Cd Player recycles after mp 3 Folder 4

[edsmith77]

Good Morning,
I am looking for advice or solutions to the following problem.
I have a CD (that I created) with 9 folders on it. Inside each folder are anywhere from 92-99 mp3 files. Each file is an audio clip that lasts around 30-50 seconds. These are only voice clips. The sampling rate is at 80Kb. Total clips in all 9 folders are 861. The CD plays fine on my desktop, laptop and portable CD player. That is I can start with Clip 1 in folder 1 and proceed to Clip 97 in folder 9 without any problems. No skipping, repeating or other anomalies. However, when I put this CD into my car player (which does play mp3 files and folders) everything works fine up until the end of folder 4. Instead of going to folder 5, it recycles back to folder 1 and starts all over again with clip 1. I even tried to use the folder fast forward function but it just goes from 1 to 4 and then back to 1 again. I have tried buring the disc as a data disc and as an mp3 music disc without success in solving the folder 4 wall.
This problem only exists in the car CD player. I have used other CDs of the same type except with fewer folders (6) without incident. I have examined the files and folders for any unusual pops, clips or noises in the audio stream but there are none.

Any ideas or suggestion on what to try next?

Ed

[mats.hogberg]

Get some other player for your car? I suspect this is a hardware limitation with your car CD/MP3 player. There's no std for how a playback device treats data disks (in contrast to the well defined Audio CD standard).
Tried putting them all in the root of the disk?
Or in 4 different folders?
Or in folders in folders?

/Mats

[edsmith77]

Mats,
I considered getting another player but alas I did not pick my parents very well......

I am thinking that there is a hardware limitation but not sure why....

I did try putting them all in the root but the software will not allow more than 99 mp3 audio files in the root. Notice that these were audio files as opposed to data files. I did not try the mass data file route in the root, yet.
I do understand that there is no standard for players treating mp3 files as data files but I have not had anyproblelms yet or until today

But since these mp3's are all in subfolders from the root that should not have created any problems there.

Note, I did try the audio file route and the data file route. But neither worked. Both crapped out at exactly the same place.

I do not think it is a number of files or folder issue because I have other disks exactly like this one except for the number of folders/files and they work just fine. It is hard to believe that I have a bad batch of CDs but I guess anything is possible even though remote.

This is the directory structure used.
.\
.\disc 1\ 1.mp3 ... 99.mp3
.\disc 2\ 1.mp3 ... 99.mp3
...
...
...
.\disc n\1-99.mp3's

I guess I could increase the number of folders and subdivide the files among them equally to see if that makes any dfference. That is increase the number of folders to 18 and reduce the files to say 45 per folder.


This is one baffling problem. But one thing is sure, when the answer is found it will most likely be one of those 'duh, I knew that."

[mats.hogberg]

Notice that these were audio files as opposed to data files

No, a disk with mp3 files is always a data disk with data files. There's no such thing as an audio CD with mp3. If your software isn't decoding the mp3 and actually creating an audio CD, in which case there will be no folders.

/Mats

[edsmith77]

Mats,
Let me clarify in my own mind what you said. Even though the files are mp3 (basically a wrapper for audio files) the player still views them as data files. Is that what you said? Question, I use Nero for my cd needs (and IMGBurn for my DVD needs). Within Nero there is an option under the Music category to create an MP3 disk. Is this any different than creating a plain ol vanilla data disc of mp3 files? Some of the options under that music category see to say otherwise. For example, there are options to allow you to remove trailing dead space, etc, etc. Which seems to only make sense if the mp3's are being treated as audio files and not as data files.

I did try Roxio, not my favorite program, it did not work either. But I dd notice that wihin each subfolder there were playlist files and other unknown files that Nero did not create.
If Nero and Roxio and not optimum would ImgBurn be better?

Thanks for you insight.

Ed

[mats.hogberg]

Even though the files are mp3 (basically a wrapper for audio files) the player still views them as data files. Is that what you said?

Absolutely. If you see a disk with MP3 files on, it's a data disk.

Within Nero there is an option under the Music category to create an MP3 disk. Is this any different than creating a plain ol vanilla data disc of mp3 files?

No. But I guess when you tell Nero you're creating a MP3 disk, Nero will take a look at the files you put on the disk, and do some alterations to mp3 files (like "remove trailing dead space, etc, etc") that would potentially be disastrous, had it been a regular data disk.
Again, I don't think it matters what app you use to create this MP3 disk - the limitation is in the player.

/Mats

[edsmith77]

Thanks Mats. I will keep trying. But buying a new player is not an option at this point in time.

Ed

[mats.hogberg]

If there are no specifications of how this particular player handles MP3/data disks, the only thing I can think of, is to try different directory and/or file layouts.
I'd guess the player has a limitation on how it reads the TOC, or doesn't fully comply to the ISO std.

/Mats