Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for compression rate selection. One embodiment of the present invention automatically selects a compression rate for a media signal. The embodiment determines an optimal compression rate for a media signal, compresses the signal at that rate, and stores the signal for later playback. An optimal compression rate is one which stores the media signal in the least amount of storage space without unacceptably degrading the media signal. One embodiment uses information about the media signal to determine a compression rate. In one embodiment, the information is automatically generated. One embodiment automatically generates the information using meta-information (e.g., channel, genre, etc.). Another embodiment automatically generates information using natural language parsing of a media signal description. In another embodiment, the information is generated through manual entry.