Are you using iTunes? I found that mp3/4 music files ripped from iTunes do not work - a right pain in the a$$, as it meant I then had to reload all my CDs onto Windows Media Player (waste of time and space) which the Skoda unit then recognised.

Unfortunately iTunes default encoding uses AAC rather than MP3 which results in an .mp4 rather than .mp3 file extensions, hence MP3 compatible stereos won't play them.

Given that iTunes is probably most people's default music management tool, this is a PITA to say the least and it would be rather helpful if the major manufacturers could at least .mp4 compatibility to their units.

I'm a hi-fi geek and my whole library is Apple Lossless (also .mp4) so to save myself hassle in the long run I just set iTunes off converting the whole lot to MP3 (you have to select this specifically with the settings) on a different drive which I've saved as a separate library (iTune can handle multiple libraries). It took about 4 days to convert everything but it was a one-off exercise which means I can burn MP3 CDs or copy whole folders to an SD card and know they will all play.

Hi,Hmmm this is a definate pain.... so is there any way of getting files which have all been loaded copied purchased in iTunes to get them onto an SD cad so its readable? Any conversion programms or something. We've got everything on there :'( Never got round to delving deeper but ours obviously also doesn't work Be great if you've got any ideas out there....Thanks Stef

If you've loaded your own CDs to iTunes without changing any default settings then your files will have been ripped as AAC which is .mp4 format rather than .mp3 AAC sounds better than MP3 for the same file sizes BUT as you've discovered, doesn't have the universal compatibility.

Any files you've created from your own CDs can easily me converted to MP3 using iTunes itself by changing the conversion settings (although you'll then end up with two versions of each song which is a pain), or if you want to be able to convert a whole load and save elsewhere (and not clutter up iTunes with duplicates of everything), then use something like dBpoweramp (Windows) or XLD (Mac).

Unfortunately you won't be able to convert anything which you've bought from iTunes to an MP3 format (well not without a lot of hassle) due to the DRM protection that Apple use.

If you've loaded your own CDs to iTunes without changing any default settings then your files will have been ripped as AAC which is .mp4 format rather than .mp3 AAC sounds better than MP3 for the same file sizes BUT as you've discovered, doesn't have the universal compatibility.

Any files you've created from your own CDs can easily me converted to MP3 using iTunes itself by changing the conversion settings (although you'll then end up with two versions of each song which is a pain), or if you want to be able to convert a whole load and save elsewhere (and not clutter up iTunes with duplicates of everything), then use something like dBpoweramp (Windows) or XLD (Mac).

Unfortunately you won't be able to convert anything which you've bought from iTunes to an MP3 format (well not without a lot of hassle) due to the DRM protection that Apple use.

Hi Twelvebears,

Thanks for your comments. In the meantime using Xilisoft software purchased online (cost was about £16.50, but was puchased in $'s I think it must be about 25ish).

So far just converted about 3GB of music from itunes to MP3 files - it took about 1 hour (maybe a shade longer) but everything that was selected it converted without any problem (including I believe (95% sure) files purchased from itunes). SD card now works fine with Columbus so I'd say a worthwhile investment. I agree that an MDI hookup is not worth it. Access to the SD card (ours is a 4GB card) as other have reported is instant.

So thanks for the tips... just wish I'd know sooner that the itunes files don't work with Columbus - or bothered to ask!

So personally we will continue to use itunes & when necessary - ie. when we get a bigger SD card we'll use the xilisoft programme to convert everything. I believe it was a one-off purchase and not a license that expires after a year or something daft like that.

Hope this can also help someone else on their hunt for a fix.

Stef

I also use this free converter, eliminating the two-copy issue within iTunes, plus you should be able to convert directly onto your SD card.

Ray