> At 10:34 PM 6/8/99 , you wrote:
> >Take it one step further...
> >
> >Get a retired IBM Thinkpad 365XD laptop and a MODAT pedestal (the laptop
> >holder that cops use in their patrol units). This gives you a color LCD
> >display, and fully functional keyboard and you can run a GPS via
> either the
> >PCMCIA slot or serial port. Use one of those cassette/CD
> playback modules to
> >put the sound into the tuner. Just have to figure out how to get 16vDC to
> >the laptop so the battery won't crap out (yes most laptops use a 16vDC
> >source). Or for those who have the bucks get a Sony VAIO 500
> laptop (It is
> >smaller and uses a 12vDC source and can slip under the seat when you park
> >the truck).
>
> Yep, I've been doing almost exactly that (as a test) with my laptop, but
> I want a system that's built into the truck... I wouldn't feel
> comforatable leaving my laptop in my truck... An integrated solution is
> harder to steal, and easier to use, IMHO. (A lot more initial work
> though.) I'll have a 6" LCD for my system, and I'll be using a good FM
> modulator hardwired into the antenna for the sound. (I'll just set one of
> my radio station presets to the computer frequency.) That'll let
> me use my
> radio without having to eject the cassette, or have that wire
> hanging there
> all the time. For the power, I got a 300W continuous 500W peak power
> inverter for about $50 from Damark. They do have DC->DC power supplies
> available, but they aren't cheap.
What laptop do you have? I have 2 IBM Thinkpads (365XD and 760ED), but these
units have crappy sounds chips ( ESS 1688 and MWAVE DSP).
>
> >Or if you have patience wait for Sony or Kenwood's CD/MP3 head
> >unit to become available stateside...oops did I say that??? Seems RIAA is
> >throwing fits about MP3 ( I know I work in the music industry
> and I hear all
> >the execs pissing and moaning about lost profits and the like).
> BTW do you
> >know that most artists see only a very small percentage of the
> profits from
> >the music companies and most of the money the artists make are from live
> >performances? Yep...No wonder Ozzy keeps touring... Now you can
> see why RIAA
> >is having a shitfit over MP3. Also many moons ago RIAA also had a hand in
> >keeping direct CD2CD out of American homes! Yup those CD2CD
> units you see on
> >the store shelves today are NOT direct digital to digital (DD),
> they are DAD
> >(Digital Analog Digital). RIAA and the software arm called SIAA
> almost kept
> >the CD writers we come to know and love out of our hot li'l hands for the
> >sake of keeping thier profits,and ivory towers in LA or NYC (or both take
> >your pick).
>
>
> I've heard some stuff about this, but have been sort've ignoring it for
> the most part. :-) I'll admit that I do have a few songs that I
> downloaded off the Internet;
> (maybe 20-30?) but the vast majority of mp3's in my system are ones I
> encoded from my own CDs. I just encoded the songs I like, so I don't have
> to have all the "fluff" in there too; can't do that with CD's. :-) (OK,
> unless you've got a CD-R...) I've currently got just under 600
> songs which
> takes up about 3GB. I encoded all my mp3's at 160kbps, so that's about 40
> hours of music. (over one and a half days of playing music
> nonstop without
> a repeat) :-) I've got about 5-6GB free still, so if I wanted to I could
> stuff another 1100-1200 songs in there and have enough music to play for 5
> days straight without a repeat. (Need more? Keep buying hard drives.)
> :-) Immediate access times too; can't do that with a CD-changer. :-)
> Plus, with the software I wrote, I can restrict the songs to a certain
> genre or even a certain artist. I've got sequential, "true random" (but
> without the repeats), and one song play with repeat or "one time though"
> play capabilities for all three. Plus, if I feel like adding another
> feature, I can just fire up the compiler and write it in. :-) I think
> this is finally going to be the end of my incessant "channel flipping" in
> the Dak! I hear a lot of people (magazine audiophiles mostly) complaining
> that mp3 isn't truly CD quality, but if I get FM quality, I'll be happy!
> Its gonna be in my truck playing through the stock system fer cryin' out
> loud! :-) I'm listening to the system right now as a matter of fact, on
> my 120 watts/channel Kenwood surround sound receiver, and I can't tell the
> difference between them and CD's... More capability, flexibility, and
> cheaper than a CD changer + head unit! Where do I sign? ;-)
>
I only download off the Net to save time. Really! Look at it this way, after
two years working at a music company my CD collection has grown to close to
600 CD's, I'm too lazy to rip CD's so I download titles that I have. It is
hard to teel the diference between CD and MP3. But 128kHz is more then
enough for encoding.
Greg
95 DSCC v6 5spd
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