Does anyone know whether a car with a CD player which will play MP3s can play those MP3s if they're in subfolders? Basically, I want to create an MP3 CD of all my Van Halen CDs, but I want to keep them organized. So, I'd have a folder called Van Halen 1, Van Halen 2, Women And Children First, etc... and put all the respective songs into the folders. Will the player be able to find them, or will it only play MP3s in a root folder?
-
2I think it would depend on the head unit. Some are smart enough to search down the folders ... others are not. If you give us the head unit model, we might be able to help you better.– Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦Oct 27, 2015 at 0:40
-
I would also like to add that there's not much point to organizing the MP3 files on a CD unless you will also be playing them on a computer or something else that can recognize the folder structure.– Poisson FishOct 27, 2015 at 14:17
3 Answers
Many MP3 cd players support this option. The best way to find out is to search your vehicle owner's manual. If it is not available, try it! However, be careful if it does not work immediately. There is, principally on older units, conditions on the format and naming scheme.
Here's an example of a 2004 FIAT's manual. You can use these restrictions as they are quite usual for this type of applications.
FIAT sound system manual
-
While I couldn't find any info on my head units, I did manage to track down my owner's manual and it had similar verbiage. After burning with Nero, I tried it successfully in my car. Thanks! Oct 27, 2015 at 14:33
It usually depends from unit to unit. But from my experience what i have observed is that majourity aftermarket cd players supports music from subfolders. Same case for flash drives. Here us a picture of my cd player manual, showing in which order music will be played from subfolders.
This is highly dependent on the head unit's internal software. Unfortunately the equipment installed into various cars can vary wildly, between years and trim levels especially.
The easiest method to determine if your vehicle is capable of playing MP3 files within folders is to simply create a CD with folders and see if it plays. If it doesn't, you know your CD player won't do it. If it plays, you're all set anyhow.