HDD Music Import

26569 Views 34 Replies 15 Participants Last post by tanman1975, Oct 3, 2011

vansarockin

Discussion Starter · Dec 6, 2010

I'm baffled as to why Honda prevents people from doing a direct USB to HDD music import because of copy right issues. Is Honda in the music piracy protection business? I can't remember the last time I purchased a CD (vs. iTunes download) and certainly don't understand the CD only limitation.

Anyone else found a way around this or can provide meaning to the madness? Hopefully I'm just overlooking something.

Thanks,
Arnold

1 - 20 of 35 Posts

Shazzam

· #2 · Dec 6, 2010

vansarockin said:
I'm baffled as to why Honda prevents people from doing a direct USB to HDD music import because of copy right issues. Is Honda in the music piracy protection business? I can't remember the last time I purchased a CD (vs. iTunes download) and certainly don't understand the CD only limitation.

Anyone else found a way around this or can provide meaning to the madness? Hopefully I'm just overlooking something.

Thanks,
Arnold

I try not to look for meaning in this. It is what it is I guess. Does it really matter anyway? What is the difference between importing CD's onto the HDD and connecting a spare iPod to the USB connection in the glove box and accessing all of your music from that?

I've got a 32Gb iPod Touch which I'll be leaving in the glove box. Has most of my music collection.

vansarockin

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 6, 2010

Not all have a spare iPod floating around. I opted for the HDD in an effort to negate going down that route.

So I've got a HDD (iPod) with "potentially" pirated music playing on the same system as my worthless nicely integrated HDD (Honda). I had higher hopes for our all-American engineering team. Serious bummer!

But you are correct, it is what it is.

TexasOdyssey

· #4 · Dec 6, 2010

You know, I also was hoping to use this HDD to load it up with movies to view on the RES. I havent been able to accomplish this either. Its like they are to totally scared of going digital. One day I know they will finally give in and we will have digital media access wherever...

a4000

· #5 · Dec 7, 2010

There should also be a set of video inputs in the glovebox for videos from the ipod. It's not helpful that the only vid inputs are in the 3rd row. That does me no good with a 2 year old.

Shazzam

· #6 · Dec 7, 2010

vansarockin said:
Not all have a spare iPod floating around. I opted for the HDD in an effort to negate going down that route.

So I've got a HDD (iPod) with "potentially" pirated music playing on the same system as my worthless nicely integrated HDD (Honda). I had higher hopes for our all-American engineering team. Serious bummer!

But you are correct, it is what it is.

Maybe, but after blowing $40,000+ on a van, I think I can come up with another $99.00 for a spare iPod to play my music in the van. the benefit of the HDD, to me is faster NAV operation (I don't really need that option either though - after many years in the same city, I seem to know my way around now.)

vansarockin

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 7, 2010

Another way to look at it would be... After blowing $40K+ on a van, I expect to be able to store music on the integrated HDD (using modern methods) without having to spend $99 on a redundant capability. I'm not running out to buy a $99 XM radio either, because it's already integrated.

Shazzam

· #8 · Dec 7, 2010

vansarockin said:
Another way to look at it would be... After blowing $40K+ on a van, I expect to be able to store music on the integrated HDD (using modern methods) without having to spend $99 on a redundant capability. I'm not running out to buy a $99 XM radio either, because it's already integrated.

Well you'll have to do something or you'll be plugging CD's into the dash to copy them to your HDD; that is if you have the CDs.

Many of my songs were bought on the iTunes store. Has anyone checked to see whether that format will load?

boulder_bum

· #9 · Dec 7, 2010 (Edited)

vansarockin said:
I'm baffled as to why Honda prevents people from doing a direct USB to HDD music import because of copy right issues... I can't remember the last time I purchased a CD (vs. iTunes download) and certainly don't understand the CD only limitation.

I always slap my head at how car tech is so laughably behind the curve. Even having a CD player is about like having a cassette deck or 8-track player to me at this point, and requiring it to use the hard drive is, indeed, a great inconvenience.

The workaround is to simply burn your songs to CD via iTunes and import them from there. I'm too lazy for that, however.

My ideal car with truly innovative tech would have:

1. Bluetooth audio that actually worked without a 3-second delay that kills video-watching via Bluetooth audio (come on, Honda! really?)
2. Video-out capabilities for iPods/iPhones via the USB port (so you can play it on the rear entertainment center without a separate adapter).
3. Multi-touch MID with pinch-to-zoom and gesture support for GPS, with automatic Google-esque street view as you approach your destination.
4. Automatic rerouting around bad traffic for GPS system.
5. Voice controls sophisticated enough so that all commands are available via the top-level menu (right now you have to navigate to subsections to have certain commands available).
6. Automatic sync of your music library via wifi when you pull into your garage.
7. A bunch of other stuff that's probably as off-topic as the rest.

Oh well.

Ford is probably the furthest along for car tech because of Microsoft sync. It has relatively usable menus and voice control and is sophisticated enough to do things like read text messages to you.

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Steve Pert

· #10 · Dec 7, 2010

Re: Re: HDD Music Import

boulder_bum said:
Ford is probably the furthest along for car tech because of Microsoft sync. It has relatively usable menus and voice control and is sophisticated enough to do things like read text messages to you.

Not long ago we had a Ford Flex rental car with a navigation system. In my opinion it was WAY overdone. Not only were the menus confusing and difficult to use, but it was loaded with way too much junk and over-engineered features.

They added a lot of things that probably came from focus groups:
Nearby gas prices
Major league sports scores
Weather forecast
Doppler weather radar
Movie theaters and show times
Restaurant reviews

It was just too much. I just don't know how much of all that I would really want to have added to my Honda Nav system. Most of those things should be left to smart phones and not incorporated into an vehicle in-dash internet system.

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boulder_bum

· #11 · Dec 7, 2010 (Edited)

Re: Re: Re: HDD Music Import

Steve P said:
It was just too much. I just don't know how much of all that I would really want to have added to my Honda Nav system.

Most of the features you mentioned are things I'd actually want, if implemented properly. Nearby gas prices, weather radar, restaurant reviews, etc. are very driver-friendly features. Right now, I have to pull over to the side of the road or have a passenger look such information up on an iPhone to get that capability. Having it integrated is far superior.

As for ease of use, I think it depends on what system you used. Low end older Sync systems used a sort of text-based display and they keep building on the interface year after year.

The high-end 2011 Sync systems make Honda's look like a Commodore 64 in the Mac age. Granted, the systems haven't reached iPhone levels of functionality and ease-of-use yet, but Microsoft Sync is definitely furthest along.

Sync had USB inputs for MP3 players with voice controls for artists/playlist years ago where Honda is just now getting that capability, for example.

Honda is also just now getting (broken) Bluetooth audio, Zagat restaurant reviews that are buried so deep in menus I bet most people never find them, and the current implementation of live traffic is okay, but turned off by default and requires you to look for traffic icons, then use the joystick to hover over them and click a button to get information about specific incidents.

It sucks from a UI standpoint to the point where it's impractical to use at times.

Sync/MyFord Touch is now doing things like reading text messages aloud, allowing you to tag the currently playing song with the touch of a button so you can purchase it later on your iPhone, displays GPS turn information or selected inputs (and more) on both the instrument cluster and the touch screen, there are fewer buttons on the steering column that actually accomplish more, the GPS finds fuel efficient routes and offers 3D perspective, you can plug your internet-connected smart phone into the car and have your vehicle become a WiFi hot spot for passengers, etc.

It's awesome, relatively advanced tech.

Check it:
http://www.ford.com/technology/sync/myfordtouch?id=steering&v=1

FAIL:

WIN:

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2

ftahir

· #12 · Dec 7, 2010

Re: Re: HDD Music Import

You could also use USB flash drive instead of ipod.

Shazzam said:
I try not to look for meaning in this. It is what it is I guess. Does it really matter anyway? What is the difference between importing CD's onto the HDD and connecting a spare iPod to the USB connection in the glove box and accessing all of your music from that?

I've got a 32Gb iPod Touch which I'll be leaving in the glove box. Has most of my music collection.

Steve Pert

· #13 · Dec 10, 2010

Re: Re: Re: Re: HDD Music Import

boulder_bum said:
Honda is also just now getting (broken) Bluetooth audio, Zagat restaurant reviews that are buried so deep in menus I bet most people never find them, and the current implementation of live traffic is okay, but turned off by default and requires you to look for traffic icons, then use the joystick to hover over them and click a button to get information about specific incidents.

Oh yeah, traffic conditions on the Ford Flex display was awful. It works like you described the Honda method.

Ford would do much better to display traffic like on Google Maps, where the roads are shaded green/yellow/red to visually display true traffic conditions. The "hover over an icon" method is nearly useless and tells you nothing about how an incident is actually affecting traffic flow. Plus, it's very distracting for a solo driver to attempt while driving on a highway.

Using Google Maps traffic on a smart phone tells you what you need with a quick glance. That's how car manufacturers should implement traffic on their Nav systems.

boulder_bum

· #14 · Dec 10, 2010

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: HDD Music Import

Steve P said:
Oh yeah, traffic conditions on the Ford Flex display was awful. It works like you described the Honda method.

Ford would do much better to display traffic like on Google Maps, where the roads are shaded green/yellow/red to visually display true traffic conditions. The "hover over an icon" method is nearly useless and tells you nothing about how an incident is actually affecting traffic flow. Plus, it's very distracting for a solo driver to attempt while driving on a highway.

Using Google Maps traffic on a smart phone tells you what you need with a quick glance. That's how car manufacturers should implement traffic on their Nav systems.

I think with the 2011 MyFord Touch/Sync, you can use voice commands to get traffic updates on your route, and the system speaks the information, including anticipated delays.

I'm with you, though. A Google Maps-style traffic overlay is the superior approach and I think car interfaces lag behind GPS and smartphone manufacturers' interfaces, for sure.

A big next step for cars is getting them connected to cellular internet, and I think the Ford systems are at least starting to do that, too. They're even developing an app-store link to an iPhone that lets you do things like display and control Pandora through the vehicle controls and interface.

Acurafan

· #15 · Jan 5, 2011

DVD import

If the files on the CD are in mp3 format, will the system allow them to be imported ... or do they have to be in .wav (i.e. audio CD format).

If .mp3 import is allowed, can you burn on a DVD and import that way ... that makes this stupid restriction less onerous.

hasenpfeffer

· #16 · Jan 5, 2011

Re: DVD import

Acurafan said:
If the files on the CD are in mp3 format, will the system allow them to be imported ... or do they have to be in .wav (i.e. audio CD format).

If .mp3 import is allowed, can you burn on a DVD and import that way ... that makes this stupid restriction less onerous.

Owner's Manual:

The disc player can also play CD-Rs and CD-RWs compressed in MP3, WMA or AAC formats.

Note:

Video CDs and DVD discs will not work in this unit.

Try it and let us know how it works.

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hasenpfeffer

· #17 · Jan 5, 2011

Doh! Found this later on in the manual:

Note:

- Only recordings from a standard CD-DA (44.1 kHz, 16 bit stereo PCM digital sound data) to HDD are supported.

- Digital music files, such as MP3, WMA, AAC etc., in CD-R, DVD-R and USB flash memory devices cannot be copied to HDD. Likewise, digital music files recorded to HDD cannot be copied to CD-R, DVD-R and USB devices.

OdyDudy

· #18 · Jan 5, 2011

One thing about using a USB stick vs the iPod is that you can't use the voice control on the USB stick.

vqdriver

· #19 · Jan 6, 2011

well that's kind of a buzzkill
i was hoping to import two mp3 cds and be the household hero.

hasenpfeffer said:
Doh! Found this later on in the manual:

Note:

- Only recordings from a standard CD-DA (44.1 kHz, 16 bit stereo PCM digital sound data) to HDD are supported.

- Digital music files, such as MP3, WMA, AAC etc., in CD-R, DVD-R and USB flash memory devices cannot be copied to HDD. Likewise, digital music files recorded to HDD cannot be copied to CD-R, DVD-R and USB devices.

vqdriver

· #20 · Jan 6, 2011

oddly enough, i didn't know about the music import thing until after i bought the car and thought "that's a wonderful idea"

even though it's a pain to import off audio cds, it's a new feature for me and i still consider it gravy.

1 - 20 of 35 Posts

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