Halfcent

So I am updating my thread with some of the things I've learned lately. Here we go.

I have a 2005 with the AC Delco MP3 Radio. I know the radio changed in 2007, so I don't know if this data will work on that. I use Roxio Media Creator to make my disks

I made several identical disks with different "play list" types to see what they would do in the car. I learned a lot actually.

First, MP3 file tag data is helpful. The radio can read the "Album" and "Artist" portions of the tag file, and display them with the radios MSG function. Additionally, when using a playlist, the radio will display the Tag File name, not the file name, which is nice. So make sure all of your tag data is up to date.

Second, there are many types of playlist files. Like Windows Media Player uses ".WPL" Here is what I found:

HighMAT, MPV, .pls, don't work at all. Totally useless.

.WPL (Windows Media Player format) works, but it loses some content details and is slow to load.

.m3u works perfectly. I don't know what kind of application extension that file type is, but it's one of the playlist options that my Roxio gives me, and it works in the car very nicely.

How the car displays information is dependant on the way the MP3's are on the disk, as explained here;

If you just burn the MP3's to disk like a data disk with no playlist included, then the radio will play things back in alphabetical order displaying the actual folder and file names. For instance, when you start a folder playback, it will display "FLDR - (name)", and then a few seconds later "F-1 T-1", indicating folder number 1 and track number 1. Then it will show then actual MP3 file name, so if you arranged them using track numbers to keep them in order, it will say something like "01 - Head like a Hole"

If you burn the disk using a playlist (recommended), the radio plays the files back in playlist order, displaying their Tag file content. If you created the playlist using folders as albums, the albums will play as individual lists in alphabetical order. For instance, if you have "Van Halen" and "1984" on the same disk, it will play "1984" first. To keep playback in order, you have to rename the album folders with numbers. "Van Halen" becomes "01 - Van Halen", and so forth. That will keep things in order and will not display on the car. When you use the folder up or down function on the radio, it will move between albums and display "PLST Content". Then when the song starts playing, it will show the name of the song from it's Tag file, and not the file name.

In summary, if you want a good MP3 disk, make sure all of your MP3 have Tag file data, and use an ".m3u" playlist. You will get the best quality.


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I noticed something today after playing a new compilation disk I made. I had always made my MP3 disks by just making a data disk and putting the MP3 files on there in the order I wanted. It always worked great. Recently I got Roxio Easy Media Creator 8. I just used the music/MP3 disk creator function to make my first disk. As I was authoring, I was thinking to myself "Hey, this great. I can edit all the file tags without changing all my files names!". I was looking forward to what I thought was going to be a great disk. It sucked ass. The car took 3 times as long to start playing each file, and it didn't display any of the data I entered on the file tags. What's up with that crap?

Halfcent

Okay, a few specific questions. I have been reading the user manual and all it says it that text date will be displayed if the recording was done using ID3 tags. I am not a geek, I don't know that is. Further, I was playing with the settings on my Roxio software and found stuff like "file system types; joliet, ISO 9660, UDF102" and "presentation formats; .m3u, highMAT" and others. I could use a little education here...

QuikFKR

Try putting the songs into folders

This worked for me as the same thing happened to me, now it works perfect with short load time

ecoteched

Can all cobalts play MP3 or jsut the ones that say they can play them?

WSFrazier

Just the ones that say they can, aka the Silver HeadUnit.

ID3 Tagging is what most software uses for tagging songs, but i guess Roxio does their own thing or something. I don't use Roxio so I couldn't tell ya. I use iTunes to do all my music stuff and when I made my MP3 with iTunes it worked perfectly. All the data showed on my H/U.

Although I keep my iTunes Library very organized, I am almost OCD about it.

ecoteched

My head unit is silver..... but it doesnt say MP3 on it. I have XM radio too. Is there any indeffinet way of telling? I dont really feel like burning a MP3 cd and wasting it (im cheap)

WSFrazier

Oh I didnt know they made the stock H/U's in silver too. I thought the base units were all black and the mp3 upgraded units were all silver.

I think the only way to know for sure is to put an MP3 cd in. You really can't be afraid to waste a cd? They are like .10 cents each now adays. My garbage can next to my desk has 4 CDs in it now that I messed up on, lol.

But since you got XM, I think the XM unit is the same one that plays the MP3's.

ecoteched

Im pretty sure its silver.....I'll feel like an idiot now when i go to my cat and its black.....

Halfcent

Your head unit will have "MP3" printed on it if it is capable. If you put a MP3 disk in a head unit that isn't equipped, it will just error and spit it out.

ecoteched

Well my head unit was silver BUT im not sure it did play the MP3 because im not sure if i burned it in that format

WSFrazier

If you take a picture of the unit and post it, I could probably tell by looking at it if it is the upgraded unit.

Taro

Ok back to the question at hand. I have used Itunes to burn my MP3s and if i find a sone that doesnt display the proper song title artist i go to info and put in the proper names, this is the ID3 tag. After i burn the MP3 with all the info properly changed in works perfect on my cobalt. Maybe you should try I tunes


On a side note does your RK sport kit have ant problems with clearance over speed bump or up drive ways. You can PM me a reponse so we dont get off track.

3fo893013L

You have to be careful with Roxio as a new feature that does Data Layer and Audio Layer on the same CD thus helping save money & space but what they don't tell you is the load times on any CD you burn will take almost 1 & 1/2 times longer with there data/audio modeling.. That change was made past version 6.x, Try burning a CD in Nero Halfcent, I bet your read times will be cut in half. The reason also why it takes so long sometimes to read the MP3 CD's because it's constantly re-indexing the files as where a regular Audio CD has an index created already and uses that to reference every time.

3fo893013L

Him posting his window sticker or VIN number can help determine it as well.

Halfcent

Okay, I'm bringing this thread back to life. I have a new issue. I made an MP3 disk recently and the car played the tracks back in alphabetical order rather then in the track order I burned them in. I found a setting page that says;

"Presentation Formats - These control the track playback order. Check the playback capabilities of your playback device"

and the options are...

.m3u .pls MPV or HighMAT

I have my car's manual right here and there is no information in it about which formats are supported. I don't know anything about these formats. Somebody educate me please.

VRCobalt

The only one I know of is .m3u. I wont think the radio would read this. All it does is open all the songs that is (whats the word im lookin for) assigned to that .m3u. A playlist pretty much

People usually make one for each album they have. So that when they open it, all the tracks are opened in windows media player, or whatever player you use.

I just use Nero to burn my discs. It'll allow me to burn mp3, wma, and aac formats on one disc and my alpine reads it perfectly.

EmperorJJ1

iTrader: (5)

ya m3u is a playlist but probably not readable... there should be a way to edit how they are burnt on the disc. not sure how thou

Halfcent

Update bump. Added content to first post.

SSSC4life

the 05 balts dont have an xm tunner under the rear deck lid. but the cable to connect it is there. if i install an xm tunner, will the 05 HU recognize it ??

SS SCHGD

your headunit will likely play best with a Joilet format and a play list in m3u format. If you don't want to add a play list, then just make several folders, I think 8 is the maximum number you can have on a disk. (maybe thats my other radio though) but If you have a couple folders the info will load faster.

I personally just make discs with Songs in MP3 format on them, no playlists. If you put them in the folder in the order you want they should play in that order. And the headunit will show ID3 tag info.

Most all units will load faster if you "close out" or "finalize" the disk.

Halfcent

I don't know, would be interesting to find out. I thought the XM was in the head unit. I have been under the rear deck before to swap out my OnStar unit during the digital upgrade, and I didn't see any additional harness. Are you sure you were not confusing the empty spot as the XM mount instead of the OnStar mount?

EmperorJJ1

iTrader: (5)

im pretty sure the xm is on the rear deck

SSSC4life

I have seen pics of where the xm unit goes, and have taken a look under the rear deck lid and all i have is the connecter. and also the unit i bought connects to the xm tunner and it then connects the ipod in between, the connecter for my unit fits on the connector that is there. so i know it is the am unit connector. my guess is that i have to buy the xm unit because when i connect my connector to the plug n nothing else it doesnt work. but i am also wondering if i do buy the xm unit will it appear on the head unit or not ?? because i dont think the 05 comes with a satelite radio stock. if i remember right its an option, which i guess mine doesnt have.... ??