RA to MP3

[Guest Dan]

The RA files converted to MP3 play fine on my computer mp3 player but when I try to play them on my Sony DVD/MP3 player all I get is 'Data Error' displayed. The DVD player recognizes the disc and will display the contents but won't play them... The DVD player plays my other mp3 discs fine (ones I did not need to convert from RA). I have wasted a couple dozen discs trying different encoder options but no luck.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreaciated!

[nchtj]

It's possible your player doesn't know how to read LAME encoded mp3 files, it is probably expecting only Fraunhofer encoded mp3s. The only thing you could try (off the top of my head) is making sure you are encoding in CBR format and not VBR.

[Guest Dan]

It's possible your player doesn't know how to read LAME encoded mp3 files, it is probably expecting only Fraunhofer encoded mp3s. The only thing you could try (off the top of my head) is making sure you are encoding in CBR format and not VBR.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Already tried that, no luck! The DVD manual states that the error I am seeing is due to a "broken" mp3 track or it is not in MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 format...

[nchtj]

Certainly particular combinations of mp3 settings will make your files into MPEG2-Audio Layer 3 or MPEG 2.5-Audio Layer 3, that is possibly happening with you. Download the GSpot codec utility and see what it says about your file:

 

http://www.headbands.com/gspot/

[Guest Dan]

Thanks for the info...

 

GSpot sez the mp3 file in question is Type: Non-AVI File - Type Unknown

 

Where as my working mp3 files are reported as Type: MPEG-1 Layer 3 160kbs 44100 Hz

 

Thanks,

Dan

[Guest Dan]

Correction... when I use G-Spot to examine an mp3 converted from ra by Switch 1.05 it sez Type: MPEG-2 Layer 3 32 kbps

 

Dan

[nchtj]

yea that could be the issue, you have an MPEG2 layer 3 file not an MPEG1 layer 3 file. At the bottom of the post are the sample rate and bitrate combinations to look up in order to figure out what MPEG layer 3 format your file will end up as. So for example, if your original file was sampled at 44.1kHz and you encoded your mp3 at 32kbps, you would get an MPEG1 layer 3 file. But if your original file was only sampled at 16kHz and you encoded at 32kpbs, your file would end up being an MPEG2 layer 3 file.

 

I would point out that any mp3 reader properly supporting LAME would be able to read ANY mp3 file you made in Switch. But I am guessing your player doesn't have full LAME support, which isn't out of the ordinary by any means - most commercial grade mp3 hardware players primarily support fraunhofer mp3 files.

 

 

MPEG1 layer III samplerates(kHz): 32 44.1 48

bitrates(kbs): 32 40 48 56 64 80 96 112 128 160 192 224 256 320

 

MPEG2 layer III samplerates(kHz): 16 22.05 24

bitrates(kbs): 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 80 96 112 128 144 160

 

MPEG2.5 layer III samplerates(kHz): 8 11.025 12

bitrates(kbs): 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 80 96 112 128 144 160

[Guest Dan]

Thank you so much for the information. You saved me weeks of head scratching! I am very grateful.

 

Best Regards,

Dan

[Guest Wesley Jensen]

I need to have the right sampling rate when I convert MP3 files. If there is no way to change the sampling rate, could there be in a future version of Switch?

[nchtj]

we did deliberate over the "changing sample rates" issue for awhile, but decided not to in the end. We found when using it that it caused a number of complications that would probably cause more frustration with customers than anything else.

 

If you really want to do this, convert your file to .wav first, and choose whatever sample rate you like. Then convert to mp3 afterwards.