MP3 Playback

The DVD 21 is rare among DVD players in that it is able to playback discs recorded with MP3 files. This means that you may enjoy the latest music using discs created in your computer through the high quality audio components in your home the-ater system. As the way that MP3 files are recorded on discs differs from the way conventional CD audio discs are structured, MP3 playback is some-what different from standard CDs.

Important Note on MP3 Playback: MP3 discs may contain 200 tracks or even more. To get the best overview about all tracks on the disc and their names and to select or program them comfortably use the on-screen-display rather than the front panel display. The front panel display will only show the number and the elapsed time of the track being played.

MP3 Disc Playback

After an MP3 disc is loaded and the tray closed, the DVD player will read the table of contents (TOC). At the same time a listing of all the direc- tories on the disc (if disc was made with several directories) and of all tracks within the root directory on the disc will appear on the video screen similar to the figure below. When any of the tracks is selected and played (see below), the name and elapsed time of the track currently played is dis-played on top. Note that the right side of the screen will initially be blank, as that is used for programming playlists for MP3 play-back.

To select a directory (if any), press the ▲/▼ ARROW buttons until the desired directory name is highlighted, then press ENTER. To select a track, press the ▲/▼ ARROW buttons until the desired track name is highlighted. If the list of tracks is longer than will fit on the screen, press the MARROW button to move the cursor to the “+10“ or “-10“ box on the left and press ENTER to shift the track numbers listed for +10 or -10. Then press the NARROW button to return to the list.

To start the track selected on the list press ENTER or PLAY.

During MP3 playback some of the standard CD/DVD playback controls operate in their nor- mal fashion:

You may skip forward to the next track on the disc by pressing the NEXT button.

You may skip back to the current or previous track on the disc by pressing the PREVIOUS button once or twice.

Press the PAUSE button to momentarily stop playback. Press PLAY to resume play. Press STOP twice to turn to stop mode.

You may search through tracks forward or reverse by pressing the appropriate SEARCH buttons on the remote.

You may play an MP3 disc in random mode as a normal CD, see page 27. The Playlist Editor menu will appear and the PLAY LIST on the right will show the order in which the tracks will be played. To play all tracks in random order move the cursor to the track in that Play List you want to be played at first and press ENTER or PLAY.

Note that all other buttons and the numeric buttons will have no function with MP3 playback, except PROG and CLEAR, needed for the programmed playback, see below.

NOTES ON MP3 PLAYBACK

During MP3 playback the front panel display and the time indicator on the screen on top of the list will show the elapsed time of the track being played. Other time display options are not available with MP3 playback.

The DVD 21 is only compatible with standard MP3-encoded discs. Other compressed audio formats used for Internet audio downloads will not play on the DVD 21.

Due to the differences in various versions of the MP3 format, and the many differences between the CD-R machines used to record MP3 discs on a computer, it is possible that some MP3 discs may not play on the DVD 21 even though they will work on a computer. This is normal and does not indicate a fault with the unit.

When a multisession disc with both standard CD audio and MP3 content is in use, the DVD 21 will play only the CD audio sections of the disc. Tracknumber of MP3 tracks will be visible on the display, but the files will not be decoded.

When an MP3 disc with multiple directories is playing, only tracks from one directory can be displayed and played at a time. Select the desired directory and press Play to start the first track. To see and play tracks from other directories, at first you must select that directory, then select the track and press PLAY.

Programmed Playback with MP3 Discs The DVD 21 is capable of creating playlists up to 60 tracks long with the MP3 files on a properly recorded disc. To create a playback list for MP3 titles, follow these steps:

Step 1: Load a compatible MP3 disc, the MP3 Playlist Editor will appear on the screen.

Step 2: Use the ARROW (KorL) buttons to select the directory and the first track to be programmed, as described above, and press the PROG button. Note that the track name will now appear on the right side of the screen.

Step 3: Repeat the step above until all desired tracks are added to the playlist.

Step 4: To remove a track from the playlist, first press the ARROW (M or N) buttons so that the highlight bar moves to the right side of the screen. Use the ARROW (KorL) buttons to highlight the track to be deleted and press the CLEAR button.

Step 5: To clear all the tracks in the playlist, press the ARROW (M or N) buttons until the CLEAR ALL box at the bottom of the right side of the screen is highlighted and press the ENTER but- ton.

Step 6: To play the tracks on the list, press the ARROW ( N) button to move the cursor to the playlist and select the first track to be played with the ARROW (KorL) buttons, then press PLAY. All tracks on the list will be played one after another, starting with the track selected. While any track is played its number and elapsed time will be indicated on front and screen and the name of the track on top of the screen too. You can skip to another programmed track with the NEXT and PREVIOUS buttons any time or by selecting a track from the playlist and pressing ENTER or PLAY.

Once a playlist is created, it will remain available as long as the disc is not changed or the power turned off. You may play any track on the disc, not only of the program created, without erasing the playlist by pressing the ARROW (M or N) buttons to return the high-light bar to the left side of the screen and selecting the track and pressing ENTER or PLAY.

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Harman-Kardon DVD 21 owner manual MP3 Playback, MP3 Disc Playback