Editing Portable media player (section)

=== Syncing and software ===
[[File:Sandisk Sansa Clip.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Connecting a computer to a [[SanDisk Sansa|Sansa Clip]] DAP to transfer content by "syncing"]]
[[File:NETrax mp3 player with docking station.png|thumb|An early DAP (NETrax, from 1999) in its dedicated [[docking station]] for charging and connecting to a PC]]
Content is placed on DAPs typically through a process called "syncing", by connecting the device to a personal computer, typically via [[USB]], and running any special software that is often provided with the DAP on a [[CD-ROM]] included with the device, or downloaded from the manufacturer's website. Some devices simply appear as an additional disk drive on the host computer, to which music files are simply copied like any other type of file. Other devices, most notably the Apple iPod or Microsoft [[Zune]], requires the use of special management software, such as [[iTunes]] or Zune Software, respectively. Over the years, increasingly the players were natively recognised by the operating system through [[USB mass storage device class|Universal Mass Storage]] (UMS) or [[Media Transfer Protocol]] (MTP).

The music, or other content such as TV episodes or movies, is added to the software to create a "library". The library is then "synced" to the DAP via the software. The software typically provides options for managing situations when the library is too large to fit on the device being synced to. Such options include allowing manual syncing, in that the user can manually "drag-n-drop" the desired tracks to the device, or allow for the creation of [[playlist]]s. In addition to the USB connection, some of the more advanced units are now starting to allow syncing through a wireless connection, such as via [[Wi-Fi]] or [[Bluetooth]].<ref>{{cite web |title=MP3 streaming over Bluetooth |url=http://www.clarinox.com/docs/whitepapers/Whitepaper_05_MP3.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219200056/http://www.clarinox.com/docs/whitepapers/Whitepaper_05_MP3.pdf |archive-date=19 February 2011 |access-date=4 August 2010 |publisher=clarinox |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Content can also be obtained and placed on some DAPs, such as the iPod Touch or Zune HD by allowing access to a "store" or "marketplace", most notably the [[iTunes Store]] or [[Zune Marketplace]], from which content, such as music and video, and even games, can be purchased and downloaded directly to the device.