I remember someone complaining that they couldn't burn a DVD that would play in their PCM. I'm not familiar with the variations in the sound system during the 997 years, so this advice may only work for the most recent examples, but for what it's worth, I'm working on the problem.

A data DVD does not seem to be processed correctly. It was my impression from the one of the user manuals that I could just organize the music into folders and let the PCM read it. Possibly that is true of USB devices. I haven't tried those yet. But it didn't work for DVD.

Software to burn an audio DVD seems to be scarce. I didn't do an in-depth search because a lazy man's alternative occurred to me first.

I have Windows 7 but I think this works on earlier versions of Windows as well. Haven't tried anything on Linux and don't have a Mac around, so you're on your own with those systems.

Open "Windows DVD Maker" which is intended to create DVD's of home videos, but works fine for this. Well... better than nothing anyway. More on that later. Start a new project and click the "add files" button. Add one or several still pictures. Then add all the audio files you like, A lot of files will fit naturally. Now for options. This is important. By default, WDVDM will allow something like seven seconds for each picture and when it runs out of pictures, it will restart the "sound track" as it displays the first picture. We're hacking it here, so what we'll do is select the option "Make pictures last as long as sound track" or words to that effect. (I'm not in the software package while doing this, and the wording and menu location of these options is probably different on different versions anyway.)

Other options are available, like the menu structure, but you only need those if you're going to play this disk occasionally on your home theater. Finish, and burn the disk on a DVD-R or DVD+R. I use a 'slowest' burn setting to pamper auto players whether I'm using DVD or CD, but try whatever you like.

Two drawbacks so far. I may find a way around them after I fool with this hack a little, but for now: The sound track was created in Dolby 2.0, not 5.1; and the player considers the video sequences define the tracks.

The disk I burned played fine, although the audio was only in stereo not 5.1. In truth, most music sounds fine in Dolby 2.0 because the player uses frequency cross-over circuits to decide what part of the signal to send to the subwoofer. It doesn't really need the point one separation from the source. And as for the other channels, audiophiles often resist the notion of five channel music in any case. Revel in being a traditionalist if you use this method.

The other problem is a little more strange. I used five photos of our new 911S just to have something in the video side to keep the software and the player happy. But the dwell specified for those five photos is fixed and their duration defines the 'tracks'. On our home theater, they are listed as 'scenes' so you see the problem.

This problem is more annoying. The implication is that a DVD 'full' of music will still be limited to the duration of a DVD video I suspect. Why? Well, I greatly suspect the burn software is creating multiple frames for those stills. Probably sixty frames per second. In another words, they take up as much room on the disk as would a movie, so our music is only allowed the same space (and duration) as the maximum movie soundtrack. Much more annoying than the first problem. And I'm guessing that I'll top out at two hours of music. Maybe even less. As data, a DVD can hold something like 150 hours of music at good bps settings like 128 kbps.

Still a work in progress in other words. Will update as I refine this hack, and particularly if I can a good set of burner software that records in music format (DVD-Audio) instead of using the soundtrack portion of a video formatted disk.

 

I used to use this to make DVD audio discs for my Acura:

http://home.comcast.net/~adobeman/DVDA/

Sticking to CD quality (44.1khz/16-bit) you would basically have an audio disc with 100 songs or so on it...

...I since switched to a Zune interfaced to the car so I basically have all my music with me...

 

Yes, I'm thinking a Zune or Ippud or just a large USB-interfaced memory may be the best solution in the long run. Even if I find a way to burn an audio DVD with that software, it will be a nuisance because you can't play a CD you haven't ripped without removing your DVD full of playlists.

I really went after a way to burn DVD's because one of our number asked for help and his earlier model has not ippud-zune capability. Well, for that reason and because I'm bloody stubborn and would do it anyway just to see how.

Very nice looking Cab in your avatar by the way. I wanted midnight blue on beige when we went shopping. Until they showed us the silver on black and it was right there and not at a dealer thirty miles away. Good thing I agree with that old saying: "No good horse is a bad color."

 

Just did this myself using iTunes. Got a little over 1100 songs on one DVD.

Works great with 997.2 PCM 3.0. Gives the song name and/or artist on the screen too (I think depending on how you have it managed in your library).

Open iTunes
Insert Disc
Highlight the Playlist you wish to burn *
Select FILE >> LIBRARY >> BURN PLAYLIST TO DISC
Select DATA DVD (your options are CD Quality, mp3, Data DVD)
Select Burn.

*So, all of the music you wish to add must be on one playlist. I tried highlighting multiple playlist, didn't work. So you'll need to add all of the songs you wish onto one.

Once you've got this down you can do it quicker by highlighting the playlist and select BURN DISC on the bottom right of iTunes. It will tell you to insert a disc if you havn't already and default to the previous burn settings (presumably DATA DVD).

iTunes will tell you if you have too many songs on as well. I had about 4.6GB worth of music on a 4.7GB disc and it said "too many", presumably to allow enough space for some data registry, etc.

FYI.

 

Gary: As KK Moto suggests - use iTunes. As far as 5.1 playback I think that depends on the source material and/or car surround decoder. Same applies to iPod (as source) playback, which it is stereo only.

 

Yah, I waited patiently for the right Midnight/tan cab. Don't know that I would pick it if it was my daily driver, as it is tough to keep looking good as black.

Besides, I had to break my cycle of silver cars. My DD is silver, and my wife's car is silver.

 

Sounds good to me, kkmoto and adias. Do you hear that, oh absent p-car warrior? Whoever it was wanted to burn a DVD?

Incidentally, I wasn't able to get the PCM to play a data DVD. That's the simplest way and I'll have to go back and see why it didn't work. If I'm feeling particularly stubborn.