Blaupunkt Woodstock DAB 52 + MP3 MMC question
Discussion
I have the said stereo, and it has a slot for an MMC card. Onto this I usually place music, and it then plays fine and dandy on my car stereo.
I recently 'acquired' a music cd which was on mp3 format, although the songs were a lot larger than I'd ever seen before. As opposed to the usual 3-7mb size for a normal song, the average for these is 20mb. The whole album takes up 546mb. Its not a problem for my card as its 1gb. I plonked the album on there no problem and jaffed it in the stereo.
When I came to listen to certain tracks, they would stop and skip to the next after a random time playing. One track skips after 9 seconds, another after 43, and others at different times. I repeated the tracks and they always skip at the same time.
I've been thinking about it and I don't have a clue what could be doing it, just maybe that the stereo can't decode files that big?
Does anyone know what it might be? I have the songs in a sub directory on the memory card, along with another album on another subdirectory and that plays through fine.
Just can't get my head around it.
I was going to try and find someway to make the mp3s smaller, but I don't know if that would work.
Anybody have any ideas?
Cheers.
I recently 'acquired' a music cd which was on mp3 format, although the songs were a lot larger than I'd ever seen before. As opposed to the usual 3-7mb size for a normal song, the average for these is 20mb. The whole album takes up 546mb. Its not a problem for my card as its 1gb. I plonked the album on there no problem and jaffed it in the stereo.
When I came to listen to certain tracks, they would stop and skip to the next after a random time playing. One track skips after 9 seconds, another after 43, and others at different times. I repeated the tracks and they always skip at the same time.
I've been thinking about it and I don't have a clue what could be doing it, just maybe that the stereo can't decode files that big?
Does anyone know what it might be? I have the songs in a sub directory on the memory card, along with another album on another subdirectory and that plays through fine.
Just can't get my head around it.
I was going to try and find someway to make the mp3s smaller, but I don't know if that would work.
Anybody have any ideas?
Cheers.
No definite ideas, but MP3 files are made up of blocks. The files can be manipulated manually, if you can find the block boundaries.
So for example, the header might say how many blocks there are, and how big they're going to be. I'm not sure if that's strictly true, but you'll get the point I'm sure.
So.... if you wanted to merge two MP3 files, a really quick and dirty way to do it would be to identify the last block of interest in the first file, and append the first block of interest in the second file.
As long as each of the blocks start and end in a complete fashion (and possibly with the same compression rate), the the two files should just play seamlessly. Obviously there might be a bit of a click in the audio, but functionally it works.
Being a bit nerdy, I'm not adverse to lookng at the binary data from time to time, when I'm playing with things (mostly breaking them). What I would do if I were you, would be to have a look at them in a binary data viewer. You'll easily see the semirandom nature of the audio files. You might even be able to see visually the repetitive nature of the blocks, they will have similar starts and ends.
Certainly if you're frigging things manually once you've figured exactly where the block boundaries are relative to the patterns in the data, you can often do direct cut and paste, on lots of blocks.
The thing is that it's not unknown for a bug, or even DRM issues to cause the writing software to enter a "jabber" mode. You'll also be able to see this in the data. If you look at the file, and you see that half way through that the data goes to all zeros, or into a really short repeating cycle, it'll be clear that the file is buggered.
If this is the case it may explain the file size. It's not guaranteed though. It might just be that your new files are at a less lossy compression rate, and are consequently bigger. Are you sure that your player supports the compression rate for the file?
www.heaventools.com/flexhex-scrshots.htm
So for example, the header might say how many blocks there are, and how big they're going to be. I'm not sure if that's strictly true, but you'll get the point I'm sure.
So.... if you wanted to merge two MP3 files, a really quick and dirty way to do it would be to identify the last block of interest in the first file, and append the first block of interest in the second file.
As long as each of the blocks start and end in a complete fashion (and possibly with the same compression rate), the the two files should just play seamlessly. Obviously there might be a bit of a click in the audio, but functionally it works.
Being a bit nerdy, I'm not adverse to lookng at the binary data from time to time, when I'm playing with things (mostly breaking them). What I would do if I were you, would be to have a look at them in a binary data viewer. You'll easily see the semirandom nature of the audio files. You might even be able to see visually the repetitive nature of the blocks, they will have similar starts and ends.
Certainly if you're frigging things manually once you've figured exactly where the block boundaries are relative to the patterns in the data, you can often do direct cut and paste, on lots of blocks.
The thing is that it's not unknown for a bug, or even DRM issues to cause the writing software to enter a "jabber" mode. You'll also be able to see this in the data. If you look at the file, and you see that half way through that the data goes to all zeros, or into a really short repeating cycle, it'll be clear that the file is buggered.
If this is the case it may explain the file size. It's not guaranteed though. It might just be that your new files are at a less lossy compression rate, and are consequently bigger. Are you sure that your player supports the compression rate for the file?
www.heaventools.com/flexhex-scrshots.htm
Edited by dilbert on Friday 6th April 01:40
Stupid momment here. Have a DAB52 in the MR2... never did get the MMC slot to work properly.
But it will play MP3 CD's. Just push it in the CD player and wait a few seconds (takes longer to cue up than a generic audio disk) and bingo should start playing.
Not the solution you wanted but it will work
But it will play MP3 CD's. Just push it in the CD player and wait a few seconds (takes longer to cue up than a generic audio disk) and bingo should start playing.
Not the solution you wanted but it will work
The compression rate is what I think it might be. They are recorded at 320kbps, and I'm in the process of downgrading them.
They play fine on my pc, so don't think its anything to do with the code.
Just puzzled now as to why the program I've got converting them isn't changing them to 192 like I want but to 128 instead.
Don't you just hate computers sometimes?
They play fine on my pc, so don't think its anything to do with the code.
Just puzzled now as to why the program I've got converting them isn't changing them to 192 like I want but to 128 instead.
Don't you just hate computers sometimes?
ThePassenger said:
Stupid momment here. Have a DAB52 in the MR2... never did get the MMC slot to work properly.
But it will play MP3 CD's. Just push it in the CD player and wait a few seconds (takes longer to cue up than a generic audio disk) and bingo should start playing.
Not the solution you wanted but it will work
But it will play MP3 CD's. Just push it in the CD player and wait a few seconds (takes longer to cue up than a generic audio disk) and bingo should start playing.
Not the solution you wanted but it will work
Yeah I know that. Thanks anyway. I was going on the fact that the MMC card takes less time to get music into my car than a cd does to burn.
'Aint that ironic. 
Polarbert said:
Yeah I know that. Thanks anyway. I was going on the fact that the MMC card takes less time to get music into my car than a cd does to burn. 'Aint that ironic.
'Aint that ironic. Yep. The old "Hey this'll only take 30 seconds..... *BOOM*" and you're still kicking it a day later.
Just user a hammer
You'll feel better afterwards.
pesty said:
ThePassenger said:
Stupid momment here. Have a DAB52 in the MR2... never did get the MMC slot to work properly.
Mine works fine but onbly on card no bigger than 128. if I use a card with bigger memory nothing happens.
Thats weird. I've got a 1gb and it works fine and dandy.
Just make sure that the cards aren't formatted to FAT32, as the DAB52 can't work with it. Needs to be FAT16. That might be your problem as well Sarah.
Polarbert said:
pesty said:
ThePassenger said:
Stupid momment here. Have a DAB52 in the MR2... never did get the MMC slot to work properly.
Mine works fine but onbly on card no bigger than 128. if I use a card with bigger memory nothing happens.
Thats weird. I've got a 1gb and it works fine and dandy.
Just make sure that the cards aren't formatted to FAT32, as the DAB52 can't work with it. Needs to be FAT16. That might be your problem as well Sarah.
Probably, but in the end we just use MP3 CD's... now it's got an ipod bolted to it's AUX socket so it's kinda moot
Polarbert said:
Okay, now the 
ing MMC card has ed up. I had an error, and now the device I'm using to look on the card won't start up with the MMC card in it. Can MMC cards break? What the hell has happened? Now I've got a duff MMC card, and I don't know how to fix it.
ing MMC card has ed up. I had an error, and now the device I'm using to look on the card won't start up with the MMC card in it. Can MMC cards break? What the hell has happened? Now I've got a duff MMC card, and I don't know how to fix it.Yep, they can break (pretty indestructible but) but as Windows is just going 'nope' and a different card works fine... I'd say it's bolloxed.
Polarbert said:
The compression rate is what I think it might be. They are recorded at 320kbps, and I'm in the process of downgrading them.
They play fine on my pc, so don't think its anything to do with the code.
Just puzzled now as to why the program I've got converting them isn't changing them to 192 like I want but to 128 instead.
Don't you just hate computers sometimes?
They play fine on my pc, so don't think its anything to do with the code.
Just puzzled now as to why the program I've got converting them isn't changing them to 192 like I want but to 128 instead.
Don't you just hate computers sometimes?
Chances are they've either too high a bit rate for the car stereo (i.e. it doesn't like things as high as 320), or they've "variable bit rate" MP3s - this quite often confuses some MP3 players.
Usually use dbPowerAmp when necessary for re-encoding MP3s.
One thing I forgot to add (forgot to read the whole original post!)... I bought a Blaupunkt MP3 player (USB/SD/etc). Sent it back a week later - wouldn't play half of my MP3s because of compatilibity issues, would only work with small USB sticks, etc. Awful thing. Motorised front panel stopped working, too.
Cheers for that James. I changed the bitrate of the songs and was putting them back on the MMC card when it ed up and now the card will not read at all. I don't know if its something to do with the MP3s but it just won't show up at all. It won't play in the stereo, and it won't work in a digital camera.
I didn't know that MMC cards could just break like that.
ed up and now the card will not read at all. I don't know if its something to do with the MP3s but it just won't show up at all. It won't play in the stereo, and it won't work in a digital camera. I didn't know that MMC cards could just break like that.
Polarbert said:
Cheers for that James. I changed the bitrate of the songs and was putting them back on the MMC card when it ed up and now the card will not read at all. I don't know if its something to do with the MP3s but it just won't show up at all. It won't play in the stereo, and it won't work in a digital camera.
I didn't know that MMC cards could just break like that.
ed up and now the card will not read at all. I don't know if its something to do with the MP3s but it just won't show up at all. It won't play in the stereo, and it won't work in a digital camera. I didn't know that MMC cards could just break like that.
Make sure it's formatted using FAT. Preferably FAT-16 to be absolutely sure. Windows format is rubbish. Try formatting in the camera. Quite often they come with a default ropey format (i.e. it's not mapped out bad sectors, etc).
Can the PC still read it?
It's technology... it can break.
Polarbert said:
No, this is the thing, the camera doesn't work properly with this card in it, I can put another one and it works fine. PC is not showing up the card.
Think you've found the problem, then.
Would check the disk manager in Windows to see if you can fix it with that, or download some third party disk management tools. Beyond that, bin it/send it back.
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff