What does MP3 capability do on a car CD head unit?

[BentValve]

I picked up a new Pioneer P3500 CD player for my car and found out later on that I could have spent $20 more to get MP3 capability.
What does this mean? I do not have an MP3 player but I do download and burn some music once in awhile...is this another format or something? So far the P3500 plays all of my CDs just fine.


Thanks in advance.

 

[Spac3d]

It can read cds full of MP3's... so you could have something like 10 hours of music on one cd.

 

[Scouzer]

it means you can burn some 180 songs onto a CD in MP3 format and the CD will play it as if it were winamp...

 

[PeteyCPU]

it means you dont have to convert the mp3s to cd audio, it can read the .mp3 extension, thus about 100-200 songs per disc vs the typical 12-18 for a cd...take it back and get the mp3 unit

 

[MichaelD]

MP3 capability allows you to play MP3s. Duh. You blew it. Should've spent the whole $20. Two years ago when I bought my head unit, MP3 capability added about another $100 to the price; I skipped it and now regret doing so.

 

[BentValve]

So how do you burn a CD in this format? I take it this is not the default format since all of my burned CDs play fine in the Pioneer.
Where can I read more about this format?
Thanks

 

[phreakah]

Originally posted by: BentValve
So how do you burn a CD in this format? I take it this is not the default format since all of my burned CDs play fine in the Pioneer.
Where can I read more about this format?
Thanks

just burn the cd as a data cd instead of an audio cd

 

[waitman]

burn them as data.

 

[deerslayer]

It gives you MP3 capability

 

[BentValve]

Thanks alot , I guess I better take it back and get the MP3 unit....the only thing is the Mp3 unit does not have the knob style volume control.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: BentValve
Thanks alot , I guess I better take it back and get the MP3 unit....the only thing is the Mp3 unit does not have the knob style volume control.

Lack of knob make baby Jesus cry.

 

[BentValve]

Yeah , you know on second though I happen to like the knob enough that I am not so sure I want to upgrade for the $20. To be honest I dont spend that much time listening to music and I dont really like the idea of having to scroll thru 200 songs to find what I wanted to hear..also being that the Pioneer scrolls fairly slow as it is.
Nah I think I'll skip this feature this time around.
Thanks again for clearing that up guys.

 

[Thegonagle]

That's why you put the songs from different albums into folders. Then you can scroll through the folders as well as the tracks.

 

[Oscar1613]

Originally posted by: BentValve
I dont really like the idea of having to scroll thru 200 songs to find what I wanted to hear

its called organizing with folders

edit: too slow

 

[BentValve]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle
That's why you put the songs from different albums into folders. Then you can scroll through the folders as well as the tracks.

Hmmm, it does sound like a neat thing to play around with. Is it alot of work to organize a 200 song CD?
I could get my entire music collection on 2 or 3 cds!

 

[glen]

Originally posted by: BentValve

Originally posted by: Thegonagle
That's why you put the songs from different albums into folders. Then you can scroll through the folders as well as the tracks.

Hmmm, it does sound like a neat thing to play around with. Is it alot of work to organize a 200 song CD?
I could get my entire music collection on 2 or 3 cds!

Can you "drag and drop?"
Can you add a folder?
It is just like putting data in folders on windows with most programs like Nero.

 

[Thegonagle]

An MP3 player just reads the MP3 files off of standard data CDs, so it's exactly as much work as organizing your MP3 folder on your computer into sub-folders.

I use Nero, set up the album folders into the root directory, and drop the songs into the appropriate folders. Then you burn away, as a data CD.