Thanks Prykey

I will see what the dealer has to say - a discount on the Columbus would be the least I would expect...

 

i wish i could still play my old records :(

 

thats not me on the weekend bty - just in case

Thanks Prykey

I will see what the dealer has to say - a discount on the Columbus would be the least I would expect...

Hang in, who has said the Columbus doesn't have a CD/DVD player? Certainly the Amudsen doesn't, but as the Columbus plays videos where the Amundsen doesn't and the latest manual still mentions a cd/DVD slot.

The brochure still references a CD drive on the Amundsen too - it is incorrect...

 

i wish i could still play my old records :(

 

thats not me on the weekend bty - just in case

 

methinks the lady doth protest too much 

Just for the record (no pun intended!) I'm not picking a fight over the relative sound qualities of CDs and MP3s. Or vinyl or 8-track or compact cassette or mini-disc. Experts have come to blows over that. And let's not mention the quality of Spotify streaming, at least in the free version.

 

It's more the removal of an alternative and still valid choice of access to one's own music. CDs still have a large share of the market and there are a good few years left in the format yet. It's a restriction that's forcing customers to go down a narrow path that many don't want to.

Are they doing it in other models? IME the age profile of Skoda customers is older than maybe they'd prefer, certainly looking at customers at my local dealer. Many wouldn't have a clue what an MP3 looks like...

 

For me, CD's have an immediacy about their use - as cortina63 says, you can just grab one off the shelf, bung it in, and it plays. No faffing with touchscreen menus, etc.

Or having to rip to an SD card beforehand...

And AFAIK there's no reason why CDs ripped to SD cards as MP3 files can't be pre-processed somewhere along the line?
And no, for me it's not easier nor less disruptive to rip to SD, and it doesn't take me hours to feed a CD into a slot. I speak as someone who spends a lot of time using computers and removable recording media so do know what's involved in ripping and processing.

It's just that I choose not to have my music on an SD card. That's my choice.

 

Orville says he'd rather have the extra space in the glovebox. Me too. For a car this big it's pathetic, sadly that's common in many cars these days. But Skoda's substitution of the CD slot (and presumably the mechanism behind) with a blank plate rather than a complete replacement with a small SD card reader slot reinforces my view that it's a decision by the accountants. Are any of the cost savings being passed on to the buyer? I doubt it. Why aren't those who are happy to not have the CD option being given a discount to opt out when ordering their car?

 

I repeat, this shouldn't be an argument about the pros and cons of CDs and MP3s. I fully appreciate and respect that there are people who much prefer the latter and they will have many valid and justifiable reasons for doing so. They are not wrong. They are making a different CHOICE. For them, it's the right choice.

And none of us are wrong in our choices here. Someone else's choice might be wrong for us, our choices are wrong for them. that's how it should be. Some of us actually want both.

 

It's all about customer CHOICE, and that's where Skoda is failing. Not giving customers a CHOICE.

 

 

 

It'd be interesting to see, following the complaints they'll receive from forum members above,  if Skoda offer a CD deck as an option.

It all depends on where the tipping point comes regarding media types.

For example, many still have Cassettes, some even have 8tracks, but a manufacturer needs to determine at what point they change the format when the majority are calling for USB media player connections.

CDs are a falling in volume product, also when sales of MP3 vs CDs is evaluated, it doesn't take into account the large volume of people who "rip" downloads from not so legal places.

This year downloads have overtaken CD sales worldwide, even though compressed digital sound isn't the range of a CD sound, but seems acceptable to the majority.

As for convenience, I would say that MP3 has a much more flexible attitude for today than CDs.

To pick a cd from your collection is easy, however only if you like all tracks on that CD, else you take up time and space with a multitude of plastic cases and discs in your car.

With MP3, you can create your favourite tracks lists, or make up endless albums taking out the tracks you don't like, and in a smaller volume compared to CDs.

I have all my CDs converted to MP3, (sone 40,000+ tracks) so I have the hard CDs format stored safe, not cooking in the car, or being stolen and irreplaceable whilst a USB stick can be carried around and if list, no biggie, the parent tracks are safe in two formats.

If you want to listen to a particular song, no problem, copy to USB stick and away you go.

Skoda are not leading this change, in aware that Ford and Hyundai, for example, halve already got rid of CD players in their high volume cars and so too GM.

Over the next couple of years CD players will go the way if cassette players and 8 tracks as the demand just isn't their anymore, it's just the way it is.

I can't remember the last time I played a CD in my car.  Have music on a 64gb SD card in my phone, and on my 80gb ipod.  When the car arrives I will buy a 64 Gb (or even 128Gb if they are accepted in the Amundsen) and then I wont have to worry about which CD to take because I will have most of them in the car ready to go.  As above my CD's sit safely at home.

 

Yes there may be times when a CD player would be nice, but in 5 years of my last car, not used it.  But as previous poster says, it is a choice, and some people will prefer CDs so surprised it is not at least an option in what is a transitional period.

Yeh, but, the demand IS still there. CDs still account for around 40% of the music market. Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran alone sold over 2.6 million CDs in the past year. Not my personal taste in music, those two, but they are for some, and I respect that. I bet a good portion of those buyers will be fully aware of how digital downloading and streaming works. And CD was the preferred option over two million times. For those two artists alone.

 

I see Pince has today pulled all his content from Spotify. His CDs are still in my local HMV though.

 

Digital download sales are falling faster than CDs.

 

Warkman, MP3 is your choice. Your preference. How, and how much, of your music you listen to is your choice. I respect that. But please don't expect everyone to think that your way is the best for them. For some, maybe they are missing out. For others, it's following the herd. And at the moment, and for a while longer, that still works. So don't deny them the choice. At this stage, it's the accountants making the choice.

 

 

I think the point is simply this, which isn't is CD or MP3 better but upon ordering the car it has a CD but when it arrives it does not.

 

I've got AUX jack, Blue tooth and SD options in the Citigo but still use CD's

as others have said CDs are still popular, I buy all my music on CD, but I know I haven't used one in the current car ever. It's 4 years old and will be traded in next week with a 6 CD changer unused. If yiu buy your CDs from Amazon they rip them for you anyway. I bought a new CD last week but was able to listen to it immediately pending the arrival of the CD itself. 

Yeh, but, the demand IS still there. CDs still account for around 40% of the music market. Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran alone sold over 2.6 million CDs in the past year. Not my personal taste in music, those two, but they are for some, and I respect that. I bet a good portion of those buyers will be fully aware of how digital downloading and streaming works. And CD was the preferred option over two million times. For those two artists alone.

 

I see Pince has today pulled all his content from Spotify. His CDs are still in my local HMV though.

 

Digital download sales are falling faster than CDs.

 

Warkman, MP3 is your choice. Your preference. How, and how much, of your music you listen to is your choice. I respect that. But please don't expect everyone to think that your way is the best for them. For some, maybe they are missing out. For others, it's following the herd. And at the moment, and for a while longer, that still works. So don't deny them the choice. At this stage, it's the accountants making the choice.

How many of those CD sales were to people who then played them in the car? Probably less than 10% Or, how many, like me, convert the CD to MP3 for the car? the choice is still there. hMV? All the stores local to here along with FOPP have closed, due to lack of sales.

I'm afraid your choices are, unfortunately, either buy your own IFE with CD player, or buy a car from a manufacturer still producing CD player units.

Skoda won't change their mind based on a few firm members when the decision has been made by accountants I'm sad to say

I really don't understand why they would remove a feature like this? It's great just for watching DVD's whilst stationary for the kids etc. ones that can't be ripped easily because of copyright. Very bizarre decision. I'm glad I've got it on my 2 week old octy!

I'm afraid your choices are, unfortunately, either buy your own IFE with CD player, or buy a car from a manufacturer still producing CD player units.

Skoda won't change their mind based on a few firm members when the decision has been made by accountants I'm sad to say

 

Would be interesting to see if Skoda UK would accept a rejection due to no CD player.

 

Although you are correct the point is that most bought the car with the CD play as part of the spec and now this is not the case. Would it sway my choice of car if I had know that before hand, possibly/maybe not, but at least the choice would have been the buyers.

 

I personally use my CD player, and have done in all of my Skoda's. I also have other media devices that I've used.

 

Also to just blank it off is annoying too, why not like others have said increase the glovebox or add a "simple clever" storage feature. Nothing about this is "simply clever"

And why is the blanking plate moulded in the shape of a CD player anyway? That's just bizarre. The way both the old and new units are fitted in the glovebox feels very clumsy.

Rather than having a unit designed to match the car, it looks like they've just taken an off-the-shelf 5.25" computer CDROM drive and hidden it in the car anywhere it will fit. I know that's not the case, but that's what it looks like. How are these units fitted in other VAG cars?

Edited 2 July, 201510 yr by Rodge

I personally use my CD player, and have done in all of my Skoda's. I also have other media devices that I've used.

Also to just blank it off is annoying too, why not like others have said increase the glovebox or add a "simple clever" storage feature. Nothing about this is "simply clever"

I have wondered if the CD player is still behind the front case :-)

Anyone want to take their front off to have a look? :-)

Edited 2 July, 201510 yr by Warkman

If you buy a basic VW Golf such as an S or Match, you get a cd player. So to me this just looks like cost cutting on the Skoda brand.

If you buy a basic VW Golf such as an S or Match, you get a cd player. So to me this just looks like cost cutting on the Skoda brand.

 

But would you in a VW with the equivalent of the Amundsen?  Would be curious to know that.

I cant rip from cd direct to the Onboard storage anyway it has to be transferred from Sd card, I have tried it with a few different CD's now

It needs to be enabled with VCDS. The early models had it enabled, but at some point they disabled it. Details are in the VCDS sticky thread.

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The unit in the glove box, regardless of it has an optical drive or not, IS your infotainment unit. The screen is just a screen, with a lot of empty space behind it.

Who is going to be the first to remove a MIB2 Amundsen or Bolero and see if the SATA connector is inside so a laptop optical drive could be added?

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Let's face it Skoda dealers DON'T know precisely what they are receiving...as SKODA UK DON'T know what they are selling or maybe what SKODA CZ are building.

 

We are in a world of who gives a tank...you've paid yer money just accept what you got Sir.

Edited 2 July, 201510 yr by DonjSZ5

Skoda are being forward thinking, in a similar way to Apple. I remember when Apple stopped putting a floppy drive in their iMacs or when they stopped putting cd drives in there Mac books, or even now when they have stopped putting usb ports in their new Mac book! (only has a single usb c port)

I'm not saying Skoda are Apple of the car world. It at one point you make these decisions to cut features to move the game forward.

Back on topic. This is about the lack of managing of expectations. When I ordered my VRS back in May, nothing was mentioned about MY16 or build week 22, I ordered a car with a CD player. I'll take delivery of a car that doesn't have one and no one from Skoda or the dealership will have been in touch to advise on this.

Specifications are subject to change. Not the first time something like this has happened. Front assist got removed without warning a while back as well.

At the end of the day, if the CD player is that important to you then you have the right to not accept the car, or negotiate some compensation with Skoda UK.

It is shocking how long it takes build change information to get to the dealer level BUT also the dealers do get regular updates via Desktop, and either don't read it, understand it or communicate it within the dealership.

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The document iamholem posted in the MY16 thread about changes does not mention removal of the CD player so far as I can see.

That doc didn't hit the UK dealers to late April.

That doc says my15 orders will be fulfilled

It also says dealers are to advise customers of any changes which may impact.

If that doc doesn't inform the dealers liability lies with SUK in my book.