I've ripped a number of CDs to mp3 & notice that some of the tracks have the "time remaining" showing (bottom right corner of screen) but most show "VBR" in this space. All however show the time elapsed (bottom left of Screen). I take it that this is something to do with the information coded onto the original CD, although the production/release dates of these vary considerably. Can anybody confirm my suspicions, and does anybody know what "VBR" stands for or means?

VBR = variable bit rate (as opposed to CBR = constant bit rate)

Due to the nature of VBR, it isn't always possible to predict the remaining time of the track, hence the 'VBR' instead of a countdown timer.

VBR is used to squeeze the best possible quality out of a track whilst compressing it as much as possible. This is done by varying the bit rate throughout the track, thus making the overall MP3 smaller than the same MP3 encoded at CBR.

The trade off is that MP3s encoded at CBR are generally larger in size but are higher quality. Those encoded at VBR are smaller generally but quality can vary.

Hope that answers your question somewhat.