Greetings all,

I have heard rumors that Acura is coming out this fall with a dealer firmware upgrade which will allow the indash DVD-A player to play MP3 formats. Has anyone else heard this?

This makes sense to me as it seems that DVD-A is a dead format (Best Buy and Circuit City no longer carry them due to poor sales). I bought one last year just after I bought my TL. There was a slight improvement in sound quality but not enough to justify the 2x cost increase over a normal CD.

Any info would be appreciated

It will not happen.

Where did you hear this from?

Woo hoo! Where did you hear this? If it is just a firmware upgrade, I will enjoy my TL even more. I just do not understand how MP3 was not put into the TL.

I don't understand it either...especially when all these new POS Kia's are coming with it and they cost a third of what the TL does...

I don't believe it either. Why would Acura spend money to upgrade an existing model line that is already selling like hotcakes? Why would Acura waste an opportunity to differentiate the next model update from the current TL? And why would they put the hardware for decoding MP3's in this stereo system but then wait until now to activate it?

Expecting Acura to provide a significant software update to the radio or the navi is wishful thinking. Sorry.

This assumes there is actually programmable firmware in the audio system. Sure, they can upgrade the navi and such, but that's not where the data stream from the CDs/DVD-As is decoded. I'm sure all that happens in a hardwired decoder with zero possibility of updating.

Believe me, I WISH we could get cheap enhancements like this, but it's not going to happen. The car we bought is all we're going to get, unless we install aftermarket parts. Car companies just don't add features to existing cars, unless perhaps the car is selling poorly or has a defect.

It may seem strange that this car doesn't have an MP3 decoder, but remember this car first came out in '04 and was probably designed several years earlier. Besides, an MP3 decoder wouldn't do a whole lot of good to all the iPod owners out there using iTunes-purchased AAC files.

Another factor in their decision to omit MP3 support is they were going the opposite direction with their audio system. They were trying to be the first car with multichannel, high-resolution sound. the MP3 format is exactly not that. Maybe they didn't want the marketing literature to say, "The first car with a multichannel, high-resolution DVD-A sound system. Plus, it plays that crappy MP3 format, too!"

I'm not trying to bag on the MP3 format as it is very convenient, but it goes against what DVD-A was setting out to do.

TL is not the highest class car in the Acura line-up. I was recently getting my TL serviced and I set in the RL. The RL's audio system can play MP3s. So my thinking was why not TL.

This most certainly doesn't mean than the 2007 CD player will not support mp3 AND will be plug an play caapable. Given the interior hasn't changed in 3 years, if they change the player to one that supports mp3, it'll probably be a direct swap.

Greetings all,

I actually heard this from a friend who owns a TL also. When I was telling him that Acura should move to MP3 formats since it appears that DVD-A has died on the vine, he mentioned to me that the new RLs support MP3 and he heard that an upgrade (firmware) was coming to the TL which would allow the audio system to play MP3s. However, he did not have details or specifics, nor could he confirm if this information was accurate.

I am slightly skeptical that this will be a firmware upgrade (if it happens at all). I am assuming that if this does happen, it most likely will be a dealer swapout of the Audio system with a 2007 model (if the 2007 model will support MP3s).

Again - all of this is unsupported rumor and pure speculation.

Be more than slightly skeptical. MP3 decoding requires a chip on the radio's circuit board dedicated to that purpose. I'm sure they wouldn't go through the expense of including that chip if they weren't going to use it right away. The TL simply doesn't have the hardware for it. The 07 might.

and if they didn't use a hardware decoder, they would need to implement a software decoder and that is very unlikely to be included in a firmware update. A software decoder will also slow down the current system.

The best bet is what Kennedy suggested: swapping a mp3 capable dvd rom and navi software from an '07 and putting it in '04-'06... if they implement mp3 for the '07.

However, they have no problem with installing XM, which is worse that crappiest MP3s.

So any word on this? Any updates? I am very curious.


Gammah

I wouldn't hold the breath.

FYI, DVD-A is not dead, maybe to Joe consumer. There are a few indie companies that are still producing DVD-A discs. The public never bit on it thanks to the record companies indecisions and marketing strategies. Music selections were from certain genres like classical and jazz (not everyone's cup of tea). Check out Quadraphonic Quad and read the forum reviews on available discs.

CC does not carry them in the stores, but availble online. Check here and BTW, not all are 2x the cost of a normal CD. Some of the recordings do suck and there are those that do stand out.

Acura should make the mp3 compatable for upgrade lol...let me know as well if it is confirmed i am very curios
~Jason