I have a new VRS and was having odd things happening with the dealer-supplied iPod MDI cable where it would only sometimes connect to the 5th generation iPod.

Anyway, I obtained a USB MDI cable and a 32GB USB stick. I've copied my music collection to that but I'm still having issues.

Sometimes I see 'file error' and other times it just starts playing a different song to the one selected.

I'm very 'IT literate' so I'm pretty confident it's not a problem between seat and dashboard. ;-)

I'm completely baffled as to what's going on. Any ideas?

If you have the Swing radio unit, I've found that they can be quite fussy about USB sticks.

I have a Verbatim 8GB and a PNY 8GB stick. With the Verbatim one, the stereo always starts at track 1 when I switch it on. With the PNY one, the stereo resumes playback where it left off. I formatted both sticks with an MSDOS partition table and a single primary FAT32 partition.

If you have another USB stick lying around it would be worth giving that a go.

It could also be a bad USB MDI cable.

Did you convert your music to mp3? I had some problems reading protected apple formats but all music in mp3 works perfect from my sandisk 16gb stick.

All the music is in (drm free) AAC format. Songs play so it can decipher the format.

I might try down-converting everything to a lower nitrate and see what happens...

Thanks

I have a similar problem but with my iPod.

The swing unit never remembers where it was left and starts from track 1 on the ipod? the ipod was plugged into a usb socket on my last car and both car and ipod synced well and remembered each other even if the ipod was removed.

I also have noticed that occasionally when driving the swing unit will go though the 'MDI initialising' sequence and the ipod continues to play (i only know this because the song is at a further point).

Do I just have a problem with my Swing unit? or is it the same issue?

it needs to be formatted as FAT32 . simples (the stick)

I have just bought a 32gb USB (FAT32 formatted) and copied my itunes library in. It will play some files, but others come up with FILE ERROR. These are all m4a files. Any ideas?

m4a files are apple files and I am not sure the radio will be able to read them, try converting them to mp3 in iTunes or there is a way to export them to a CD then copy them to USB as mp3

m4a files are apple files and I am not sure the radio will be able to read them, try converting them to mp3 in iTunes or there is a way to export them to a CD then copy them to USB as mp3

It will read some of the m4a files fine, but others it won't. That is what is odd.

Converting over 3000 songs to mp3 will take forever. I'd like to avoid that if poss!

I wonder if the ones it won't play have DRM (digital rights management / copy protection) in them

is there any common theme, i.e. ones downloaded from itune don't play but CD's imported do?

Hmmm there doesn't appear to be a theme or reason behind it. I have a biffy album that has duplicated all the tracks for some reason and it will play half of them but not other half (all m4a files).

Can files corrupt somehow when you transfer them to USB? The files play fine from USB though when its plugged into macbook

I wonder if it's a specific ipod compatability issue?

I avoided the USB stick route and put music onto a (FAT32 formatted) Seagate portable hardrive connected via mini USB to the MDI. Most of the files are WM and play without any issues: resumes play from last place (even after disconnection) and has never locked-up or not recognised a file.

I Have exactly the same experiences as you do guys. In my case it also depends how long I'been driving for. If I play from USB straight away it behaves like there is a bad data connection, music plays with jolts of 'corruption', file names display garbled etc. When I unplug the USB stick (cable stays) and plug it back it cures it most of the time. If I start playing say 10 mins into the drive te problems are either gone or much less pronounced. Files type makes no difference really. IPhone plays perfect every time. I think it is a fault with the mead unit and not our music or cables since so many people with different music file types, USB stick capacities and brands have the same problem.

I use 64GB stick btw.

Strange you said that Lee as I have some kids stories in that file format and they always played fine...

Voltage/current drops in the usb 5v line maybe? You could try to wire up a custom cable to provide power to the USB stick from a separate battery pack to see if that fixes the 'bad data' problems.

I use both mdi cables depending on what m/c I have in the car at the time

Ipod connector to an ipod touch using files from Satans Itunes or a sandisk usb stick running mp3 files from mdi usb cable

Mp3 through usb always carries on where it left off and sounds spot on from the start

These cables work best if you use mdi/ipod for itunes/mac files and usb for mp3 files

Start straying from these is when your problems can start

Btw jabbo what usb stick/file format are you using

Edited 24 May, 201313 yr by dazz600

O can't remember what file system is on te USB stick, probably fat32. Music files are mp3 all of them.

As for wiring it up ... I think it defeats the whole purpose of having this connectivity factory fitted, it should simply works...

As for wiring it up ... I think it defeats the whole purpose of having this connectivity factory fitted, it should simply works...

Merely a suggestion as a way to debug what the problem is (thus more ammo to argue it's a manufacturing fault with Skoda if it's a voltage/current issue).

Wouldn't dream of recommending it as a permanent solution.

Would a solid state hard drive just have the same problems as a USB memory stick? Why do some hard drives work perfectly but not others??

Strange you said that Lee as I have some kids stories in that file format and they always played fine...

Link to compatible devices and files:

https://mediaportal.skoda-auto.com/resource/documentation/manuals/en/Device/MDI/MDI_2011.pdf

Well I bought a goflex HDD and guess what... The same files still don't play! They are still saying file error.

Must be something to do with the files and not the HDD then. Can you change permissions on files?

Would different bitrates affect playback through the MDI? Of the files I have checked they have all been 256. The ones that work are 128. Coincidence?

Maybe...?

Maybe...?

Was hoping someone could tell me haha