CD-R in Prius

I am disappointed big time that the CD player will not play MP3 CD's.

I'm not gonna make CD's of the thousands of MP3's I have.

Looks like when I get my Prius I'll still be listing to my mp3 player through headhones.

Is there a way to connect the output of a mp3 player into the priius audio system??

thanks.. Al

 

ps: putting labels on your home grown cd's can affect the balance of the disk when playing, especially in high speed players. Thereby affecting the reading of the data and causing problems.

 

Well, if, for some very strange reason, you must place a sticker on the CD-R, please place another similar one on the opposite side at the same distance from the center to counter-balance the weight shift.

That said, my friend's Infiniti G35's CD-player was screwed up by the sticker peeled off while the CD was playing. The whole unit had to be replaced. I don't know whether Infiniti covered the cost... Sharpie is a better idea and inexpensive, too.

 

Labels: everyone seems to think that is the source of my problem. First of all they are not small stickies, they are high quality stock which covers the entire surface and I remove trapped air. There is no balance problem at 1X CD audio speeds. Second these CD's play on a variety of players (mac, pc, jukebox, dvd, cheap boom boxes, other cars, some of which are slot loaders) and I've used many brands and colors and burners. The only players I have problems with are the two stock players on my Toyotas. Third, I've tested unlabeled CD-R's and get the same results. It's the players and the severity of the problem seems to be related to the temperature of the disk. Perhaps I just have two lemons. Its not that big a deal. I just put another CD in.

Why do I fool with the labels? These are not backups to commerical CD's but digitized tracks from my vinyl LP's and I put the cover art and track list on the label. These are my originals. And I consider this fair use, should the RIAA be listening.

 

On the subject of labels, I use the proven Sharpie method of disc identification. Several years ago in a different vehicle, the label came off the CD and jammed inside the in-dash CD player. Not cool. Seems as though the name-brand labels I was using didn't stick so well in high humidity.

If your homemade CDs absolutely must look pretty, I might suggest buying a spindle of printable CD-Rs and a printer than can print onto them.

I also consider my Sharpie method a sort of data security measure, as apparently I am the only one who can read my hand writing.

 

If you have a burner that is designed to be part of a home audio system you have to buy the special "audio" cd's. Those burners look for a special code that is part of the manufacturer's identification. That is the only time you need them, in a computer it makes no difference.

So quick! Who's worse: RIAA, MPAA or Big Oil?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(smasho\";p=\"95929)</div>

They're the same. Ever see them in different places at the same time? :lol:

 

I think it is a riot that so many people think that CD's are too expensive to risk in the car. I guess I am an old-timer (pre-MP3), when we paid for what we used. :lol:

I do not have any MP3's, but I do have a clear conscience. :mrgreen:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(smasho\";p=\"95929)</div>

RIAA & MPAA have no jurisdiction in Canada, so I pick Big Oil!

In Canada, it's still legal to use P2P for downloading music. Don't know how long it's going to last, though.

 

I have a set of 6 cdrws I slowly rotate in and out of the Prius. I just burn my iTunes stuff onto each listen for a week or so (6 is a lot of music!) of my own custom mix of the moment using Nero. iTunes doesn't support cd-text strangely.

When I start get tired of specific discs or tracks, I just pull the disk, and burn something new onto it. It's delaying my getting an iPod quite well.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Indy\";p=\"95954)</div>

I don't think there's anything illegal or immoral about making a copy of a CD to use in the car. Cars are a pretty harsh environment for them. I think it's just plain smart to risk a bunch of 15 cent CD-Rs rather than 15 dollar CDs.

 

I burn copies and have a clear conscience, and the law on my side. If I were to hand them out or sell them to others, then I would not. I used to do the same with vinyl; I'd make cassette copies for the car, and even at home so I didn't wear them out. I also make compilations from several CDs, which is also legal (again, as long as they are for my use).

 

I agree deh2k! Not to mention the possibility of them getting stolen out of your car. My brother had his CD's stolen 2x when he was younger and I have heard many reports of people's cd players and cd's players being stolen out of their car. So if I ever get mine stolen, then I am out maybe $15 instead of the $1000 I spent on the CD's.

I had previously heard that you could no longer even make a copy for yourself because of DMCA, but a quick search on google did not substantiate this. Is copying one you own still considered fair use? (I haven't bought any with the copy protection--but from what I understand won't let you practice fair use if this includings making a personal mp3 or personal copy?)

 

I'm sure having a copy for personal use is OK. When you buy from iTunes you can burn a song up to 7 times. And all the legal issues are written into the song file, so you can't do anything illegal such as send it via email (yes, I tried. I wanted to send it to my other computer and thought e-mail would be an easy way)

It's just when you prevent the owner from making a profit (by redistributing the song) that you're violating copyright.

 

I recommend against using labels on CDs you burn. They are not a problem with drop in players, but if the CD has to be inserted in a slot (like the Prius) the added thickness can screw up the player. I did that in my last car !!!!

 

Well, I paid a little extra for some "music only" cd-rs simply because they looked exactly like 45's and I thought it was a hoot.

I used iTunes to burn duplicates of CDs I own as audio cds and they play just fine (yes, this is legal as long as you continue to own the originals and the duplicates and do not give away or sell the duplicates). I'm not putting originals in my car to be stolen. I did the same thing in my old car only copied the CDs on t cassettes since that car didn't have a CD player.

I use a sharpie to label rather than a label as I don't want anything getting stuck in the slot. I wrecked a VCR that way when a label came off a tape and got caught inside.

BTW be very careful with your original CDs regarding the original labels or the printing on the top. If it gets scratched, your CD may not play because the "mirror" that the laser bounces off of no longer exists. There is a study underway by librarians specializing in archiving as to just how long CDs last. Apparently not as long as previously thought. So be careful with your CDs and don't scratch the tops. They are just as fragile as the bottoms. This applies to DVDs as well.

 

A place where I used to get my hair cut had once decorated in music retro. They hung 45's from the ceiling. Some kids asked how many songs those wierd CDs held. They were shocked to hear it only held 2, one on each side.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanMan32\";p=\"96264)</div>

Dan:

Tell me about it. I still have some 45's, about the same time CD's came out. I have Men At Work's "Who Can It Be Now?," Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA," Stevie Nick's "Edge Of Seventeen," and quite a few others.

Then when CD's came out I had to build up my collection all over again.

The young Whipper Snapper's have no idea how lucky they have it now. They can edit, rip, and burn without even a thought. The closest we had back then was going from LP to cassette.

So we're starting to show our advancing age, hmmmm?

Jay

 

What new-fangled things are 45's? I only have a few boxes of 78's! My dad's old collection. Original Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, Elvis, etc... Too bad our record player is missing a needle.