RNS-E MP3 problem

[KaptainQ]

Seem to have a puzzling problem playing back MP3's on my A4's RNS-E. It's a 2008 model player that I retrofitted recently to my 03 model estate. Everything works fine EXCEPT the playback of MP3's from the SD slot. It'll play back some of the tracks but not others (always the same ones). I've currently got about 110 tracks on a 1Gb SD card (not SDHC). I've got 3 different 1Gb SD cards of different makes all with the same files on and all have the same problem. I've even tried splitting the files into two directories of 60 and 50 files but still the same tracks still won't play. When played back on my PC or Lapdog they work fine.

I've checked the file tags and other attributes using my Tag editing program 'MP3tag' and everyting appears to be normal. Just to prove a point I deleted the tags from a few of the troublesome files and recreated them but still no joy. All the other attributes appear the same on the problem files as the ones that work OK - frequency is generally 44100Hz, Codec is MPEG1 Layer III, Bit rate varies a bit but is generally 128kBits/sec, Tags are all ID3v2.3 (ID3v1 ID3v2.3).

I used to use exactly the same files but burned onto a CD on my previous BNS 5.0 and everything worked fine. I've scoured various forums and found nothing that I've not already tried. At this point I really have run out of ideas. Any input would be appreciated.

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/applied/misc/progress.gif

[kite]

There are limits to the tags that can be read by the RNSe.
No special characters or gaps and a file limit of around 512..
A good site for all things nav..

http://www.audiforum.us/

[KaptainQ]

Yep, I checked the tags quite carefully using the tag editor. They're all in the same format and the content is pretty much the same between tracks that play and ones that just skip over.

You mention a 512 limit... is this the maximum permissable number of files that RNS can read from any SD card? If this is the case I'm OK as I only have 110 tracks recorded in the root directory. Incidentally, the average track size is about 4Mb, but this doen't seem to have a bearing on whether or not it will play (a couple of tracks are less than 3Mb and they won't play)

[kite]

512 including folders.
Try shorter tags with no characters.

[KaptainQ]

This is the tag info:

This one works fine:

Format string: %artist% - %album% - $num(%track%,2) - %title%
"F:\Ace Of Base - All That She Wants.mp3" ->
"F:\Ace Of Base - Happy Nation (US Version) - 01 - All That She Wants.mp3"

These don't:

Format string: %artist% - %album% - $num(%track%,2) - %title%
"F:\Dandy Warhols - Bohemian like you.mp3" ->
"F:\The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia - 10 - Bohemian Like You.mp3"

Format string: %artist% - %album% - $num(%track%,2) - %title%
"F:\Amy Macdonald - Mr Rock & Roll.mp3" ->
"F:\Amy MacDonald - This Is the Life - 01 - Mr. Rock & Roll.mp3"


BTW, I tried copying just two files to a 256Mb SD card, one thet did work and one that didn't - still the same!:aargh4:

[KaptainQ]

Oh, and just coz I was getting bored, I changed the tags to v2 from v2.3 to see if that made any difference.... Nope!!

[warp_speed]

there is also a limit on the length of the file name, think it is 60 characters including the extension, had the same issue as you. I just renamed the mp3's to be just the song name. so "01 <song name>.mp3" < 60 charcters

[chrisshez]

i have the same problem, i have 2 SD cards and its only 1 album that doesnt work? i've tried re-naming them as track 1 track 2 with gaps and without, just tried the numbers, 1,2,3 and such still nothing!!!

Anyone else any other ideas?? driving me mad spend about an hour last nite in the car with the laptop on my knee!! grrrr:aargh4::aargh4::aargh4: it's just 1 album?? it does the same on some tracks from other albums but most of them work ok!!

[KaptainQ]

Hmmm, tried renaming the files to basic numbers and re doing the tags but still no go. This is getting to be a tad frustrating, as it seems that quite a few people have suffered this problem but there's no definitive solution. Time to post to the US forum methinks!

[defsix]

Just an idea , are the VBRE - Variable Bit Rate Encoding ? If so they could be out of encoding range for the unit - 128kb / 196kb etc

[chrisshez]

just checked my bit rate and it was 156kb so its not that?? :mad::mad:

if u get a nswer from the US let us know :approve:

[defsix]

Thats not a standard bit rate,
Quote from Wikipedia - Several bit rates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_rates) are specified in the MPEG-1 Audio Layer III standard: 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 160, 192, 224, 256 and 320 kbit/s, and the available sampling frequencies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_frequencies) are 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KHz).[21] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3#cite_note-MPEG-2.5-2-21) Additional extensions were defined in MPEG-2 Audio Layer III: bit rates 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 144, 160 kbit/s and sampling frequencies 16, 22.05 and 24 kHz.[21 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3#cite_note-MPEG-2.5-2-21)

I still think it's your bit rate / or non standard VBR causing the problem.

[chrisshez]

will have a look at that this weekend if i get chance :D

[KaptainQ]

Thanks for that. I checked the bitrates for the example tracks I'd posted previously and they were all the same at: 128kBits/sec, codec used is Mpeg1LayerIII at a frequency of 44100Hz. No matter how hard I try I can't seem to find anything that's abnormal between the tracks that work and the ones that don't. I'm not sure if there's a more sophisticated MP3 editing program out there that gives more information but at this stage I'm at a complete loss. Bloody IT....!

[nattyboy]

I had this problem with mine last week, as Warp speed already said, I shortened the folder name and then the file name just in case. In one case I just downloaded a different file but with the same album. Shortening worked in most cases though apart from one in particular

[KaptainQ]

Tried that! I deleted the original tag, renamed all of the example tracks to 01, 02 & 03 then recreated the tags and it's still the same. Getting bored listening to the same old tracks.... It really shouldn't be this difficult as the majority of car owners out there wouldn't dream of going to these lengths just to make their (very expensive) audio system work properly - and mine STILL doesn't!

MP3 technology's been around for a while now and it would appear that I'm not the only one suffering with this problem. Why is it that Audi don't lean on the manufacturer of this equipment to get a fix out here? This can't be enhancing Audi's reputation. When I plug my memory stick (with exactly the same data on it) into the Sony Radio/MP3/CD player in my Z3M it just works, even my old Audi (Blaupunkt) BNS 5 played the same data when burned onto a CD without problems.

[chrisshez]

i have solved my problems with comments from here! BUT had to change the bit rate of each track from 128 to 256 which i did with a free program but could only do 10 tracks at a time!! Then had to shorten the track names to very short ones!! Thought i would give it a try as gettin cheesed off with it!! AND IT WORKED!!! WOOOooo :beerchug::beerchug:

[KaptainQ]

Well, at this stage I'd be willing to try 'owt! Which program did you use to change the bitrate?

[chrisshez]

i used this one http://www.mymusictools.com/articles/how-to-change-bitrate-of-mp3-files.htm

just the first one i found in google!! good luck!!