Iceman52489

I hear mix-thoughts on the idea of ripping music onto the built-in HDD with a USB drive. I think I've just about looked through every menu and can't find an option. I don't want to waste CDs or time burning CD-RWs just to get music collection on there but the HDD makes it so easy.

Any ideas from 4G owners?

Thanks in advance!

Colin

I wonder if you could create a 'cd image' on a thumb drive?

kennymacks

I wouldn't recommending using MP3s to make an audio CD and then ripping that audio CD to your hard drive in the car. There's too much conversion going on and I don't think it would sound that good.

Why not just buy an extra USB flash drive as a dedicated source of music in your car. They don't cost very much (I saw a 16 GB for $20 recently). Also, it's easy to update it with your latest music because you can remove it from the car.

I would use the hard drive built into the car exclusively for storing copies of my original purchased CDs. This method provides the highest possible quality of MP3 files that can be stored on the hard drive.

Iceman52489

Actually I might just do the HDD thing. The whole CD conversion is something I actually didn't think of.

Only thing is that I don't buy CDs ...oops lol..but I guess I get the menu with the flash drive and easier to rename stuff since I have OCD and all.

Does anybody know how the car reads USB Mp3 files? Folder > Artist > Song Title or does it read it by the file embedded source?

Thanks again for the responses!

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

I just picked up a 16gb Flash stick for $20 and leave it plugged into the USB connector.

Gryphon

Will the car utilize playlists on a USB drive? For example, m3u's.

bmode

Why the mixed thoughts on ripping USB to the HDD, it doesn't work at all, or did I miss a hack thread? You can stream via USB, and the metadata that you have on the Mp3's from that USB device/drive should come up in the Nav screen as it does for me. Sad to hear you don't buy CD's, but I understand as the convenience of compressed music. Just make sure you use high quality Mp3, as your losing a lot of information there.

Not sure about the M3U format, as I haven't tried it yet? What would be the purpose of using a playlist though?

Bearcat94

Well if you've got a 16gb drive (like CleanCL), that's what, 2000 titles (give or take). Playlist for genre, artist, etc; However you might split up 2000 songs.

Makes sense to me anyhow.

hydr0

Doesn't play playlists. Just create a folder on the thumbdrive and put your mix in there, name it, and voila, you have a playlist =)

crxb

w/ an iPod you can search/sort by album, artist, song, playlist - on the 'nav' screen

this is so easy to use - I have about given up on the hard drive except for the occasional album I have bought from iTunes.

MichiganRich

My findings in my new '09 AWD Tech...

1) The files that you rip to the HD from a 'factory' CD sound great, and kinda make it worth the effort for artists that you really like. I would think that they have optimized the conversion settings for the system. I really don't think it would not be worth it to burn audio CDs of MP3s just to rip them back into the head unit HD. One too many conversions.

2) The cheap 16/32 gig flash drives make the work of ripping CDs I don't love into the HD not worth it. They can be left pretty safely in the car through all kinds of temperatures and are so handy.

3) Burning a data format DVD-R with a bunch of MP3's from my "solid gold" playlist is a quick way to get 4+ gigs of songs to play on the random shuffle through the head unit. Good for genres like jazz or classical.

4) The iPod interface is perfect, it recognizes playlists and everything. My Touch loves to ride in the console, but doesn't love being left in the Michigan winters overnight.

Like most of us Acura fan tech-y guys, I have spent a bunch of money over the years for home audio stuff. My desktop computer has powered studio monitors and a 10" JBL sub. I have to say, though, the overall tonal character of the '09 ELS system is superb to my ears.

I really really have to get a new pic for my avatar... I do miss the old girl though...

bmode

That sums it up Rich, if it's superb to your ears, then that's all that matters! The cool thing would be if you could rip from DVD to HDD, then we'd really have something there. My iPhone works great with a 14GB capacity, so I'm content.

I don't love into the HD either as they are safely. Sorry I couldn't resist, those sentences made me laugh.

MichiganRich

There are certain risks to blogging while high... :-)

pregame

def. the way to go.

bmode

It's a great substitute, however if you have loaded up that device with a 1000 songs, it's hard to find music, which is why the iPod/iPhone is the ultimate way to go. Let's call the flash stick the way to go, if you don't have a iPod.

crxb

-agree
c on iTunes now where the songs are drm free now and at a better bit rate.
bmode - so can the average person hear the diffrence btwn the 2 rates (128 and now 256? I think)
now I just want to download dvd-a songs from iTunes. kills me great format/sound - yet I still only have the same 2 DVD-A discs from 4 yrs ago from my 04 TL

DLeeWebb

I don't have my TL until this weekend. I have a Jeep Wrangler with an HDD System. On my Jeep I have no choice of bit rate, or to what format the CD tracks get converted to. (AAC, MP3 etc.) What does the Acura do when you rip the original CD's onto the HDD?

KeithL

Can't be done, I think it will only RIP from the CD drive itself in a normal CD format, just has to be standard audio CD format, I have ripped copies of CDs fine.

Maddizm

iTrader: (5)

I don't think the 'converting' back and forth would matter. All the data is digital and will be converted exact, as long as you're using the same bitrates and all, quality should be equal from copy to copy (not like dubbing tapes back in the good old days.)

I'm thinking it just reads the ID3 tags...

And I don't think you can copy digital music to the HDD, it only "rips" CD's and then tries to find the album. I looked and looked too, no menu item to copy music to the HDD.

I had a 4G as a loaner for about a week and a half, I could be wrong though... Sweet car though, but Imma wait for 6mt SHAWD

bmode

We are told the bit rate is 128Kbps, and you can only rip from CD's, commercial or homemade. With good sources burned to the HDD, it actually sounds rather good for this bit rate. So what you put in is very important. Here's a few threads you can check out regarding the TL sound system:

https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-294/burning-mp3-dvd-09-tl-703462/
https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-294/5-1-channel-mp3-wma-tech-package-706380/
https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-294/dolby-pro-logic-ii-use-not-704920/

jimk

as an OCD music downloader for years, I've got a closet full of CD's (known as 'the vault' at my house). And of course, I've always carried around cases & cases of stuff to and from my car. My son (also an OCD downloader) has had an ipod, and I've kidded him for years about listening to a 'degraded format' . . . and he's always telling me that 'you can't hear the difference anyway'. In December, a couple of days before I picked up my new 09 tech (had an 04 TL before) we were at dinner, after a few drinks, of course, and knowing only that the new car had some kind of ipod hook up, I made a deal with him. I'll get the ipod as long as you agree to load the music on it (knowing nothing about ipods, I didn't have the time or inclination to go to all the effort to learn). So I bought a 120 GB ipod classic and he loaded it up, about 75 gigs worth. And its just great! It sits in the console, connected to the usb. The nav displays in the same way you set it up on itunes, and while intellectually I know that mp3 doesn't have as much info as a wav or flac file on CD, damned if I can hear the difference. And the whole thing is so just so easy. I've not tried some of the other things talked about here, but can tell you the ipod works just fine.

bmode

(OCD? - original content download, obsessive compulsive disorder, Orange County Dealer)

Indeed the iPod works fine. There's no shame in using the MP3 format, just use it well! Give me an hour with your son, and I'll have him re-converting his entire library of digital music, once he hears what he's missing with low bit-rate compressed music. The key is the playback system. A good playback system will reveal the limitations of compressed music in a heart beat. The TL is a pretty good playback system for a factory model I must admit, but do a couple of A-B tests with same sources from CD to iPod. Then again some people just can't hear characteristics of music and they don't care, so you may be wasting your spit.

kenny5

Since Acura boasts its ELS audio system that plays DVD-A music as superb, why doesn't Acura also enable the ripping of DVD-A music discs and 5.1 audio portion of music video discs onto the built-in HDD? Clearly there is existing technology that can do this, and all Acura needs to do is to install the necessary software and encoding/decoding chip in the ELS system to make this happen. If Acura offers this feature, it will certainly make us music loving techy guys/gals even more happy

bmode

That would be sweet, but the files would be rather large unless it's compressed on the HD. Actually, forget the TL system, DVD-A is complex format and demuxing the DVD-A at this time will take some work unlike conventional CD's. Nobody is doing that.

Has anyone successfully demuxed a DVD-A or at least copied a DVD-Audio disc, and what software are you using?

Bearcat94

I've copied a few - used DVD Fab in "Clone" mode. If they are copy protected DVD Fab either breaks or ignores it (not sure which).

A Watermark, OTOH, is un-breakable - the player either "looks" for it (the 3G TL does) or ignores it. If they are watermarked and the player looks for it, they'll play ~15 secs and give a "format" error (at least in the 3G). You won't know its watermarked until you try to play it.

bmode

Anything on the Mac side that you know of?

KeithL

Have you actually copied a DVD-A, nto a DTS or regular move, but a DVD-A piece of meida, most are encryted and I have tried many thinsg, but the DVD-A encryption sill makes it hard to copy it is somehow tied to the physical media.

Bearcat94

Yes. Actual 100% authenic DVD-A.

There are two encryptions. CPPM and Watermarks.

CPPM can be broken - by DVD Fab for one. Watermark cannot. It is code embedded in the WAV/Sound file itself every 15 - 30 seconds.

Some DVD Audio players ignore the Watermark, some don't. The (3G) TL does not ignore Watermarks. So you end up with a kind of matrix of possibilities:

• CPPM Encryption, Watermark = Original Disc, TL Plays it;
• CPPM Encryption, No Watermark = Original Disc, TL Plays it;
• No CPPM, No Watermark = Original Disc/allowed copy, TL Plays it;
• No CPPM, Watermark = Copy, TL stops play after ~15 seconds.

http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2005/07/5065.ars - even though the article is 3 1/2 years old, the watermark still, as far as I've been able to find, is unbreakable.



bmode, sorry, not Mac savvy.




.

jimk

bmode -- OCD = obsessive compulsive. My import in posting was to let others know just how easy & convenient using the ipod in the TL was, with no discernable loss of sound quality for most car applications (even for me who has derided MP3's for years). Thanks for your thoughts.

kenny5

jimk, if any of the music is also available in DVD-A or DTS format, try compare it with MP3 and tell us if you can hear the difference. According to some, it is almost like comparing movies recorded in Blue Ray and VHS, or tv broadcast in 1080 and 480

crxb

just play the dvd-a demo disc that comes w/ the 3G or 4G - pretty amazing - I just hate the limited selection of dvd-a discs - unless your like S2000 and you can find what you like to hear. Other than a Doors DVD-A - that's all I have bought in the DVD-A format
jimk - so far as an iPod - what I use to my car - can't beat it for ease of use - cant argue there

S2000 Driver

Source: http://www.rhino.com/store/productde...?number=334844

crxb

thanks S2000 - did you ship the Doors set ground or overnight?

S2000 Driver

I'm an Amazon.com Prime member so everything I order from them is automatically shipped via UPS 2-day delivery at no extra charge.

crxb

S2000 they have about a 24 count DVD-A selection at the rhino link above. Amazon has more - but still sooo limited. any other suggestion were to look for / buy DVD-A (s)?

S2000 Driver

No one place, unfortunately.

Lots of google searches -- and patience -- pay big dividends.

Oh, and be ready to pay the necessary $$$ if you want the title bad enough!

S2000 Driver

Actually, Amazon lists 1,439 DVD-Audio titles.

crxb

I don't know about that #. sometimes when I have looked on Amazon it pulls up other types of media under the my DVD-A search - like video discs

S2000 Driver

Certainly worth scrolling through -- lots of good titles, IMHO.

crxb

tried scrolling again - seems like the same titles as b4 - very few if anything recent ugh! the demo disc is cruel - like 'try this free sample - now that your hooked - try and find more"