MP3s from the DVD drive

[gorun]

Does the dvd drive in the E92 M3 read MP3s like the ones in the E60, E70 etc. If thats the case I would probably skip the Ipod/ USB option since a few Dvd-r disks (4.5 gig each) would store my entire music collection. I am not going to order Nav since it doesnt work where I live but I will get the TV option instead which comes with the 16:9 screen and the DVD drive.

p.s. I remember there was a bit rate limitation on what Mp3s can BMW's system read. Does anybody know what it is?

[apw2607]

This needs to be moved to the technology section of the forum really.

Yes, the DVD drive will read mp3's up to 256kb/s.

However, I'm surprised that you will still get the DVD drive if you dont order NAV, but just i-drive and the TV option. The DVD drive sole purpose really is to read the NAV data DVD-ROM.

Note, in the USA we dont get this choice.

[mofomat]

Originally Posted by gorun

Does the dvd drive in the E92 M3 read MP3s like the ones in the E60, E70 etc. If thats the case I would probably skip the Ipod/ USB option since a few Dvd-r disks (4.5 gig each) would store my entire music collection. I am not going to order Nav since it doesnt work where I live but I will get the TV option instead which comes with the 16:9 screen and the DVD drive.

p.s. I remember there was a bit rate limitation on what Mp3s can BMW's system read. Does anybody know what it is?

The CD player reads MP3´s.

[Davinhci]

I got a 160GB Portable USB Hard Drive to play the music

[ersin]

Yes, in the US we must get the Nav or the technology package to get the DVD. Will the DVD in the US version still play MP3s? Any word about US availability of Internet access?

[hakaida442]

Originally Posted by ersin

Yes, in the US we must get the Nav or the technology package to get the DVD. Will the DVD in the US version still play MP3s? Any word about US availability of Internet access?

internet access in USA is a definite no at this point.

[apw2607]

Originally Posted by ersin

Yes, in the US we must get the Nav or the technology package to get the DVD. Will the DVD in the US version still play MP3s? Any word about US availability of Internet access?

Yes, as I said earlier. The DVD drives also reads Mp3's .. however you wont be able to use the NAV if the NAV DVD-ROM is not in the drive.

No news yet on the roll out of internet access for any territory.

[fmquadri]

Wait. I'm confused. If you have a DVD with MP3s in the navigation DVD drive sitting in the trunk - you can access and play them from the stereo?

I understand that you can't have the Nav DVD in there at the same time, but its pretty surprising that the nav unit will read anything but nav dvds.

Pretty Cool alternative - just sucks you'd have to jump out and swap if you want to use your nav.

[gorun]

Nav drive reads CDs, MP3 Cds and MP3 DVDs. In Europe if you order the TV option but no Nav you still get the second hump (screen), idrive and dvd-drive which in this case can be used for music only.

p.s. in my case that renders the ipod option useless

[gorun]

Has anyone tried a 9gb Double Layer media? Do you think it will work?

[mofomat]

I´ll say again. The CD drive plays MP3 CD´s, complete with track names. This is the standard single slot just above the DVD slot. Why does it matter if the nav slot plays them or not?

[gorun]

Cause if dont use the Nav (like me) you can enjoy 4.5 gigs of music (complete with track names and directories) from that drive and not the measly 700mb of the cd drive. The only limitation seems to be that it cant cope with 320 bitrate but 256 at the most.

[mofomat]

Originally Posted by gorun

Cause if dont use the Nav (like me) you can enjoy 4.5 gigs of music from that drive and not the measly 700mb of the cd drive

Are you getting the 6 disc changer?

[ersin]

Originally Posted by mofomat

I´ll say again. The CD drive plays MP3 CD´s, complete with track names. This is the standard single slot just above the DVD slot. Why does it matter if the nav slot plays them or not?

Because DVD has about 10 times the capacity of CDs. For those with large music collections, and/or higher quality bit rates, this means less discs to carry around.

[ersin]

Bah, the nav should have a compact flash or SD slot. Someday there won't even be any CD or DVD player in the car. It'll just be a USB port. Plug in a memory stick holding all or your music, you're good to go. I can forsee in the near future, memory sticks, SD, etc. getting up to 32G or 64G. That's a good bit of music.

While I'm predicting the future I may as well add that the Nav screen will also play videos from the same media too. Well, maybe not in the United Nanny States, but for sure in Europe.

[gorun]

Originally Posted by mofomat

Are you getting the 6 disc changer?

Why would you say that? No way. The Nav drive takes buckets of music. I guess if you need the Nav, the USB/Ipod option is the one to go for. Cd-changers are a thing of the past.

[gorun]

Originally Posted by ersin

Bah, the nav should have a compact flash or SD slot. Someday there won't even be any CD or DVD player in the car. It'll just be a USB port. Plug in a memory stick holding all or your music, you're good to go. I can forsee in the near future, memory sticks, SD, etc. getting up to 32G or 64G. That's a good bit of music.

While I'm predicting the future I may as well add that the Nav screen will also play videos from the same media too. Well, maybe not in the United Nanny States, but for sure in Europe.

It should have happened already, damn! Car companies can be slow. Just image your in-car system playing HD rips in X264 format with DTS sound!

[ersin]

Originally Posted by gorun

It should have happened already, damn! Car companies can be slow. Just image your in-car system playing HD rips in X264 format with DTS sound!

It should have. Once one manufacturer starts it then the rest will follow real soon. Look at how iPod integration came out in all brands almost simultaneously.

[mofomat]

Originally Posted by gorun

Why would you say that? No way. The Nav drive takes buckets of music. I guess if you need the Nav, the USB/Ipod option is the one to go for. Cd-changers are a thing of the past.

I would say that because on 55K+ car the 6 disc changer is neither here nor there in terms of cost. Also, because the 6 disc changer is also MP3 compatible (I know, only 700MB per disc), then it allows more storage that way.

I am getting the Nav system so won´t be able to use the DVD drive at the same time. I´m also getting the USB slot too. And the 6 disc changer.

Now I may be corrected here, but I believe that under certain circumstances, the USB drive doesn´t play the music in it´s "complete" state. Therefore I´m getting the CD changer too because I think this will be better quality and not be as less "lossless" than certain methods of playing music via the USB slot. Not entirely sure I´m making myself clear here but there has been a big discussion on it elsewhere on this board. Something to do with flash drives.

On a separate note, are you getting your car in the UK? If so then Professional Nav is standard anyway, so your decision "not to get nav" is irrelevent.

[ersin]

Originally Posted by mofomat

Now I may be corrected here, but I believe that under certain circumstances, the USB drive doesn´t play the music in it´s "complete" state. Therefore I´m getting the CD changer too because I think this will be better quality and not be as less "lossless" than certain methods of playing music via the USB slot. Not entirely sure I´m making myself clear here but there has been a big discussion on it elsewhere on this board. Something to do with flash drives.

Essentially true. MP3's use lossy compression. Some of the fidelity is lost. CDs are encoded without using compression. No lost fidelity. However, you can choose to some extant how much you want lost when you create an MP3. More loss, less file size or less loss, greater file size.

Another factor is the bit rate at which the CD has been sampled. Creating an MP3 from a CD track resamples the sound. You can also resample at a lower bit rate when converting to an MP3 (smaller size, less fidelity) or at a higher bit rate (greater size, more fidelity) up to the bit rate of the recording.

That's it in a nutshell without getting too technical. Does that explain it?

[Keto]

Originally Posted by ersin

Essentially true. MP3's use lossy compression. Some of the fidelity is lost. CDs are encoded without using compression. No lost fidelity.

To be picky, a CD is a 44.1khz/16bit sample of sound. Thus when they came out the analogians/Luddites complained about the loss of warmth, etc. A CD is just carrying digital data that is representative of the sound. It is not "compressed" in the sense you are referring to, but it does not contain the amount of detail that the actual wave does mathematically. All lossless compression does is provide the ability to reproduce, bit-for-bit, the orignal CD sample. An MP3, a FLAC file and a WAV are all digitial approximations of sound waves; the FLAC and the WAV can be far superior, or negligibly different, depending on the MP3 bitrate/encoder and the listening space.

[ersin]

Exactly. I didn't want to get too technical -- A/D and all that. Thanks.

Edit: P.S. I'm sure the Luddites will will call the M3 premium sound a POS.