Disappointed in the media situation so far (No CD player in Model S)

[AoneOne]

Now that CD drives have disappeared from most laptops, USB-attached CD drives are commonplace. Has anyone tried running one of these from Tesla's USB ports?

 

[bob_p]

Playing audiobooks converted to MP3 on a USB memory stick is not an acceptable solution due to the software's limitations in playing MP3 files - with the strong possibility it will not retain the current position being played in a very long MP3 file - and navigating back using the limited user interface can be extremely challenging.

At least with the current (very basic) media playback controls, using a smartphone over Bluetooth is the only option for having more control over media playback.

I used to convert my audiobooks to CDs and play them in my previous cars - and converted to using the Audible app on my smartphone with the Model S. And now that I've used that for almost two years - it's a much better solution - because the app has knowledge about the structure of the audiobook file - and has more options for smart positioning (skipping forward/backward chapters, fast playback, skip 30 seconds, ...).

It would be even better if a native Audible application was added into the Model S, like Slacker and TuneIn. But at least until then, smartphone apps over BT work well, except for having to use the smartphones much smaller screen to navigate playback, instead of the 17" touchscreen...

 

[Andyw2100]

Playing audiobooks converted to MP3 on a USB memory stick is not an acceptable solution due to the software's limitations in playing MP3 files - with the strong possibility it will not retain the current position being played in a very long MP3 file - and navigating back using the limited user interface can be extremely challenging.

At least with the current (very basic) media playback controls, using a smartphone over Bluetooth is the only option for having more control over media playback.

That's very helpful information. Thanks. I'll take off of my list of options the idea of playing anything from a USB disk.

It sounds like at least some, if not all of the library downloads are going to have to be played using the Overdrive app, so I imagine that should work similarly to the way the Audible interface works.

Thanks again!

 

[JohnQ]

Now that CD drives have disappeared from most laptops, USB-attached CD drives are commonplace. Has anyone tried running one of these from Tesla's USB ports?

Tested the other night in response to this thread. A USB CD drive is not recognized by the media system.

 

[andrewket]

Personally I think moving to a digital format would be best. Ripping a CD takes very little effort. But if you really want to use CDs, buy a portable CD player and this adapter:

TaoTronics TT-BA01 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Stereo Music Transmitter (Not A Bluetooth Receiver) for 3.5mm Audio Devices (iPod, MP3/MP4, TV, Kindle Fire, Media Players...) Amazon.com: TaoTronics TT-BA01 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Stereo Music Transmitter (Not A Bluetooth Receiver) for 3.5mm Audio Devices (iPod, MP3/MP4, TV, Kindle Fire, Media Players...): Electronics

 

[Andyw2100]

Tested the other night in response to this thread. A USB CD drive is not recognized by the media system.

Thanks for doing that for us. Too bad, but good to know.

 

[artsci]

I took my entire CD collection and had it converted to AIFF files and saved to a USB hard drive. I also add new files through conversions of old CDs. It's much better than carrying around a lot of CD's and fiddling with disc insertion. I don't regret not having a CD player one bit.

 

[wycolo]

I took my entire CD collection and had it converted to AIFF files and saved to a USB hard drive. I also add new files through conversions of old CDs. It's much better than carrying around a lot of CD's and fiddling with disc insertion. I don't regret not having a CD player one bit.

How easy is pausing? This is critical for 'spoken books' as opposed to music cuts. A screen shot of the interface would be nice!

MP3 would work the same as AIFF, FLAC, APE etc?

Powering a usb hard drive/usb CD player should be done separately from the wimpy power available via the usb in-port? IOW use a separate power plug to run the motor etc.
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[AnOutsider]

How easy is pausing? This is critical for 'spoken books' as opposed to music cuts. A screen shot of the interface would be nice!

MP3 would work the same as AIFF, FLAC, APE etc?

Powering a usb hard drive/usb CD player should be done separately from the wimpy power available via the usb in-port? IOW use a separate power plug to run the motor etc.
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Honestly, for books where keeping location is super important, I'd stick to a dedicated app like Audible and stream. If you have an item marked as a book and load it into iTunes (and then onto your iPhone), those also retain location.

 

[mibaro2]

Now that CD drives have disappeared from most laptops, USB-attached CD drives are commonplace. Has anyone tried running one of these from Tesla's USB ports?

Just tried 2 portable cd/dvd drives I have. One is from Apple, the other from Pioneer and is Windows compatible .
Both didn't work. It didn't show up as a device in My Devices. I don't think the power to the USB port is enough to power the portable cd player.

update----

Looks like JohnQ beat me to it

 

[wycolo]

> I don't think the power to the USB port is enough to power the portable cd player. [mibaro2]

Thats what I was getting at - you need to power directly from the 12v power outlet > small inverter > usb power cube > special 'double' usb cable. Even with proper power there is likely no usb support in this Linux implementation.

Easier to just play the cd on a laptop and use the spacebar to pause. :smile:
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[mspohr]

I think we need to face the reality that the CD (and the DVD) have gone the way of the 8Track tapes... may they RIP.
Between streaming and ripping and online sources, there is no need to fiddle with plastic discs or tapes.

 

[jerry33]

I think we need to face the reality that the CD (and the DVD) have gone the way of the 8Track tapes... may they RIP.
Between streaming and ripping and online sources, there is no need to fiddle with plastic discs or tapes.

At least in the car. There is still plenty of music where the only way to get CD/DVD quality is to buy the disk and then rip it losslessly.

 

[Mnlevin]

I am old school, don't know too much about high tech, but put my collection on my Samsung S5 and play it though the Bluetooth. Works perfect and when I get a call it stops. Also the phone works great with the system. Because of security on my phone it is locked almost always, however I am able to scroll though contact and even dial a number though the system with my phone locked. Also can play or select music through the phone while locked if I use the touchscreen. love the system, believe us all, CDs are a thing of the past and have no place in this car.

Thanks guys for the responses so far. So it has to be a "flash drive". I can't use an HDD External hard drive? What's the difference exactly.

Two people above pointed to 128gig flash/thumb drive. if there is a difference between flash drives and larger external hard drives, is 128gigs the largest flash drive available on the market?

Thanks again

 

[jdbob]

I thought to myself "why would they put a CD player in a car in this day and age?" when I bought a C-Max Energi last year. I've never used it, but maybe the marketing people at Ford listen to books on CD :wink:

 

[artsci]

At least in the car. There is still plenty of music where the only way to get CD/DVD quality is to buy the disk and then rip it losslessly.

True for me. I never download MP3 files for anything. If the music is not available in a lossless file, I don't play it. Nearly all of the music I play in my Model S has been ripped losslessly from CD's. The Reus system reveals almost painfully poor recordings and sound files.

 

[jerry33]

The Reus system reveals almost painfully poor recordings and sound files.

I've found you don't need a Reus system to reveal that. The Sound Studio does it quite nicely

 

[bob_p]

Pausing playback is easy and can be done either by pushing the left steering wheel scroll wheel or by hitting the pause button on the media playback display on the touchscreen.

The problem is that the system can lose position on USB playback - especially if you are also using that USB with songs.

Doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to make a few small improvements that would help the playback experience considerably...

 

[Robert.Boston]

There are various online music retailers who sell HD music downloads, e.g. http://www.hdtracks.com/

Our Master Quality files are available as high quality AIFF, ALAC, WAV and FLAC and can be played back on most media players.

 

[breser]

Assuming there is no way to play a CD in the car, has anyone come up with a good solution via bluetooth and a portable CD player of some sort? Again, I am not interested in anything that requires transferring of files, as I'm talking about borrowing books on tape from a library, listening to them once, and returning them.

If a solution using bluetooth exists, I'm hoping it will play through the car's audio system in such a way that when incoming calls are received, etc., playback is paused, but I fear that's probably not going to happen if the device isn't also under the car's control.

So now this is also a safety issue, as when a call comes in the device playing the CD will have to be paused manually.

First of all I'd talk to the library and see if they have digital audio book loans. For example the New York Public Library does this:
The New York Public Library, eNYPL

Another option is to look at Audible:
Audible: Try it free. Audiobooks on your phone, tablet or computer. | Audible.com

Those are probably the most elegant solutions. Otherwise you might have to use something like this (no idea how well this works, just found it searching):
Amazon.com: TaoTronics TT-BA01 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Stereo Music Transmitter (Not A Bluetooth Receiver) for 3.5mm Audio Devices (iPod, MP3/MP4, TV, Kindle Fire, Media Players...): Electronics

That combined with a portable battery powered CD player would do the trick. However as you pointed out that wouldn't work very well with bluetooth phone calls since it can't pause.