USB port is a great feature

[mindhead1]

I purchased a Mushkin Enhanced Mulholland 32GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive from Newegg and it works well for the most part in my 2011 4.6.

It sometimes has trouble reading the drive at start-up. I think this may occur when the last song played is deep down in a folder. It seems like it is taking to long to scan the drive and find the last song that was playing and then the system decides it can't read the drive.

When this occurs I have to switch to a disk, unplug the drive and re-insert the drive. This seems to reset everything and the drive starts at the first song.

The sound quality of files on the drive are dependent on the quality of the file (bit rate, etc.). The higher bit rate files (256 and up, and VBR) sound much better than the low bit rate files (160 and below). I wont even listen to files at 96kbps as they sound awful on anything I play them on.

My biggest issue with the USB implementation in the Genesis is that they system is not able to utilize the MP3 tags. It would be nice to be able to select music by title, album, genre or year using the tags. Even if it can't do this it should at least be able to display the artist and song name in the display instead of the whole file name. Maybe these issues can be resolved with a firmware update (I will not hold my breath for that).

 

[scb]

Only .mp3 and .wma formats are supported.

There are some slight variants of each format floating around out there, too. It's my understanding that only DRM-protected .wma (locked) files are not playable. All other variants of the two formats (including VBR) should work without a hitch.

Thanks for the info. I plan to burn some of my CDs to mp3 files on a USB drive. I've been doing some research but would appreciate the real answers from experience.

Can anyone recommend software for the CD to mp3 conversion?
Is there a way to maintain the tags (eg: CD and song title) so that they appear on the screen in the Genesis?
Other advice?

Thanks

 

[QCTLG]

The absolute best combo with be EAC (Exact Audio Copy) and Lame to compress.
If you need help setting it up...PM me and I'll do my best to help you out.

Good luck

 

[jasn]

Is it difficult to navigate the USB files on screen, similar to what I'm reading about the iPod interface? Reading that thread has me pretty bummed out about my plans to buy (believe it or not...)

 

[msitter]

I have used both Windows Media Player and Itunes to make playlists for the USB drive used in my Genesis. I have also used several brands of flash drives and they have so far all worked the same. I only have a total of about 16gb of music recorded off CDs at 320kb so I might not be considered an audiophile. I does however sound great to me.

 

[msitter]

Is it difficult to navigate the USB files on screen, similar to what I'm reading about the iPod interface? Reading that thread has me pretty bummed out about my plans to buy (believe it or not...)

It all reads on the Nav screen in alphabetical order by artist first then album in a subfile then tracks, not too difficult to figure out. If you want to shuffle the order, do it when you burn the playlist to the drive. It is a whole lot easier to navigate than either the USB drive or the Ipod on my BMW.

 

[OBCT]

The absolute best combo with be EAC (Exact Audio Copy) and Lame to compress.
If you need help setting it up...PM me and I'll do my best to help you out.

Good luck

Agreed. Although the process is a little bit involved, there is no better free + legal system for CD ripping currently available than EAC + LAME.

Another decent/competent program I've also used that is somewhat simpler is Easy CD/DA Extractor.

 

[OBCT]

Thanks for the info. I plan to burn some of my CDs to mp3 files on a USB drive. I've been doing some research but would appreciate the real answers from experience.

Can anyone recommend software for the CD to mp3 conversion?
Is there a way to maintain the tags (eg: CD and song title) so that they appear on the screen in the Genesis?
Other advice?

Thanks

Is it difficult to navigate the USB files on screen, similar to what I'm reading about the iPod interface? Reading that thread has me pretty bummed out about my plans to buy (believe it or not...)

The USB screen is better than the iPod screen, but not perfect.


The most important thing here is gaining an understanding of the DIS' media display main limitation (specifically for USB audio playback). ID2/ID3/etc media tag compatibility is non-existent. Instead, the DIS offers two media info display bars which correspond to specific file structure targets.

#1. The text comprising a file's immediate containing folder is the info displayed on the bottom bar on the DIS (in the INFO screen) while the track is being played. This grouping most commonly identifies the Artist or Album Name of a track, but could conceivably be used to group like audio files by genre, year, bitrate, format, etc.

#2. The text comprising a file's filename (minus file type extension suffix) is the info displayed on the top bar on the DIS (in the INFO screen) while the track is being played. This often includes info such as Track Name and Track Number, but could conceivably include almost any info desired, depending on the user's preference.

What I do:

#1. Name folders by Artist.
#2. Add audio files to folders by corresponding Artist.
#3. Name files by Track Name.

I don't care about album name, track number, recording year, album release year, genre, bitrate, format type, etc, etc, so I keep it clean and simple. Works great for me!

It took a concerted effort to get everything on my flash drives matching according to this system, but it was worth it. Now I always know the name of the artist and song for everything I listen to via USB, with no annoying junk characters as a distraction.

If anyone wants some tips/tricks for expediting this file+folder renaming process, let me know. If there's demand, I'll try to put up a walkthrough when I get a chance. If it's something very specific or potentially off-topic, PM me with your questions.

 

[scb]

Thanks OBCT.
Sounds very logical. I'll work on it this weekend.
SCB

 

[fuzzynuke]

Plugged in my new Android Motorola Milestone into the USB, and it immediately starts playing the music stored on it, and shows me the folders as well. Sweet!

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[jasn]

Does the USB port also provide 5V power back to the device?

 

[fuzzynuke]

Does the USB port also provide 5V power back to the device?

My phone does say "Charging..." when plugged into the USB, but dont know about voltage!

 

[jasn]

My phone does say "Charging..." when plugged into the USB, but dont know about voltage!

Thx. Even better than I thought. Not only could I play tunes from my BB, but I could use it as a charger too.

BTW, I believe all USB powered devices run on 5V DC.

 

[GypsyDRB]

Does anyone know if the plug has that "capture" mechanism found on many of these cables whereby it won't slide out on its own?

I've had an issue where if i jostle the iphone the cable slips out of the connection...wondering if i have a defective cable or if its just a cheap connector.

 

[OBCT]

Does anyone know if the plug has that "capture" mechanism found on many of these cables whereby it won't slide out on its own?

I've had an issue where if i jostle the iphone the cable slips out of the connection...wondering if i have a defective cable or if its just a cheap connector.

Great question! I actually have no idea.

I do know that I've yet to have a single connection-related problem with the USB. I find this fact to be somewhat amazing considering the amount I've used it, the bumpiness of some of the roads I've traversed during that time and the lack of any observable locking/securing mechanism for the protruding flash drive.

 

[scb]

iPhone 4 and USB

A slightly more complex issue than my previous post. Also, if anyone feels that I am highjacking the thread please let me know and I'll start another.

My earlier question about burning CDs to a USB drive was based on my inability to get my iPhone 4 to play music through the USB port. There are two inter-related reasons for this. One - the Hyundai USB iPod connector will not pass through the bumper case on my iPhone 4. Also, when I remove the bumper case, it appears as though there is not a good connection as the phone is continually vibrating and not showing up on the screen when it is plugged in to the cable.

Has anyone found a cable that will allow the iphone to play music and (faint hope) to sync the address book to the car?

Best
SCB

 

[Saudi Genesis]

Re: iPhone 4 and USB

A slightly more complex issue than my previous post. Also, if anyone feels that I am highjacking the thread please let me know and I'll start another.

My earlier question about burning CDs to a USB drive was based on my inability to get my iPhone 4 to play music through the USB port. There are two inter-related reasons for this. One - the Hyundai USB iPod connector will not pass through the bumper case on my iPhone 4. Also, when I remove the bumper case, it appears as though there is not a good connection as the phone is continually vibrating and not showing up on the screen when it is plugged in to the cable.

Has anyone found a cable that will allow the iphone to play music and (faint hope) to sync the address book to the car?

Best
SCB

I use my Iphone 4 with the Hyundai cable without issue (I remove the bumper)

 

[mjsmith3]

OBCT,

I'm interested in your thoughts of how to best convert existing song files to this format en masse
Thanks

 

[OBCT]

OBCT,

I'm interested in your thoughts of how to best convert existing song files to this format en masse
Thanks

I haven't used these programs myself, but they'll all simplify your task considerably (in alphabetical order)...

Advanced Renamer 2.74 -- freeware
Ant Renamer 2.10.0 -- freeware
Flash Renamer 6.41 -- free 30-day trial ($20 to register)
Flexible Renamer 8.3 -- freeware
Métamorphose 2.0.7.1 -- freeware
Tag&Rename 3.5.7 -- free 30-day trial ($30 to register)

These applications are Windows-only. They should be compatible with XP, Vista and 7 (in both 32-bit and 64-bit).

Mac users should check out these sites: LINK 1 & LINK 2.

Any questions? Ask!

 

[OBCT]

Just to elaborate on my previous post a little..

I've finally had time to fiddle around with two of the programs I recommended (ha!), and am quite pleased with the results.

[NOTE: Although having a background in basic coding/programming helps when using these programs (the best such software is powerful which makes it complex which sometimes puts it out of reach for the average user), our requirements are rather pedestrian, relatively speaking.]

At present, my top recommended program is Tag&Rename. I suggest you take advantage of its 30-day trial period at the very least. T&R might be the simplest one-stop solution on the market today.

I also had good success renaming filenames (from the files' ID3 tags) with Flexible Renamer. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear able to restructure folders in the same fashion. What it does it does well, especially for free!!!