MP3 Functionality Supplement To Bulletin 05-08-44-014B - keywords cd disc display inoperative MP3 navigation play radio U3U

The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom(s) described in this PI.

Some customers may comment that their navigation radio will not play MP3's. Bulletin 05-08-44-014B was released for the following reasons...

Note: This update can ONLY be used for the 2005 Corvette navigation radio P/N 15263014. Do not use these discs to update any other vehicle's navigation radio. The radio part number can be verified via the Tech 2.

The specific item of interest from this update is the addition of MP3. Several dealers have reported that after performing this update, MP3 functionality was inoperative. It is important to understand that in addition to being able to play store bought CD's, this patch will add MP3 functionality. This means that the files on the customers CD must have file names that end in "MP3". This update will not support "MP3 PRO", "M4A", "M4B" and/or "WMA".

1. Try the customer's disc in a current model year Corvette with Navigation. Note: The single disk US8 radio and 6 disk US9 radio cannot be used for comparison. Only compare to a Corvette with the same Navigation Radio.
2. Place the customers fabricated CD in a Desk Top or Lap Top PC. Select "Start" > "My Computer" > Select the appropriate drive that contains the customers CD. Look at the file and disc to be sure it complies with what is listed below.

Important: Format Mode 1 is selectable only through the software program used by the customer to burn the CD. Some software may not allow selection of the Mode. It has been found that typically, if the software used to burn the CD does not allow the user to select Mode 1 then it is likely that the software is burning the CD in Mode 2/XA.

Note: Mode 2/XA is NOT supported by the Navigation Radio. If you are unable to select Mode 1 prior to burning the disc, you should contact the software manufacturer for assistance. Many software programs that support selection of Mode 1 also allow you to view the Disc Properties which may also indicate what Mode the customer's CD was burned in. The customer may have to purchase additional software at their own expense in order to burn CDs that will be compatible with the Navigation Radio and comply with the required criteria as covered in the Owner's Manual.

3. MP3 Format - The information below can be found in the Navigation Owner's Manual Supplement and SI Document 1608727.

When creating an MP3 disc, the following is a list of guidelines. If the customer does not follow these guidelines when recording a CD-R(W), the CD may not play.

•	ID3 tag information is displayed by the radio if it is available. The radio supports ID3 tag information v1.0 or v1.1. The radio will display a filename, song name, artist name, album name, and directory name.

•	Maximum 32 characters, including spaces, in a file or folder name.

•	Maximum number of folders is 500 with 500 files with a maximum hierarchy of eight folders. It is recommended to keep the depth of folders to a minimum in order to keep down the complexity and confusion in trying to locate a particular folder during playback.

•	Create a folder structure that makes it easy to find songs while driving. Organize songs by albums using one folder for each album. Each folder or album should contain 18 songs or less.

•	The files can be recorded on a CD-R or CD-RW with a maximum capacity of 700MB.

•	DVDs with MP3 are not playable on this system.

•	The radio will not play a mixed mode CD-R/RW, a disc recorded with both *.cda and *.mp3 files.

•	The player will support a disc with multiple sessions, but it is not required that the disc be finalized. It is recommended to record the disc all at once.

•	Recording format mode 2 or mode 2XA with Romeo or Joliet file system is not supported with this player.

•	All applicable Mode 1 recording formats are supported.

•	MPEG 2.5 is not supported with this player. File formats MPEG 1 and MPEG 2 with all bit rates (including variable) except less than 16kbps are supported with this player.

•	Long files or folder names or a combination of a large number of files and folders may cause the player to be unable to play up to the maximum number of files or folders or affect the reading speed and time to play.

4. For 2005 model year only:

Please be aware that the purpose of bulletin 05-08-44-014B for the 2005 model year is to correct radio reception. The MP3 functionality was an additional bonus to this upgrade and does not support all formats. If you are unable to correct this concern based on the information above, the customer should be advised that the car was not intended to play MP3 and this was only a patch to correct radio reception.

Please follow this diagnostic or repair process thoroughly and complete each step. If the condition exhibited is resolved without completing every step, the remaining steps do not need to be performed.