Audio Out via USB

[G'Ner]

now we just need a droid option update that automatically goes into mass storage without having to click yes

 

[Bimmerjo]

now we just need a droid option update that automatically goes into mass storage without having to click yes

I download a USB mount widget and put it right on the home screen.

 

[G'Ner]

How is Google Maps while in mass storage mode, any cpu strain or lag?

 

[Bimmerjo]

I haven't played to much with the navigation yet, I'll probably do that on my way home tonight though

 

[zasran]

It depends on device you connect it to, some require specific directory structure, check docs for the device if it's not playing your music.

 

[DaHarder]

Just use the AUX port!

EXACTLY!

(K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple St^pid)​

 

[oceanlight]

very cool. screw using my 16gb ipod. i'll throw one of my many extra harddrives in the car for waaaaay more storage. in fact, i'll be able to load up my entire 70+gb collection.

oh wait, i would still need to plug in the power cord for an hd. so scratch that idea. but yeah, a flash drive would work great.

 

[Bimmerjo]

Just use the AUX port!

EXACTLY!

(K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple St^pid)​

Maybe your idea of keeping it simple is far different that somebody elses idea of simple.

 

[jefbystereo]

lol, yeah, last time I checked 1 plug is simpler than 2 plugs

 

[BarelyThere]

Bimmerjo what Alpine interface do you have I want buy a KCA-620M and try to hookup my droid in mass storage mode. By the way nice bmw I drive a e36 325is and a member of bimmerforums.

I want the Head unit to do the audio processing, not the phone.

How do I put the phone in mass storage mode?

Here's a detailed walkthrough"
Go to droid market on yer phone and download the application named "MountUSB" then forget about it for a minute.
Then connect the phone, via usb, into your computer. Go to "removable disk" on your computer. Find all the file folders that your droids usb contains. Create a new folder and name it "amusic". Rip some music files into mp3 format(or wma if you prefer I guess) through whatever program you choose, then add them to the "music" file you created.
Safely disconnect the phone from your computer. Bring your phone and your usb cable out to your car that's waiting with a head unit usb port. Connect the phone to the usb port. Turn the stereo's source input to "usb audio". In your phone, go to the "MountUsb" app you downloaded earlier. Click on it to mount the usb and it will start streaming your music.

But my question is, are people here saying that the sound quality is substandard if you play music from a mass storage device? I'd be lying if I said I could tell the difference...

 

[zasran]

Why do you need the MountUSB app? It does it without the app as well.

As far as music quality goes - if you use it in USB mass storage mode it's just data transfer so the sound quality depends only on the quality of the audio file and the stereo, i.e. it shuld be the best possible quality (out of all different ways you can connect Droid).

The problem is that only files stored on Droid can be played this way, the other audio (phone, streaming apps like pandora, last.fm etc., notification sounds, navigation etc.) will not go through this connection.

ero

 

[rbullard]

Major FAIL

I think this is a major miss on the part of Motorola. The Droid should have been engineered to have audio streaming (not mounting of the SD card) via USB. Not that comparing it to the iPhone is that important but... the plethora of devices that you can hook up to the iPhone with the single connector for both audio playback and charging (and synching and everything else) is a HUGE win. Missing such a basic feature to me is a FAIL. When I first read that they were going to have a "Multimedia Dock", I fully assumed it would have this feature built in, and that it would either have speakers, or at least a 3.5mm jack built into the dock so that you could just plug the Droid into the dock and hang your speakers off the dock (rather than have to plug a second device into the Droid). I love my Droid, but to me, this is a pretty major fail and will definitely keep the Droid from every being a significant multimedia device, the way the iPhone has become. Just think of all the accessories that might have been possible...

 

[Bimmerjo]

Its the nature of USB protocol. I like how they went with the route of micro usb, it is becoming a standard. which is what needed to happen with cell phones a LOOOONG time ago.

Now, if Motorola would have designed a true proprietary dock for the droid... then its a whole 'nother ball game... and even then, I doubt most companies would have jumped on the "motorola doid" bandwagon.

 

[hazydave]

I think this is a major miss on the part of Motorola. The Droid should have been engineered to have audio streaming (not mounting of the SD card) via USB.

Real USB doesn't stream analog audio... which seems to be what you're after. The RAZR did a hack, to reuse the USB jack for analog cellular headsets.. but that's of no value for high quality audio, anyway.

The iPhone dock does support an analog audio output, which made some sense back in the early 1990s when that iPod dock was first invented. But this isn't the early 1990s. The DROID does a fine job delivering audio via Bluetooth. And this is far superior.

Ok, first, the iPod... those iPod docks only work with iPods. Buy another kind of player, and you're SOL... they don't work with your dock. They also force the form-factor of the iPod.. they can't make one that's larger or much smaller without killing the dock function.

Now Bluetooth... it's an industry standard. I have a nice Altec Lansing SoundBlade sitting over on my desk, which works just dandy from the DROID. The DROID itself uses far less power hooking to that device than it would to an analog dock (because it's just 1mW Bluetooth). Bluetooth also does the remote control standard, so I can FF/REV via buttons on the Soundblade. And I don't even need to take the DROID out of my pocket. Wired docks are SO 20th Century. And if I get a different phone in a few years, it'll work with all the BT accessories I have today, not need toss it all out if I don't buy a Motorola product.

Not that comparing it to the iPhone is that important but... the plethora of devices that you can hook up to the iPhone with the single connector for both audio playback and charging (and synching and everything else) is a HUGE win.

No, that's a bit fail. I don't want to be locked into a single vendor (like Apple) or even a single PC. There's usually no need to sync a DROID... if you make changes to stuff on the DROID, it just automatically syncs to your web-based things. Ok, it is still new (keep in mind, there was a decade or so of iPod before the iPhone came out). Right now, most of the stuff syncs "to the cloud". But in the long run, there's no reason you couldn't have any and all PCs you want also sync to the cloud, so your local apps would just automagically stay in touch with the DROID (or any other Android device).

As for connections... the DROID hooks up via USB, just as it should. And via an industry standard connector (and one engineered for 10's of thousands of plug/unplug cycles)... why would I want something proprietary. And when it's connected, it's a USB storage device. So it works on any platform that can talk to USB storage devices.. I could even hook it to my Sanyo camcorder and download files. Why would I want the proprietary nonsense you get with the iPod/iPhone?

When I first read that they were going to have a "Multimedia Dock", I fully assumed it would have this feature built in, and that it would either have speakers, or at least a 3.5mm jack built into the dock so that you could just plug the Droid into the dock and hang your speakers off the dock (rather than have to plug a second device into the Droid). I love my Droid, but to me, this is a pretty major fail and will definitely keep the Droid from every being a significant multimedia device, the way the iPhone has become. Just think of all the accessories that might have been possible...

Wired died a long time ago... Apple's just still reacting, poorly. Even if you want PC sync and all, why do you even need to hook it up. You have Wifi on the DROID. Now, sure, Google is all about the net, so media sync via internet may be too slow, but every other kind of sync (contacts, calendar, etc.) is fundamentally superior, because you never NEED to sync.. it just happens.

 

[zasran]

Well, pretty much all media players that support USB are using it the same way (mount the device as storage media) so I think it makes sense for Droid to support that mode of operation.

As far as it becoming media player with lots of accessories - same can happen as in iPod market, you only need more accessories, I already stopped using iPod cause I can stream online media via bluetooth.