Post #140510 by tikibars on Thu, Feb 10, 2005 1:01 PM

Until the past few years, ALL CD players could ONLY read audio as uncompressed 44.1khz/16-bit audio in a format called 'red book'. EVERY store-bought CD you have ever owned is 44.1khz/16-bit/red book.

As MP3s took over the industry in recent years, CD player makers scrambled to find a way to make sure their product did not become obsolete. MMany CD players basically now include internal software/hardware that makes them more like CD-ROM drives, or drives that can read several types of disc.

ALL audio CDs must still be 44.1khz/16-bit/Red book, but so-called MP3 CDs are basically CD-ROMS with MP3 files on them (as opposed to programs or pitures or word files or porn or something).

Newer CD players will be able to look for MP3 files on a CD-ROM, extract them, uncompress them, and play them. Basicaly, there's iTunes-like software built into the player.

This is why older players will not play any other discs other than 44.1khz/16-bit/red book discs. They don't have the software to recognize alternative file types and disc types.

To get downloaded MP3s to play on older CD players, you have to convert the files to 44.1khz/16-bit files (they'll be about ten times larger on your hard disk than the MP3 versions), and then burn those files as an "Audio CD", which is the red book format.

Some CD burning programs, such as Toast, will do this conversion automatically, and on-the-fly, converting the MP3s to 44.1khz/16-bit audio in real time as it burns the 44.1khz/16-bit files to CD.

Make sure you set your program to create an "Audio" or "Music" CD, as oppsoed to an "MP3 CD", a "CD-ROM", or a "Data disc". Then add the MP3s to the program and watch it go.

You'll be limited to 80 minutes worth of music per disc, of course.

You know, I normally get $40/hour for these lessons...!
:)
Next week: BigBro will tell us all how to light our Tiki rooms for better photographs!