Moving our discussion from this thread into a new one, we are investigating the possibility of playing MP3 CDs with our stock TSX CD changer/player.

Some members seem to have reported success playing a MP3 CD/DVD. To these people, we would like to know the following:

Let's see if we can find out more about this topic. It will certainly be yummy if I can get my TSX to play MP3 CDs...

 

hmm I'm still skeptical that any of the TSX's CD player can play MP3 CD's.... I think either ppl were just being sarcastic in the other thread, or they were just playing regular CD's which were compiled from MP3's (converted when you burn them).

 

I'll try my 06 in a minute but why would Acura offer an MP3 disc player along with their 6 disc changer?

 

I could play MP3 in my car. I dont know wat the format of MP3 was it. But out of a total of 73 songs on the disc, the deck could play about 30 of them

 

I really do not believe the stock unit can play data discs.

 

^^boingo, this sounds like autoconversion. 30 MP3's, assuming it was a rough estimate, it could've been i the 20's maybe. estimate 3 mins a song = 80 minute CD.

 

Note to everyone, the stock CD player really shouldn't be able to read a MP3 disc because they most likely were not fitted with the hardware to decode mp3 encryption.

 

This is completely and utterly not true. Anyone who tells you that the stock CD player can play MP3s is either lying, or doesn't know what they're saying. An MP3 CD is a CD that has music files in the encrypted MP3 format on them ONLY. Since the stock headunit does not have a decrypter, there is absolutely, positively no way it could decode these files.

end of discussion

 

There's no hardware...it's all a software thing.

Hearing some of the claims, I'm under the impression that the unit can read data discs, but because there was seemingly no rhyme or reason to which ones could and couldn't so rather than risk possible problems, they just didn't include that as a feature and instead offered the mp3 player that was in the parts bin for the Accord.

Guess I'll have to grab a couple of mp3 CDs and try it out and see if they play properly or not...

 

my whole assumptioon is why have the MP3 player as a option to fit in the center pocket if the Stock one can play MP3's.......

If it don't make dollars.....it don't make sense! (pun intended)

 

honestly, if the software can successfully decrypt one mp3 data file from a certain encrypter and at a specific bit rate, it should be able to decrypt them all given they are encrypted using the same algorithm and bit rate. I dont think its a game of chance.

 

If this really works, and I'm calling bullshit anyways, it would more likely work with the Navi systems than non-navi. Just my opinion...

 

For shits and giggles, I tried my '04 non-navi...

Tried a WMA disc... no
Tried an MP3 disc... no.

I think the people who claimed they could simply didnt realize they converted from mp3 to WAV via the software they used to burn.

 

Quick test - 06 non-navi

Discs were encoded with 128 and 196 kbps MP3 and WMA, using CDex (most current version). These CDs play perfectly in my stereo in my bedroom (mp3 compatible) and played just fine in my old alpine head unit in the Trailblazer I traded in 3 months ago (today, actually).

IT DOES NOT WORK.

So unless it works on the navi...it's bullshit.

Now, one thing - the unit does try to play the disc - it does not give an error and spit the disc out.

I am still kinda wondering how honda could have missed this feature in the first place...fucking suzuki veronas have MP3 capable head units. It's literally a $3 chip that can be built into the radio to decode them...

 

So far it sounds like BS to me...

As for myself, I tried it last night with an MP3 CD in my 06 non-Navi TSX... didn't work for me.

Let's try to get more details from those people with success, but I'm starting to think this is a lost cause.

 

Thts not the case, I am a computer science guy, and i knw wat i am doing.

 

if mp3 was converted to wav files then you can't put 70+ songs on a single cd-r disk...

 

Then please document it for us so those of us who are interested in this can try it for ourselves.

 

Tried it on an 06 non-navi...

It DID NOT work. I burned the mp3 disk (as I always do for my other mp3 equipped car) using Nero.

People are confusing the fact that they burn a CD by selecting MP3 files and their burning software automatically converts it to a .wav file that the head unit readily recognizes. For a true MP3 CD, one needs to burn a DATA disk, not AUDIO.

 

I have an '06 with Navi, and just tried by burning mp3 files (not converted) as a data disk to a CD-R. It DID NOT WORK. It did not reject the CD, and played track 01 only, but no sound came out. So after my test, I concluded it doesn't work.

 

Yet another confirmation that it does NOT work in my 2006. Anybody who says they are playing an "mp3" CD was almost certainly playing an audio CD-R that was mastered by converting MP3 to CD Audio. (Those, of course, do work.)

BTW, to the people who talk about "mp3 encryption", please get a clue or STFU. MP3 has absolutely nothing to do with cryptography.

 

This is because it was trying to play the ISO9660 filesystem containing all your files as an audio track (proof that there is absolutely no way in high holy hell that a data CD will ever work in that player).

 

If it's that important to you, just buy the optional player for $440 from H&A, or if you have even a shred of DIY tendencies you can buy a far nicer head unit for about $200 (make sure it has preamp outputs!) and get the installation kit for $90 at an Acura dealer and install it yourself.

 

The exact same thing happened on my 06 with Navi.

 

It's not THAT import, but rather a nice to have. Several members were reporting success with MP3 CDs and so I thought it might be worth a bit more investigation.

 

encrypt encode decode decrypt, all the same =)

 

CJams quote from the CNET video thread, where this topic came up -

wanna chime in man?

 

i wonder -- is it possible to burn cd-formated songs (that would play in a non-mp3 capable cd player) onto a dvd and get 100 playable songs on the disc?

 

05 with nav. I burned a CD of a raggae band that I recorded in the studio. Burned 7 tracks for them as .wav and converted 4 tracks to .mp3 for them to upload if needed. All 11 songs play in the 6 disc chager. I used Wavelabs to convert the files to mp3. Nero sucks! 50% of anything i've ever used Nero for doesn't work in hardly any other cd player no matter what format, .wav or .mp3.

Looks like there is 1 advantage to "not" having an 06.

 

Just tried the DVD again. That wasn't the one that worked with the mp3's The CDR does work and plays mp3's like I said before.

 

Your CD burning software is probably converting the mp3s back into CDA format for the disk. Try sticking 60 songs on a cd and playing it in your car.

 

Was just thinkin that might be the case. I don't have the disk here so I will check as soon as I get home and let you guys know. I also think it was my old version Nero that sucked. I think I am using Nero still, just a newer version. Can't remember anything anymore. Must be too much of that good BC

 

My findings:

2006 Non Navigation Unit = DID NOT WORK

 

It is a chip on the CD player in the car to decode MP3, which the TSX head unit does not have.

Alll that were succesful says that they can only get 10 or so, at the highest case, around 30. But as i said, all these examples don't prove that it works until u can play at least 100 3 min mp3's .

Heres a possiblility, why don't whoever has a mp3 that works, tell us what program u use, upload that mp3, and let us all try. I'm positive it'll fail. I doubt they would've accidently installed a mp3 decode chip in some head units, unless, the other possibility, is that they're using a standard head unit which has the chip, but they went out of their way to disable it, maybe then we can read mp3's. Thats something verizon would do with BT in the phones.

 

Nero can burn both audio and data CDs. No matter what format the input files are in, if you burn an audio CD, they will be converted to CD Digital Audio format (which is the same as WAV but without the headers) and each CDDA will be burned to the CD as a single track. When you make a data CD (even if all the files on it are WAVs), the folders and files on the CD are turned into an ISO9660 filesystem image and that image is burned as a single track on the CD (if the CD has no audio tracks, the filesystem will be track 1, but on a "CD-Extra" or audio CD with a data part as some albums with bonus videos will have it will be the last track).

It isn't just a matter of decoding mp3 -- the CD player has to understand the data CD encoding (includes an extra error-correcting code on top of the one used for audio data), and the ISO9660 filesystem. It does not do this.

If your "mp3 CD" has each file on a separate track, it is an audio CD and all the songs on it are in CDDA format. If you can put the CD in a computer and see a filesystem with folders and files, it's a data CD.

 

Just got home and checked the disc on the comp, it converted the last 4 songs back to cda. I think I used Nero to burn it. Sorry.

 

okok..im pretty shure its final now, no proof, no backup statements..and for us computer guyys, we kno its not possible..but u kno that TL and i think the RL too? can play DVD audio? thats soo cooll..they should offer an option at least for the TSX to have a DVD audio player.dats 4.7 Gig of music!! soo kooll, and i think acura, adding mp3 cd requires to be a seperate slot is such is dumb itea..wat im plannin to do so far is to mod my navi to view other AV input and hook up my creative zen to watch and listen to movies and music. =]

stop stressin about all this mp3 crap..it doesnt work!

 

This is why I use aux port in my 06 and just listen to the mp3's on my iPod

 

that 06 AUX port is great. i use my PSP to play my MP3..now if only it can play my videos on the windshield

 

yea the auxilary jack is totally awesome!