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      05-20-2008, 05:42 PM   #1
JCtx
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Question about the iPod/USB option. Please help.

Well, I'm an old fart (46) who hasn't jumped on the iPod bandwagon. However, I have to do something since this car doesn't come with a CD changer, and I don't plan to pay a grand for a unit in the trunk. Therefore, I have 2 choices:

-Buy an iPod, which I hope not to be forced to do. I'd have to learn all the crap about downloading, etc.

- The USB option, which is the motive of my post. I do have one of those little USB drives, and it has 1GB of space. Enough to hold at least 6 CDs worth of music, correct?

Now, my questions:

- How do you get music from my CDs to the USB port? Please list all the options possible. The most I've done is to copy several CDs (with the songs I want) into one CD-R, and that's basically what I have loaded in my car (6 CDs but with only music I like).

- Once the music is in the USB drive, how do you select what to hear in the car? And does it show any titles on the HU or not? Just curious. Thank you in advance for your help.
JC
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      05-20-2008, 05:49 PM   #2
jdesclafani
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just drag and drop the songs onto the drive

it shows the titles of the songs depending on what other option u have equipped the car with
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      05-20-2008, 05:53 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elp_jc View Post
- How do you get music from my CDs to the USB port? Please list all the options possible. The most I've done is to copy several CDs (with the songs I want) into one CD-R, and that's basically what I have loaded in my car (6 CDs but with only music I like).

- Once the music is in the USB drive, how do you select what to hear in the car? And does it show any titles on the HU or not? Just curious. Thank you in advance for your help.
JC
Rip the music to MP3s using your favorite music program (I use Windows Media Player, believe it or not). Organize your files in whatever folder structure you like. Drag and drop the folders containing your MP3 files onto the USB drive.

The car will read the all the folders and files on the USB stick and present the music to you using that structure. It uses the file names as the song names. Additionally, it can read the ID3 metadata in the files to present additional information such as the song title and the artist.
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      05-20-2008, 06:10 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elp_jc View Post
Well, I'm an old fart (46) who hasn't jumped on the iPod bandwagon. However, I have to do something since this car doesn't come with a CD changer, and I don't plan to pay a grand for a unit in the trunk. ...
This old fart's (64) standard audio 135 has an in-dash single CD player if you can stand feeding them in one at a time. I also went with USB/iPod option because it is so convienent.
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      05-20-2008, 06:14 PM   #5
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Here is a step-by-step guide for making CDs into MP3s. After you do this, just drag them onto your thumb drive/portable HD.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7899_1-6329586-1.html

By the way, if you have an iPod, it might be even easier to transfer your songs from CD to your iPod (and ultimately your car stereo). iTunes make it very simple for the end-user. You don't need to download songs online.
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      05-20-2008, 06:18 PM   #6
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Thank you very much for your help folks. I guess I can figure that out. Let me just summarize what I need to do:

Download the latest version of the Windows Media Player, and try to 'load' my CDs into MP3 files, then record the files into folders (a CD per folder, maybe?) on 'my documents', and finally dragging the folders into the USB drive? Please let me know if I'm missing a step.
I guess I should be able to figure out how to do that. Thank you very much.
JC
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      05-20-2008, 06:21 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by backtoreality15 View Post
Here is a step-by-step guide for making CDs into MP3s. After you do this, just drag them onto your thumb drive/portable HD.
Oh man, that's exactly what I was looking for. Many thanks.

He Mikeo, I know there's a single in-dash CD, but as you know, there's no space where to store CDs. Plus it's time to jump on the technology bandwagon:w00t:. Thanks to all again.
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      05-20-2008, 06:23 PM   #8
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I am 46 also and plan on having my 35 year old computor geek friend come over and PAY him to show me how to do this. Or buy him 48 Miller Lite's. I wish I could do this. My son told me I must get the iPod/USB option. He just moved 3.5 hours south so I have nobody to show me for free.
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      05-20-2008, 06:26 PM   #9
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To be honest, if your not a technical guy, then an iPod is actually a better choice then your USB key. The iTunes software you use to manage an iPod is really easy to use. And you DON'T have to learn anything about downloading. You can use the software to grab songs from a CD and it handles all the conversion, tagging and syncing with the iPod automatically.

Also the interface of the iPod itself, outside of the BMW, is very simple to use. You run your thumb around the wheel clockwise to move the cursor down and counter-clockwise to move it up. Then hit the center button to make a selection. All the menu options and what not are clearly labeled and understandable.

Using a USB key is the cheaper solution, but the iPod/iTunes combo is by far the easiest solution for someone who is not technically inclined.

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      05-20-2008, 07:00 PM   #10
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Thanks Dan. I'm technically inclined, and know more about computers than my 2 teenage daughters, but just don't know squat about this iPod/USB music busiiness (and neither my daughters, believe it or not). I'll get my feet wet eventually. For now, I rather make the USB work since it'd cost me nothing. Thanks.
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      05-21-2008, 12:07 AM   #11
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I'm 46 as well and I finally broke down and purchased an iPod, installed iTunes on my computer and found out that it is fairly easy to get your CDs loaded into iTunes.

1. put the music CD into the computer's CDROM drive and the iTunes program will automatically convert the music CD to MP3 and put it in the iTunes library. Do this for all of yoru CDs!

2. Plug the iPod into the computer via the USB cable and drag the songs from the iTunes library over to the iPod.

3. Plug the iPod into the Aux port under the arm rest or USB jack (if you ordered the iPod option on the 135i) and start playing music.

You will then laugh at the thought of ever having using a CD changer.

Good luck.
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      05-21-2008, 01:42 AM   #12
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While you're at it, I would suggest purchasing a 4gb or 8gb usb jump drive. They're only about $20 nowadays and you can fit a heck of a lot more music on there.

Typically, a CD will take about 70MB, so about 12 CDs.
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      05-21-2008, 04:06 PM   #13
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I'm an old fart too and have had an ipod since they came out. They are charmingly simple to use and far easier to manage than all those CDs.
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      05-23-2008, 12:08 AM   #14
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I think the USB option is great, but for someone who's looking for simplicity and ease of use, it's hard to beat the Ipod and Itunes. It's a little more money for the unit, but you can also use it while flying or any other place you want to have music, which makes it worth a little more to me.

I just introduced my mother (who has very little computer experience) to iTunes and she's downloading audio books like a mad woman. You should download iTunes (it's free) and mess around with it for a few days. I'm betting that once you do you'll never buy another CD in a store.
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      05-29-2008, 12:06 PM   #15
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FWIW I just bought a 32gig USB flash and it worked.

The salesperson at the shop said that the Head unit may have a size constraint but 32 gigs works fine.

FYI the reason I paid extra $ for a 32 is that I currently have 22 gigs of music and am lazy not wanting to have to swap drives while driving. Distraction and the accelerative capabilities of the 135 are not a good combination.
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      05-29-2008, 12:55 PM   #16
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I got an 8gb usb flash drive for cheap! I could not beleive how many CD's I put on it and it has tons room. It works even better then I expected. I just put in a cd and windows media player came up. I click "rip" and the "option" menu. In that menu I select my USB drive as the "destination drive" and it rips it onto teh USB. Very easy. In my car (base audio in 135) It is vry easy. You click on the menu button (the right button) and it gives you option of phone, computer, config or USB. Select the USB and the cd's are all there. You can browes by artist, album or all songs. Very easy! Way better then a CD changer.
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      05-29-2008, 01:07 PM   #17
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Another 46 year-old fart reporting in about this new-fangled technology. After some coaching from fellow 1Addicts, I found that the USB interface is the way to go. I have an iPod, but use the USB interface all the time. I even bought an additional thumb drive for different song lists/artists...
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      05-29-2008, 02:10 PM   #18
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M J M - what brand/model did you get, and if I may ask, how much was it? Thanks!

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      05-29-2008, 08:37 PM   #19
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Jumpman, it is a Rally2. OCZtechnology.com
I paid $180 Cdn
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      05-29-2008, 10:12 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M J M View Post
Jumpman, it is a Rally2. OCZtechnology.com
I paid $180 Cdn
I bought the same one...

maybe you can price match ($159.95) http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX20667(ME).aspx :biggrin:

(or was it all that extra tax you guys pay out east??)
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      05-30-2008, 07:48 AM   #21
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My wife & I are big fans of the iPod because we've been able to view TV shows, listen to music and enjoy a wide mix of podcasts - from a discussion of jazz performers to the 2008 primaries - while we are well offshore and crossing oceans. But I have to disagree about the claims of simplicity. The iPod is an easy-to-use mechanism but iTunes, the software resident on the computer which does all the delivery & management of the content, is for us fairly anti-Apple and far less intuitive than it could/should be.

For someone like elp, I find it hard to imagine that he'll find managing all his content via iTunes to be easier or simpler or quicker than using a basic thumb drive such as he already has.

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      05-30-2008, 08:00 AM   #22
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Hrm...New Egg has it for ~$132 shipped (at the time of this post):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227305

Tempting...
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