B & O upgrade

[JohnH99]

I've got a WD Passport drive in mine too (see my thread on using USB with AMI).

Andy

It was your original post that persuaded me to go the USB route as opposed to buying an iPod.

[BMWBig6]

Currently there are around 4500 files on it taking up around 20 GB mostly 192kbps WMA. Audi quote that MP3, WMA and AAC are supported but I had problems with AAC but MP3 and WMA worked fine.

Will it detect/recognize playlist files (like *.m3u)?

And is there a file number limitation (like there is for the SD cards)?

I've got a WD Passport drive in mine too (see my thread on using USB with AMI).

I've never seen the drive light go off, but I'm pretty sure the car is looking after itself.

Andy, is your WD Passport also a WD250ME, or another model?

[AndyH123]

Mine is a WD1500XMS-00

I've got about 80Gb of 192kbps .wma on there. Not sure how many files that is, but it copes fine. Just gets a little slow when navigating back to the root and if you scroll through the A-Z list very quickly.


I think playlist support is limited to the iPod, but I haven't really gone to town with trying different extensions

[BMWBig6]

Hmm, it looks like there are 2 different types of USB cables for AMI. I suppose one is a female receptacle, and the other is male? Or are they different size USB connectors?

Which one is needed for the WD Passport drives?

[AndyH123]

Hmm, it looks like there are 2 different types of USB cables for AMI. I suppose one is a female receptacle, and the other is male? Or are they different size USB connectors?

Which one is needed for the WD Passport drives?

https://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/s...ad.php?t=43095

Different sizes:
Full size USB - part code 4F0051510G
Mini USB - part code 4F0051510H

Some more details in the thread.

[JohnH99]

Will it detect/recognize playlist files (like *.m3u)?

And is there a file number limitation (like there is for the SD cards)?

According to the manual:

Maximum of 119 playlists, no more than 1000 entries per playlist. Formats supported, M3U, PLS and B4S

As for file numbers:

Maximum of 500 files per directory with the directory structure limited to a maximum of 7 subfolders. Doesn't mention a limit on the number of directories.

For connecting to the AMI, the passport drive uses a mini USB connector.

Have a look at Andy's thread for much more detail.

[BMWBig6]

OK, thanks for the detailed info. If I am reading everything correctly, it looks like the mini USB connector is required for the WD Passport drive, but the full size USB is more useful for flash drives, etc.

[BMWBig6]

Found the AMI/USB cables in the Audi accessories collection, but it says:

USB Cable for AMI
Item Number: 4F0051510G

Mini USB Cable for AMI
Item Number: 4F0051510H

USB Cable to integrate Audi Music Interface (AMI) with your MP3 player. This cable transmits audio signals only, no content is displayed on the MMI screen.

Is that correct? I thought I read that artist/title (and other ID3 tag info) was displayed.

[JohnH99]

Found the AMI/USB cables in the Audi accessories collection, but it says:

Is that correct? I thought I read that artist/title (and other ID3 tag info) was displayed.

The display depends on whether you have the display details option checked. If it not checked you get a track / filename listing in the MMI display that you can scroll through and the folder title (album name?) is displayed at the top. Scrolling up you will see an "up" icon which takes you up a level.

If the details option is checked you get a pop out window on top of the track list that displays the artist name, album name and track title.

[BMWBig6]

The display depends on whether you have the display details option checked. If it not checked you get a track / filename listing in the MMI display that you can scroll through and the folder title (album name?) is displayed at the top. Scrolling up you will see an "up" icon which takes you up a level.

If the details option is checked you get a pop out window on top of the track list that displays the artist name, album name and track title.

Ah ok, I got worried that it would be like the "old" AMI (that only displays Track 23, Track 24, Track 25, etc.). Thanks for confirming for me (the Audi website is obviously not 100% accurate).

I apologize for hi-jacking this thread with so many questions about the AMI/USB interface, but I have one more question. Approximately how long does it take for the WD Passport HD to spin up when you start the car? If you turn on the car, does the stereo immediately resume playing the song where it left off when you last turned off the car? Or does it take several seconds for the drive to spin up and for the stereo to "seek" the appropriate track on the drive? Or does it lose its place and play the first song in the first folder every time you start the car?