MP3 & DVD

From East Sussex, 19 posts

Can anyone tell me, if you can play mp3 in CD form on dvd players?

I have bought some MP3 books on disc and although I can put them on my computer and then on to my MP3 player, I wanted to know if I can cut the computer out and just play them on a DVD player?

From MIDLANDS, UK, 6 posts

Originally posted by twinkleyes on 21 Dec 2005 3:09 PM


I think a lot depends on your DVD/CD player. But it may be worth converting your mp3's to WMA format before burning them on the cd. A good bit of software for doing this is powerconverter - a free trail version can be found at http://www.cooolsoft.com/



Hope it helps. Happy New year



Mike

From East Sussex, 19 posts

Thanks, I will go to the site and try it. I also wanted to be able to convert audio cassettes into MP3, but guess I need some sort of special equipment to do that, I seem to be finding it difficult to find out any information on doing the whole thing from start to finish, despite having bought two books on MP3. If you have any further information, I would be grateful for it. Many thanks, Twinkleyes

From MIDLANDS, UK, 6 posts

Originally posted by twinkleyes on 29 Dec 2005 6:28 PM
There is a site that sells software for converting cassettes and LP's to MP3 format but it does seem a lot of hastle rather than buying the cd. The site is www.wavecor.co.uk (not sure if you're in the UK or not but I guess you can buy from any country).

I'm not sure what you're trying to do with MP3's. Is it for converting your old LP's and tapes onto cd or for listening on an MP3 player? If you have Windows Media player 10 on your pc thats a good place to start. Don't forget as well as MP3 you can use WMA format. Both have the quality without the huge file size.

I don't know if you are allowed on this site to give out email addresses but mine is cleavermike@hotmail.com if I can be of any further help. I'm no expert though!!



Mike

From UK, 17 posts

Originally posted by twinkleyes on 21 Dec 2005 3:09 PM
Can anyone tell me, if you can play mp3 in CD form on dvd players?


I have bought some MP3 books on disc and although I can put them on my computer and then on to my MP3 player, I wanted to know if I can cut the computer out and just play them on a DVD player?

Yes, I'd say almost all DVD players will play mp3 format disks as well as ordinary CD's and DVD's of course.



If you want to convert your vinyl and cassettes its pretty easy too.



You'll need a lead to feed the line out from your player into the line-in on your computer soundcard (normally blue colour). You'll need some software to convert it and an excellent and FREE editing application is Audacity from Soundforge.



I wouldn't particularly recommend converting to wma format as suggested by others here because each time you convert you lose a bit more quality. And besides, its more Microsoft sh*te to put up with.



But the simple answer to your first question is: just shove the disks you've got into the DVD player and you'll soon know if it plays them as mp3's.



Good luck

From East Sussex, 19 posts

Thanks for your reply, I have managed to find a gadget from PC World that will convert cassettes and LP's although I haven't yet tried it. Thanks for the link for the software, I will try that too. The problem I have found with some DVD players is that you can play the disc, but as I want to listen to audio books and not music, when you stop it and then restart it later you can only start from the beginning again, which wouldn't matter too much if it was music, but is frustrating if you want to listen to a book, I am now looking at using a boombox or Cd player with MP3 capability, but I'm still not too sure if there are problems doing that. I guess I need to do lots of research. Thanks again for your help.

From UK, 17 posts

Originally posted by twinkleyes on 3 Jan 2006 10:10 PM
. . . I have managed to find a gadget from PC World that will convert cassettes and LP's . . .

Oh no!!! Not a gadget from PC Woe



If the audiobook is recorded as one file any player will only restart it from the beginning each time you stop it, assuming you mean that you take the disk out, otherwise, why not just pause it?



However, if it has several files e.g. by chapter, it will be possible to skip to that chapter. Again, any player will do this. Did you try looking at your TV screen to see the mp3 files listed by the player? You can use the remote control to navigate to them.



Or, if you really do only have one huge file you could split it and save it in components. Audacity above would do that perfectly well. Then you could burn it to a CD or CDRW and play that in your DVD player.

(N.B. burn mp3's as data files NOT audio)

From East Sussex, 19 posts

Hi, thanks for your reply. Is that bad news then - buying something from PC Woe I haven't as yet even found time to unpack it. I am not sure if the discs I bought from Ebay are done in one big file or not, my portable dvd player didn't show anything on the screen, and I didn't try the remote. I will have to download the Audacity you suggested and try and get my head round it all. Why do you say burn them as data files and not audio - any particular reason? I have decided to buy a micro system with MP3 capability but I am still not sure if it will do what I want it to!

From UK, 17 posts

Actually, you don't need this "gadget", whatever it is. I'd suggest taking it back and save your pennies.



Try this first, put the disks in your home DVD player and watch your TV screen (as you would watching any DVD). It should show on TV a list of mp3 files on the disk, even if it is only one big one.



You may find the file names are truncated to only 8 digits and spaces might even show up as 0's, depending on age (player, not you)



YES! There is a reason for burning mp3's as data - they are data files not audio files (even though they make audio sounds)



If you tell your CD writer to burn an mp3 as "audio" it will convert it back to the full size .cda format thinking you want to play it on an ordinary CD player. This is not what you want to do.



An mp3 player, be it computer, DVD player, or independent player reads the compressed digital data file and outputs it as analogue sound to your speakers/headphones.



(Actually, a CD audio file is also merely a data file in another format, but lets not confuse the issue all over again)

From East Sussex, 19 posts

That is really interesting, you have given me more information than I have managed to find in two really thick books about MP3 etc, (though I s'pose I should read them) (just jesting) I will do my best to try that tonight and maybe be back at PC 'Woe' tomorrow clutching my unwrapped 'gadget'. I just now need to know what kind of lead I need to feed the line out, and also if my soundcard isn't blue what will it look like (please make allowances for me as I am blonde )? My computer is a Sony Vaio desktop with lots of places to put things if that's any use.