Karaoke Player
Most Karaoke players look like a stand-alone DVD/CD player which includes two microphone inputs
along with numerous buttons on the front for song selection. Karaoke players comein a couple of varieties.

DVD+ Hard Disc Karaoke Player
DVD+HDD is an abbreviation for Digital versatile disc + Hard Disc. This is DVD+HDD integrated
Karaoke player with removable HDD which allow you to transfer to PC or upgrade to larger capacities.
DVD Karaoke is similar to VCD Karaoke but hold a lot more songs.

DVD Karaoke Player

Normally can play DVD, CD+G, VCD, JPEG discs and optionally from USB memory and more!
These karaoke machines normally have 5.1 surround and microphone inputs, echo and key adjustment
and lead vocal suppression for multiplex songs.  

CD+G/VCD Karaoke Player
This type of Karaoke player supports the CD+G standard as well as Video CD(VCD)standard.
Like CD+G discs, VCD Karaoke discs display song lyrics along with music including multi video
background instead of solid color background in CD+G discs but background video titles are not matched
with song contents . VCD discs support vocal suppression and stereo or mono and Tempo control.

CD+G Karaoke Player
CD+G stands for Compact Disc + Graphic which consists of two parts; song and graphic with lyrics on
the screen but graphic is single color background. CD+G discs can be supported in a regular CD player,
but to see the graphics portion you'll need a special CD+G player.
More advanced CD+G players allow you to superimpose video from a camcorder or VCR behind  the text
to liven up the Karaoke experience and enhance more pizzazz .

All-in-one solution
If all this seems too complicated, you can go with an all-in-one unit. These units provide the player,
microphone(s), amp, mixer, sampler CDs, and speakers in a single package.

With an all-in-one player the only thing you'll need to provide is a TV or video monitor.
Also note that some all-in-one units are capable of playing only CD+G discs while others are capable
of playing both VCD and CD+G discs. Check the specs before you buy to see if it has all the options
you want.

Karaoke Peripheral devices

Karaoke Mixer.
With the music being played, Karaoke Mixers are used to adjust microphone levels, adjust  bass, mid,
and treble levels of microphone inputs, echo, reverb, delay, vocal removal for regular CDs and key
control for raising or lowering key, tempo of music in order for more people to easily sing along .
But this item is usually unnecessary and is only reserved for professional DJ's, because most Karaoke
players includes microphone inputs along with ajustment function of echo, key,volume, and tempo.

Karaoke Amplifier

Generally, an amplifier or simply amp is any device that changes, usually increases the amplitude of
the sound from Karaoke players or microphone and also provide speaker  hookups.
If you have a home stereo or stereo amp/pre-amp, you can use that instead of  a Karaoke amplifier.
Normally a Karaoke amplifier is unnecessary for the average home user.

Speakers
If you want to reproduce loud, robust, and better quality sound or set club or bar, you may  use Karaoke
speakers. If you're using a home receiver/amp as an amplifier you can get away wiith using your home
stereo speakers. However, you can potentially blow your speakers if audio levels from your Karaoke
player are set too high. To be safe, adjust the volume settings low on your home stereo and increase
the volume level depending on who's singing. Another option is to use a cheap pair of stereo speakers
when you have Karaoke night at your home.

Video Monitor
Karaoke monitors are specialized video monitors designed to be compact and easy to move.
However, home Karaoke enthusiasts can use a TV instead. All you need is a video-input jack
on the TV. Failing that, you can use an RF converter to connect to your TV's antenna.

Microphone
There's no special type of Karaoke microphone. Any quality microphone with a 1/4-inch output
will do just fine. You'll want to stay away from cheap microphones as they allow interference
and often cause feedback.


The ultimate cheap option
Many DVD players also double as Karaoke players. A Karaoke-enabled DVD player should have
microphone inputs in front. If it does, you can play CD+G discs, Karaoke VCD's, and Karaoke DVD's
(a new format).

While you can play CD+G's, without an additional and pricey CD+G decoder you'll just get  the audio and
no graphics. Plug it in to your stereo for decent sound and you've got a ready-made Karaoke player and
DVD player too.  *Taken from TechTV airings: Tue. 4/2 at 5 p.m. & Wed. 4/3 at 3 a.m.

Karaoke FAQ's

Q: Do Karaoke music discs use original artist recordings?
A: Karaoke music discs (CDGs, CDGMs, VCDs and DVDs) are recreations recorded by  independent
manufacturers. The manufacturer will hire independent artists and bands to recreate songs done in
the likeness of the original artist, with the goal of sounding as similar to the original artist as possible.
Manufacturers' interpretation of like songs will sound different throughout different manufacturers.

Q: Do the Karaoke recordings have "background singers"?
A: Yes, most discs and songs have background singers, mainly for the chorus. And these
background singers are not removable.

Q: Why can't I find the song that I am looking for?
A: LoudKaraoke.com has a large music database, but unfortunately, not all songs are  available for
Karaoke. When you search for your favorite songs, singers, or groups, try  omitting the word
"The" and "A" from the song title or group name. For favorite singers, try  searching by just the last name.

Q: What is multiplex?
A: All Karaoke discs are made in either a multiplex or non-multiplex format. Multiplex discs
also do not feature the original artist.

Multiplex discs, have vocal demos for each song so that you can choose to listen to the song  with or
without the vocals. Non-multiplex discs provide only one version of the song, without the vocals.


Q: What is CDGM?
A: CDGM stands for Compact Disc plus Graphics Multiplex. In addition to being exactly like
CDGs, CDGMs include vocal demos for each song so that you can choose to listen to the song
with or without the lead vocals. CDGMs usually have about 8 songs per each disc. The lead
vocals are removed by a balance control on your player or by a special multiplex button on
your player. See "What is multiplex" for more information.

Q: What is VCD?
A: VCD stands for Video Compact Disc. VCD Karaoke discs provide not only the lyrics in time
with the music, but also a video background display that complements the song. VCDs usually
have about 11 songs per each disc.

To play Video CD disks you need either a CDG Karaoke player with Video CD capabilities or
a DVD player since all DVD players can play Video CD format. Many CDG Karaoke players have
a combination Video CD and CDG function and operate the same way as a regular CDG
Karaoke player.

Q: What are DVD Karaoke Discs?
A: DVD stands for Digital Versatile Discs. DVD Karaoke disks are generally replications of
the Video CD Karaoke disks. The video background on a DVD Karaoke Disk is much higher
quality than a Video CD disk, however, currently there is no additional music, improved sound
quality, or special DVD features. DVD Karaoke disks tend to be higher priced and there is
less selection of songs.

Q: What is CDG?
A: CDG (or CD+G) stands for Compact Disc Plus Graphics. A CDG Karaoke disc contains
an additional track, which displays the song lyrics on a TV when played on a Karaoke player.
The words to the song are typically displayed on a blue background and are highlighted in
a contrasting color to signal when the words should be sung. The CDG format is the Karaoke
standard for most of the world's Karaoke. CDGs usually have about 15 songs per each disc.
CDG Karaoke disks require a special Karaoke player called a Karaoke CDG Player. A Karaoke
CDG player is similar to a regular CD player, except that it has an additional chip for reading
the graphics track of a CDG. In addition, a CDG Karaoke Player also has a place to plug in
a microphone, a key controller to adjust for the singer's key, and an echo control to enhance
the singer's voice.

A normal DVD player will play both the DVD and Video CD Karaoke disks. However,
a Karaoke DVD Player has additional features such as microphone inputs, key changer, and
echo control.

Q: Will CDGs play on my standard CD player or computer?
A: A CDG Karaoke disc will play (only the sound, not the graphics) in any standard CD player.
A CDG karaoke disc will sometimes work on a computer with a CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive,
however it depends on the karaoke disc manufacturer. Recently, some manufacturers have
began implementing a method that protects the CDG from being read by a computer.
If a CDG has this type of protection, it will still play on standard CD players.

Please Note: Keep in mind that only a CDG karaoke player can read the graphics track,
so the song lyrics will not be displayed on a standard CD player, DVD player or computer.

Q: Will Karaoke DVDs play on my standard DVD player or computer DVD-ROM drive?
A: Yes, however, a Karaoke DVD Player has additional features such as microphone inputs,
key changer, and echo control