TimboIS

Well not really. The DVD logo on the front is DVD Audio/Video, not DVD MP3.

dfw350

why would it be so hard to read DATA DVD if it already reads DVD.. it was just a dumb *** limitation by programmers IMHO.
I mean come on I think they manually had to disable that functionality somehow!
I am software engineer, and I know for a fact it does not matter what media it is as long as you can "mount" it and read from it.
I think they can release a firmware upgrade that would allow DVD play.
I would be curious to actually figure out what OS the navigation unit runs and possibly hack it myself.

If anyone is rich enough to buy a standalone navigation unit and wants to play with it, lemme know.

ES3

I could have sworn that with the proper software, someone claimed to be able to burn MP3s to DVD and get it to play on in their IS350's ML!? Anyone else remember seeing this here somewhere? Or is this wishful thinking? Again, I thought the key was in the software used to burn...

Rockville

that I wonder if MP3 files with their compression make a less then desirable playback source. The attraction to MP3's from computer file sharing and portability are all advances. In a car environment the sound quality level might be the perfect application for MP3's. It's just that the Mark Levinson system opens so many new possibilities in 7.1 surround that it deserves the best audio sources available. Can anyone here detect the difference between MP3 CD's, audio CD's and of course DVD-A's while driving at speed? Apple now has a home system based on the IPOD. Is this playback source good enough for high end audio?

Rock

beestea

I have been considering getting an IS-350 (or maybe waiting for a 2 door version) for a while now. Before I came to this forum, I assumed the car with the ML package would be able to read MP3's off a DVD (Imagine having 6 8.5 gig DVD's filled with mp3 music at your finger tips!!!!) I am very disappointed to find out Lexus didn't enable this.

I agree with the previous post that it almost seems like they disabled it on purpose.

Almost all home DVD players that can read MP3 will do it for both CD and DVD...

Hopefully Lexus can release a patch in a newer version of firmware.

kensteele

maybe they think mp3s are mostly illegal.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Damn. And I just thought it was a format thing. I have DVDs with MP3s for travel. I tried to play one on the way home from SoCal, and it wouldn't even recognize the disc -other than indicating a disc was in the changer. I was thinking the same thing as beestea...

jlin101

no, the player still reads MP3 CD's. This limitation applies to Acura as well. In Japan, Lexus's can be equipped with hard disk storage (20-30gb); if the system can play MP3 DVD, nobody would buy the HD, would they?

ES3

Strange, I thought I'd heard there was a way to get them to play DVD-mp3s!? Perhaps it requires another hack? If not, 6 120 or so song MP3 CD-RW cds are plenty for my car!

beestea

Are you speaking of the DVD player in the TL? Doesn't that only read DVD-A and not even DVD video?

I guess the same argument could be made, that it "could" be enabled for the Acura as well..... its just that the Lexus seems to do everything with DVD except play mp3 data.


BTW, Kensteele whats up man? I remember you from way back in the day on acura-cl.com

beestea

There is a howto somewhere on here, but you definitely can't just drag the mp3's on to a DVD and be done with it.

It looked like it involved authoring a DVD Video disc but only putting folders and the mpeg1 audio files on the DVD.... and even then each DVD Video disc can only referece so many files per folder or chapter or title or whatever its called so it sounded like a big pain to do it that way.

ES3

Certainly a pain, but worth it, if it works. Let us know if you find the thread that confirms this in detail!

mike503

i doubt this would be very useful, unless the restrictions on the discs were also changed.

currently an mp3 CD can only have a maximum of 255 files TOTAL.

directly from the manual:

Compatible media
Media that can be used for MP3 and WMA playback are CD-Rs and CD-RWs.

The following disc formats can be used.
• Disc formats: CD-ROM Mode 1 and Mode 2
CD-ROM XA Mode 2, Form 1 and Form 2
• File formats: ISO9660 level 1, level 2, (Romeo, Joliet)
MP3 and WMA files written in any format other than those listed above may
not play correctly, and their file names and folder names may not be displayed
correctly.
Items related to standards and limitations are as follows.
• Maximum directory hierarchy: 8 levels
• Maximum length of folder names/file names: 32 characters
• Maximum number of folders: 192 (including the root)
• Maximum number of files per disc: 255

the killer for me is the limit of files and the display - it allows for 32 character filenames, but it doesn't list them in a wide format. it only lists what, the first maybe 15 characters, which if you use Artist - Song, you might not be able to tell anything other than the artist

edmartin07

mike503,

I am a new member and this is my very first post. I have not had a chance to take a picture of my IS 250 yet, but will do so very soon.

I wanted to help with mp3 cd text issue you mentioned on your post.

You can actually have 32 characters display for folders and file names. You have to burn the CD as ISO 9660 Level 2, not Level 1. I use a program called Burnz, but it is only available on Mac OS X. I tried using Nero on my PC with these settings, but it did not work. Basically Level 2 turns all of your folder names into CAPS and your IS will see 32 characters (including .MP3 extension), which is fine with me. The 16 characters was a big problem for me so I researched it for days and days and found the answer. As an example, my songs display like this:

FOLDER: BILLY IDOL
FILE: DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME.MP3

Another thing I should mention, when CNET reviewed the IS on their website, they showed a screenshot of text showing 32 chararacters, but they are not in CAPS. I am not sure how they did this, since Level 2 automatically uses uppercase for all letters. I actually like the CAPS because the letters are bigger and easier to read. If you want me to take some pictures, let me know.

Here is what I did with my mp3 files:

- Dragged them from iTunes to folders.
- Re-imported them to a new iTunes library where I removed coverart and track numbers (this makes files smallers, so you can fit more on discs).
- Dragged them to new folders and renamed files to 32 characters so the song name does not get cut off. Remember the 32 characters have to include .mp3, so that actually leaves you with 28 characters for the song name.
- I then dragged the folders to the Burnz application on my Mac and it burned them at 8x.

They sound amazing and playback with no skipping or any other glitches.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions.

Ed

edmartin07

I found the link on the CNET website where they reviewed the IS 350. You can see the screenshot towards the middle of the page. It displays MP3 file with more that 16 characters and they are not in CAPS.

I wonder what app they used to burn MP3 CD shown? As I mentioned, ISO 9660 Level 2 puts all file names and folders in CAPS.

Link to IS 350 Review:

http://reviews.cnet.com/2006_Lexus_I...-31503539.html