Fraunhofer. The company helped popularize the format by including MP3 playback capabilities in its consumer devices, such as portable CD players and personal computers.
Overall, the discovery of MP3 was the result of the collaboration and innovation of several individuals and organizations.