ajm0824

I've been spending the past couple of days looking to implement a cable to -Glovebox AUX jack solution to wireup my iPod so that I can have a bunch of tunes on the road. Maybe under the center console, maybe somewhere else...

I was doing this when I read a post from scorchie vbmenu_register("postmenu_831740", true); that said he thought that the 2005's came with mp3 capability (on the cd changer, I think). I thought he was talking bout euro editions, but for the hell of it I burned 100 songs to CD and poped it into the CD Changer and ... Whala It worked. Then I figured why stop there I burned 1500 songs to a DVD and poped it in the front loader...

To my pleasent suprise saw the letters "mp3"!

This is great, it arranges the folders, shows the MP3 ID tag both on the command module & on the Dash. Much better solution than fumbling with the ipod in the glove box...cause the cord aint long enough.. while driving.

What else about this car have I not found out about yet? Does it have a trap door? Ejector seat? Am I going to push the wrong button one day and find my self parachuting to the ground?

Sorry for the long post, but just wanted to say, I found out my US build has mp3 capabilities. Cool!

BTW: Build Date:Late July 2004, (DVD Navi Pkg, Entertainment Pkg)

midi-guy

Pardon my ignorance - but, are you saying that for the '05s, the mechanism on the COMAND head unit is DVD and not CD?

Thought that was a function only the Euro spec COMANDs had.

ajm0824

When you put a disc in the screen says "Compact Disc", which initially led me to believe that it would not even recognize the DVD, but it did. And all 100 albums on the disc came up.

So I suppose it must be a dvd/cd (Audio/MP3) reader, much in the same way dvd players can most of the time play audio cd's. However, it does not recognize DVD Videos. Even if it did, I think it lacks the decoding hardware to play the video. That, I beleive is what the Euro model has.

so the front loader plays
- cd audio (WORKS)
- dvd mp3 (WORKS)
- cd mp3 (Have not tried yet, but probably does)
- dvd audio (Have not tried yet), not many titles available I believe. I've seen DVD audio discs recorded in surround, but I dont know if this works.

the 6-Disc Changer plays
- cd audio
- cd mp3's (with no folder recognition)





Hope this helps.

F1Fan

I just checked and the front loading cd player does play mp3s. I burned a few songs onto a cd and it started playing. When you press the "Audio" button, it shows up as MP3 instead of just CD now. Also, you might want to make a title for the MP3 disk instead of having your burner program name it automatically like 04235-23898 something. Also helps if you properly identify the mp3s like having artist and song title on it. I didn't see if it shows up on the Multi-function display while driving, but I'm hoping it does.

scorchie

If you read some of the past posts you will find that the artist/title information from the head unit is displayed in the instrument cluster. The artist/title information from the CD changer is not displayed, although the filenames are displayed on the COMAND, but not in the instrument cluster, and no folders either.

The CD changer starts playing MP3 discs immediately (it scans filenames while playing); the head unit scans the disc first before playing.

-s-

Spartan

Now follow this instruction very carefully......

Press Audio while searching through the option in your speedometer display. There, you will have a secret menu of options that very few people know about.

Here is the list.

1. Passenger Auto Eject Seat.
That is when you want to eject the wife out of the car. It also has a manual or auto feature. On the auto feature, it detects excessive whining and dies the job automatically.

2. Microwave Brain Washing.
If you chose this item, a small transmitter comes through the headrest and starts to brainwash the passenger. It repeats "Und u vil have sex". Be cautious how you use this option. If you let it run too long, he/she will start to tear off their clothes and try to hump you into the next dimension….right then and there.

I never worry about this because I always chose the “Planetary Auto Guidance System”. It’s very handy especially when you start to hit supersonic speed.

BTW, never ever hit the “Worm Hole Traffic Clearing” option. I accidentally hit that and now that luscious redhead in a SL that I was following is gone forever. I find that the “Dimension Shifter” is good enough to alter the quantum properties of the car and pass through all the traffic.

Please do not anyone else outside the MB community know this information.

Thank You

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes indeed, I just discovered the DVD-mp3 playing ability last night even though I have the car for two months (CDI-Canada). One caution though. It's absolutelty essential that you have everything in folders but do NOT use subfolders. Otherwise you will be searching through a thousand songs to find everything.

The next day or so, I will start a thread on how to make high quality mp3's.

A reminder to anyone who is buying a cd changer. Mercedes has a NEW part number and a NEW cd changer that will play mp3's. They introduce it two months ago. If you are in the market for a changer, make sure yu get the new one and they are not trying to clear their old ones. I was going to buy one but with DVD-mp3, I can listen to 40-60 hours of music. Even if you don't mp3 the files, you can still place several hours of music on a DVD.

SFoRZA

oh...

cntlaw

That 's amazing for a stock audio system it reads Mp3 files on a CD-R
My coming C55 is installed with Audio System 50 . Do you know if
the CD/DVD drive reads Mp3 files on CD-R too?

cnt

saffrontiger

Spartan do you see pink elephants?

Spartan

I didn't find that option on the Secret Menu.

:p

Spartan

What do you mean "CD-R"? The cd changer? Then see my "edited" post above.

ajm0824

Spartan
Spartan, Ixnay on the ecret enuA.
LOL

Oslo

Some additional informations:

• The CD Changer will also accept WMA coded tracks in addition to MP3
• The CD Changer only accept up to 99 tracks.
• The DVD player accepts both:
• DVD-R
• DVD+R
• DVD-RW
• DVD+RW

Neither the COMAND screen nor the Cluster will show ID Tags. Only the filename will be displayed. The best way is to use a program like "File And MP3 Tag Renamer". This program can create filenames from the ID Tag, so that you can have a filename like: "Title - Artist", or any other combination. Just remember that only some 20 characters will show up. The complete filename will be shown briefly in a superimposed window on the COMAND display for a few seconds when a new track is loaded.

scorchie

Including that ever useful ".mp3" portion of the filename...

-s-

CALBenzo

Is this only for MY 05 COMAND models?

ajm0824

I thought ".mp3" was the artist name. I was going to say, this guy makes a LOT of music! lol

Oslo

Or the famous group from Redmond, Seatlle called ".wma"

ToyCollector

On a serious note, are there any websites you can direct a middle aged guy like me to, to learn how to burn CDs and DVDs? I'd like to play with this stuff, but would not know if software is needed on the PC to do the burning. I know where to find .mp3s so that part I understand. Thanks in advance.

Barry45RPM

No teen aged kid? Do your neighbors have a kid? They are usually happy to help us "out-worlders" out!

Baby Jocko

Yes, of course, you need software to burn CD/DVDs. If you are using XP, you already have WMP that burns CDs, but it doesn't do it very well IMO. There are tons of burning software from Nero to Roxio. If you already have the hardware, along with it you should have, at least, demo software. You could also DL demo/shareware versions from their respective websites. Whatever you do, don't DL from Download.com. If you do, you would subject yourself to serious spyware. If you know where to find MP3s, as you say, then you should also know how to find warez. Otherwise, do a Google search for "CD DVD burning software" and sample a few before you buy.

Personally, I use Alcohol and Roxio.

ToyCollector

Thanks Jocko and Barry. Jocko, you and I are practically neighbors, I am in Roswell.

Spartan

It's very simple to do.

You will need this free software to do it. It's NOT warez.

1. These guys also have a tutorial section.

http://www.burn4free.com/dynamic/com...ault.htm&lan=1

2. This is the software to convert cd's to mp3's.

http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/

How easy is to do?

Once you installed both of this software then all you have to do is start up the software, load your cd. It will show up on your mp3 converter. Once you have converted the songs, then start up the burning software, transfer the files form wherever you chose to store it and copy-paste it to to the burning software and burn it.

There are a few variables that you have to learn but otherwise the learning curve is very shallow.

http://aroundcny.com/technofile/texts/tec080303.html

Baby Jocko

ToyCollector:
Yes, I live in Windward. I hope you didn't buy from RBM (unless you are their kind of guy - a gazillionaire who treats people like trash).

ToyCollector

Spartan, thanks. I already downloaded a trial of the Alcohol 120 to start playing around and I thank you for your links as most of what I want to convert is already on CDs.

Jacko, Nope, they burned me once already. I had ordered a new style SL500 back in Nov. 2000. They screwed me on delivery timeframe and I suspect kept moving me back in line. I cancelled the deal 2 years later (kind of glad as I would do a SL55 instead now that it is out in the meantime). I bought the CDI from Atlanta Classic Cars and they gave me $6000 more for my Range Rover on trade than RBM wanted to give. RBM didn't even attempt to haggle when I walked out the door.

luxury1

Will this work for a late 2004 US model?