MP3 on Professional audio with nav & idrive

flyboy-sa · 05-12-2005, 03:00 AM

Ok I have just discovered I cannot play MP3's - or I'm doing something wrong. I emailed my dealer and they say it does play MP3.

I tried it in front loader in the radio itself and nothing, also put it in CD shuttle. Now 5 of the cd's are available for selection but the cd with the MP3's on is blanked out. Should the MP3 cd be somewhere specific in the CD shuttle? Has anybody with professional sat nav been able to play MP3's and how.

If I get it working ill update this post.

E90Fleet · 05-12-2005, 03:32 AM

Congrats on the car

What programme are you using to burn the Mp3 ?
Also I have found on many car CD players they ont like the new fast (48X ) cd's, but they love the slow(12X) "Audio CD's"

I do remember guys in 5 Series having problems, and changing the burning software cured it, I will try and look it up

flyboy-sa · 05-12-2005, 03:35 AM

Thanx E90Fleet. I am using NERO and I did select a slower speed as well - not sure if 16 or 12 but I think probably 16.
Just when my dealer thought she was rid of me I start emailing her again. hehe

E90Fleet · 05-12-2005, 03:38 AM

Im refering to the CD's, my E46 doesnt like the 48X ones, its got to do with the dye they use

The "Audio CD" ones use the older type dye that the cd players can read easier

E90Fleet · 05-12-2005, 03:50 AM

OK some of the 5 Series problems are solved if you "use Nero, record the MP3 in CD-ROM (ISO) format"

flyboy-sa · 05-12-2005, 05:06 AM

E90Fleet. That did not help I recorded in the CDROM ISO format you mentioned (actually NERO has a document at ftp://ftp6.nero.com/Support_doc/PDFAudio/MP3AudioCD.pdf) but still the same. guess I have to take the car in ?

Tierfreund · 05-12-2005, 05:10 AM

You can stop trying. The Professional Nav in the E90 can currently NOT play MP3. Only the non-Nav Professional.

As usual the dealer doesn´t know a thing.

With the Nav Professional, the hardware is prepared for MP3 but the Fireware/Software currently does not support it. BMW is working on the Software for it, so it might be possible to add MP3-capabitlity via SW-upgrade later.

The Problem is well known and documented in the German dealer and buyer catalogues.

Nathan · 05-12-2005, 06:32 AM

Not to dissappoint you guys, but i don't think the CD Player with Nav will ever be able to play MP3s. I thought it had something to do with the way the D/A Convertor or the lens is setup. Upgrade software for this feature to be turned on is news to me.

If you want to play an MP3 CD, you're only other option at this point is to get the MP3 CD Changer, which is trunk mounted i think. They you have access to 60 hours of music on 6 CDs!

Armen52 · 05-12-2005, 07:11 AM

Guys its sort of unclear but can be figured out from his post that he does indeed have the CD changer which is required to get MP3 playback if you have the nav. Notice him mentioning the 5 other cd's in the CD shuttle. I believe he is referring to a changer there. He was just saying that he also tried it in the dash slot but clearly that shouldn't work in the first place.

I'm not sure what's going on but I am sure that BMW claims you should be able to do MP3 cd's with Nav if you have the changer.

flyboy-sa · 05-12-2005, 07:26 AM

Armen52 you are correct, I do have the optional CD changer in the back of the car and I have tried the MP3 CD in every slot. I was hoping somebody here already has a E90 with Professional and nav so that we can determine if they do the same. Guess until there is clarity I'll have to connect my iPaq to the aux in and utilise that

Armen52 · 05-12-2005, 07:33 AM

Don't you want to ask the dealer what's going on? I would, at least to let them know to keep their ears open for some service bulletin from BMW.

That said, I think it shouldn't be long before somebody else on here with this combo should be able to pitch in with their experiences.

E90Fleet · 05-12-2005, 09:06 AM

Just thought of this

Do you have Business NAV or Professional nav ?

I do know a guy in England with a 320d that can play MP3 on hiis changer, but that boars ( E90style ) is down for some reason, so cannot ask

Maybe the SA software is not MP3 compatable yet ? Or if you have Business nav you cannot play MP3 ??

flyboy-sa · 05-12-2005, 09:12 AM

I have the Professional Nav.

flyboy-sa · 05-20-2005, 01:38 AM

E90Fleet. My dealer phoned this morning they say that a MP3 CD will not play in the 6 disk changer. They are still waiting for BMW product manager to check if it will (supposed to) play MP3's in the drive which is mounted in the dash.

voltron1011 · 05-20-2005, 01:50 AM

If it turns out that it won't play MP3's, I would return it and use the money for an IPOD. Even though you won't get the interface through the car controls, the IPOD's menus are far superior to anything on cars. So, you can actually navigate through your songs/folders better than if you did have an interface. Just buy yourself an IPOD cradle that will hold it close to your field of vision. :rocks:

Check out this place: http://www.thepdamart.com/apple_ipod_mounts?b=1

flyboy-sa · 05-20-2005, 05:10 AM

Sad News. Dealer emailed me now - if you take nav it automatically deletes the radio with MP3 compatibility - but they said they can sell me an MP3 player at cost price ... so now I'm waiting to find out exactly wht that is a different radio they put in or a seperate item to clutter up the car inside.

r111 · 05-20-2005, 05:24 AM

There may still be hope. I recall this being mentioned for the E60. Aren't the nav disks between the e60 and e90 compatible? Is it safe to assume that they might bring mp3 functionality over too?

http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e60/6574254-1.html

Tierfreund · 05-20-2005, 05:54 AM

They´re probably talking about a normal external MP3-Player with flash memory or a harddisk. Like a Rio or Apple I-pod.
There´s an Audio-Aux input in your center armrest for that. You could play audio from there an control the volumne via your nav, but no more. To even skip to next track you´r have to open the armrest.

There are no aftermarket mp3-car-solutions that would integrate in any meaningfull way into your BMW Audio/Nav system. Any solution will (currently) not be controllable via I-drive or steering wheel.

flyboy-sa · 05-20-2005, 12:53 PM

Update guys. Dealer e-mailed saying a MP3 compatible 6 disc cd changer is coming out in October and they will swop mine for that. Oh well will just have to wait till October then no major deal - as long as I know sometime MP3's will work :-)

LWL · 05-20-2005, 01:56 PM

Is it possible to install an aftermarket MP3 CD changer in the truck instead of OEM cd changer? Anyone ask their dealer about that yet? If it works, then I guess its the best alternative to BMW's expensive and non-working cd changer.

flyboy-sa · 05-20-2005, 02:09 PM

Hopefully aftermarket changers are better than the BMW. I have noticed when driving an cd from the 6 disc changer is playing sometimes the music 'breaks' - I had a 6 disch changer in my E46 and never ever had that at all no matter what the condition of the road. Perhaps I should book the car in at the dealer to have it looked at.

Flash · 05-21-2005, 03:10 AM

The way that i see it that the idrive is a onboard computer with a operating system. If the operating system does not support mp3's it will not play it. Al the hardware can be mp3 compatable and can read the mp3 but as soon as the signal reach the computer idrive it cannot decode it. So i personally think that this is a software issue. The idrive needs to be upgraded so that it can decode the mp3's.

05-12-2005, 03:00 AM	#1
flyboy-sa Private 7 Rep 59 Posts Drives: E90 330 ... almost Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Johannesburg iTrader: (0)	MP3 on Professional audio with nav & idrive Ok I have just discovered I cannot play MP3's - or I'm doing something wrong. I emailed my dealer and they say it does play MP3. I tried it in front loader in the radio itself and nothing, also put it in CD shuttle. Now 5 of the cd's are available for selection but the cd with the MP3's on is blanked out. Should the MP3 cd be somewhere specific in the CD shuttle? Has anybody with professional sat nav been able to play MP3's and how. If I get it working ill update this post.
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05-12-2005, 03:32 AM	#2
E90Fleet Lieutenant General 1311 Rep 10,185 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: South Africa iTrader: (0)	Congrats on the car What programme are you using to burn the Mp3 ? Also I have found on many car CD players they ont like the new fast (48X ) cd's, but they love the slow(12X) "Audio CD's" I do remember guys in 5 Series having problems, and changing the burning software cured it, I will try and look it up
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-12-2005, 03:35 AM	#3
flyboy-sa Private 7 Rep 59 Posts Drives: E90 330 ... almost Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Johannesburg iTrader: (0)	Thanx E90Fleet. I am using NERO and I did select a slower speed as well - not sure if 16 or 12 but I think probably 16. Just when my dealer thought she was rid of me I start emailing her again. hehe
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05-12-2005, 03:38 AM	#4
E90Fleet Lieutenant General 1311 Rep 10,185 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: South Africa iTrader: (0)	Im refering to the CD's, my E46 doesnt like the 48X ones, its got to do with the dye they use The "Audio CD" ones use the older type dye that the cd players can read easier
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05-12-2005, 03:50 AM	#5
E90Fleet Lieutenant General 1311 Rep 10,185 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: South Africa iTrader: (0)	OK some of the 5 Series problems are solved if you "use Nero, record the MP3 in CD-ROM (ISO) format"
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05-12-2005, 05:06 AM	#6
flyboy-sa Private 7 Rep 59 Posts Drives: E90 330 ... almost Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Johannesburg iTrader: (0)	E90Fleet. That did not help I recorded in the CDROM ISO format you mentioned (actually NERO has a document at ftp://ftp6.nero.com/Support_doc/PDFAudio/MP3AudioCD.pdf) but still the same. guess I have to take the car in ?
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05-12-2005, 05:10 AM	#7
Tierfreund Major 21 Rep 1,002 Posts Drives: E90 330i Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Germany iTrader: (0)	You can stop trying. The Professional Nav in the E90 can currently NOT play MP3. Only the non-Nav Professional. As usual the dealer doesn´t know a thing. With the Nav Professional, the hardware is prepared for MP3 but the Fireware/Software currently does not support it. BMW is working on the Software for it, so it might be possible to add MP3-capabitlity via SW-upgrade later. The Problem is well known and documented in the German dealer and buyer catalogues.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-12-2005, 06:32 AM	#8
Nathan First Lieutenant 101 Rep 374 Posts Drives: 2010 X5 3.0 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Windy City iTrader: (0)	Not to dissappoint you guys, but i don't think the CD Player with Nav will ever be able to play MP3s. I thought it had something to do with the way the D/A Convertor or the lens is setup. Upgrade software for this feature to be turned on is news to me. If you want to play an MP3 CD, you're only other option at this point is to get the MP3 CD Changer, which is trunk mounted i think. They you have access to 60 hours of music on 6 CDs!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-12-2005, 07:11 AM	#9
Armen52 Captain 33 Rep 663 Posts Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Guys its sort of unclear but can be figured out from his post that he does indeed have the CD changer which is required to get MP3 playback if you have the nav. Notice him mentioning the 5 other cd's in the CD shuttle. I believe he is referring to a changer there. He was just saying that he also tried it in the dash slot but clearly that shouldn't work in the first place. I'm not sure what's going on but I am sure that BMW claims you should be able to do MP3 cd's with Nav if you have the changer.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-12-2005, 07:26 AM	#10
flyboy-sa Private 7 Rep 59 Posts Drives: E90 330 ... almost Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Johannesburg iTrader: (0)	Armen52 you are correct, I do have the optional CD changer in the back of the car and I have tried the MP3 CD in every slot. I was hoping somebody here already has a E90 with Professional and nav so that we can determine if they do the same. Guess until there is clarity I'll have to connect my iPaq to the aux in and utilise that
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-12-2005, 07:33 AM	#11
Armen52 Captain 33 Rep 663 Posts Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Don't you want to ask the dealer what's going on? I would, at least to let them know to keep their ears open for some service bulletin from BMW. That said, I think it shouldn't be long before somebody else on here with this combo should be able to pitch in with their experiences.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-12-2005, 09:06 AM	#12
E90Fleet Lieutenant General 1311 Rep 10,185 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: South Africa iTrader: (0)	Just thought of this Do you have Business NAV or Professional nav ? I do know a guy in England with a 320d that can play MP3 on hiis changer, but that boars ( E90style ) is down for some reason, so cannot ask Maybe the SA software is not MP3 compatable yet ? Or if you have Business nav you cannot play MP3 ??
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05-12-2005, 09:12 AM	#13
flyboy-sa Private 7 Rep 59 Posts Drives: E90 330 ... almost Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Johannesburg iTrader: (0)	I have the Professional Nav.
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05-20-2005, 01:38 AM	#14
flyboy-sa Private 7 Rep 59 Posts Drives: E90 330 ... almost Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Johannesburg iTrader: (0)	E90Fleet. My dealer phoned this morning they say that a MP3 CD will not play in the 6 disk changer. They are still waiting for BMW product manager to check if it will (supposed to) play MP3's in the drive which is mounted in the dash.
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05-20-2005, 01:50 AM	#15
voltron1011 Colonel 119 Rep 2,909 Posts Drives: 2011 135i, FJR-1300 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Wiesbaden iTrader: (2)	If it turns out that it won't play MP3's, I would return it and use the money for an IPOD. Even though you won't get the interface through the car controls, the IPOD's menus are far superior to anything on cars. So, you can actually navigate through your songs/folders better than if you did have an interface. Just buy yourself an IPOD cradle that will hold it close to your field of vision. :rocks: Check out this place: http://www.thepdamart.com/apple_ipod_mounts?b=1
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05-20-2005, 05:10 AM	#16
flyboy-sa Private 7 Rep 59 Posts Drives: E90 330 ... almost Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Johannesburg iTrader: (0)	Sad News. Dealer emailed me now - if you take nav it automatically deletes the radio with MP3 compatibility - but they said they can sell me an MP3 player at cost price ... so now I'm waiting to find out exactly wht that is a different radio they put in or a seperate item to clutter up the car inside.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-20-2005, 05:24 AM	#17
r111 Private 2 Rep 65 Posts Drives: 996 C2 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (0)	There may still be hope... There may still be hope. I recall this being mentioned for the E60. Aren't the nav disks between the e60 and e90 compatible? Is it safe to assume that they might bring mp3 functionality over too? http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e60/6574254-1.html
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-20-2005, 05:54 AM	#18
Tierfreund Major 21 Rep 1,002 Posts Drives: E90 330i Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Germany iTrader: (0)	They´re probably talking about a normal external MP3-Player with flash memory or a harddisk. Like a Rio or Apple I-pod. There´s an Audio-Aux input in your center armrest for that. You could play audio from there an control the volumne via your nav, but no more. To even skip to next track you´r have to open the armrest. There are no aftermarket mp3-car-solutions that would integrate in any meaningfull way into your BMW Audio/Nav system. Any solution will (currently) not be controllable via I-drive or steering wheel.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-20-2005, 12:53 PM	#19
flyboy-sa Private 7 Rep 59 Posts Drives: E90 330 ... almost Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Johannesburg iTrader: (0)	Update guys. Dealer e-mailed saying a MP3 compatible 6 disc cd changer is coming out in October and they will swop mine for that. Oh well will just have to wait till October then no major deal - as long as I know sometime MP3's will work :-)
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05-20-2005, 01:56 PM	#20
LWL Major 57 Rep 1,008 Posts Drives: G05 X5 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (2) Garage List 2006 330i [6.00] 2005 Mercedes Benz ... [7.00]	Is it possible to install an aftermarket MP3 CD changer in the truck instead of OEM cd changer? Anyone ask their dealer about that yet? If it works, then I guess its the best alternative to BMW's expensive and non-working cd changer.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-20-2005, 02:09 PM	#21
flyboy-sa Private 7 Rep 59 Posts Drives: E90 330 ... almost Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Johannesburg iTrader: (0)	Hopefully aftermarket changers are better than the BMW. I have noticed when driving an cd from the 6 disc changer is playing sometimes the music 'breaks' - I had a 6 disch changer in my E46 and never ever had that at all no matter what the condition of the road. Perhaps I should book the car in at the dealer to have it looked at.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-21-2005, 03:10 AM	#22
Flash Private 13 Rep 72 Posts Drives: E90 320i Join Date: May 2005 Location: South Africa, Cape Town iTrader: (0)	The way that i see it that the idrive is a onboard computer with a operating system. If the operating system does not support mp3's it will not play it. Al the hardware can be mp3 compatable and can read the mp3 but as soon as the signal reach the computer idrive it cannot decode it. So i personally think that this is a software issue. The idrive needs to be upgraded so that it can decode the mp3's.
	Appreciate 0 Quote