Has anyone noticed that if you put an MP3 disk in the headunit and select random there are two issues:

1. If you decide to select a particular track you want to listen to, the unit reverts back to sequential play of the playlist instead of random play.

2. The random playlist is the same every time and doesn't change: Same track order every time you select random. (Not sure if this changes if you eject the disk and reinsert - I'll have to check that)

The first issue I find mildly annoying but the second is really irritating. When you've got 100+ songs on a disk, you don't want to hear the same few every time you get in the car.

If I am doing something wrong here, please chime in. Otherwise, I hope Porsche releases a software upgrade to fix this.

 

It would require a slight s/w fix that generates a random number generator from a random number. I consider it sloppy coding, and doubtful that they would ever bother to fix what I consider to be bad designs from the start. I would hope that sometime in the future Porsche would solicite and encourage Software Design Requests (SDRs) from their clients that call attention to design issues that might make them better down the road.

For example, one gross oversight to me is the navigation system. One option for a destination input is via latitude and longitude entry. However, Porsche's system asks you to input the coordinates in LONGTITUDE first, and then LATITUDE. This is contrary to the entire navigational convention of the entire world! What were they thinking? Also, how about a little INTELLIGENT programming for select regions of the world. After you input the longitude numbers it prompts you for whether the longitude value is east or east, and later, south or north for the latitude. Since when will I travel OUTSIDE of the northern hemisphere with a continental USA DVD?? Or outside the WESTERN logitude here either??

I'm willing to compile s/w recommendations for Porsche, say, for a consulting fee of a new Carrera every other year....

 

To avoid these issues, before burning the mp3 disk, I shuffle the songs in the playlist. The disk is then burned with a random mix of the songs, and you can play the disk in the car, without these issues.

 

The "random list" now becomes no longer random as it will be heard over and over again, in that order...

 

It is amazing that German engineering could mess up such a simple detail; a 'random' number, how novel.

Or is it that 'random' does not translate well into the German engineering ideology? i.e. they do put out the best all around vehicle(s).

After loading up a CD with a couple hundred MP3s, any person would go crazy hoping for random play though....

 

I think that it is partly the people buying the Porsches (customers). Some of the hardcore customers (here) seem to read an objective valid progressive complaint, yet still defend the company.

I have not even received my Porsche yet (I am a waiter), yet I find myself getting annoyed at posts like this.

I sure hope that I REALLY love driving this car, because the engineering in the audio system seems 10 years old. To me, engineering is engineering. If they are lacking (sloppy) in one area, it must also leak into other areas. I know of no orginazation where they tolerate sloppiness in only specific areas.

 

First - you will really love driving this car.
Second - the non-performance amenities have never been a big priority for Porsche. Things like sound systems and cup holders are there because certain markets (read: North America) demand them. Porsche works much harder on the performance stuff.
Once you get your 997, I doubt the "non-random" CD deal will bother you much.

 

I posted about this a while back. And I agree it is really annoying that random is not random!

As a software engineer I cringe at the fact Porsche let this slip through to release. I assume the firmware engineers for the PCM are contractors/subcontractors of Porsche.

On the other hand as others have mentioned Porsche has typically concentrated their design on essential parts of the car.

 

Have to agree that in the scheme of Porsche ownership, random MP3 play is pretty far down the list of reasons I bought this car. But point taken; it's a very poorly designed system that could easily be fixed. Same as Ipod and bluetooth connectivity...but i digress.

 

Talking to a buddy last night, I went over the Porsche DVD navigational system with him (Physics PhD from Stanford) and went over how well the navigational system works in Europe, with their near real-time traffic advisories and a system that is truly attuned to the European driving environment,--but comepletely misses the point within the USA and North America. For example. on their North American navigational DVD it starts out asking you where you want to go, and you start by COUNTRY, and then CITY. WHAT? there's a few STATES in between there maybe? It would greatly speed up and simplify that choice. What a simple filter,--by STATE first.

And then the route options, things like SHORTEST DISTANCE, FASTEST, and AVOID FREEWAY. Well, Porsche AG, even IN a Porsche, we have speed limits that make FASTEST not that much different than SHORTEST DISTANCE. It really forces you to know routes and traffic conditions in America. It works extremely fine in Europe, but is greatly handicapped in the USA.

The no-fee traffic advisory system in Europe is extremely well integrated in the Porsche navigational system. As you proceed down an autobahn it will interrupt you and advise you via voice that there is a "back up" or "Stau" up ahead and recommends that you exit the autobahn. It routes you quickly along an alternate path and then returns you to the autobahn when the Stau is absent. Of course, it's extremely hard to integrate something like that in the USA because you might have a traffic situation ahead of you, but maybe no real exit for the next 10 miles. Or the exit goes to nowhere.

I highly recommend the navigational system for anyone contemplating a European Delivery,--it's a must have. While I use it and appreciate it in America, it operates with such handicaps in the USA that it may be only marginally effective. Perhaps operating at 40% effectiveness. What would be great would be for USA urban and highway planners to see and experience what COULD be possible from the Europeans and then eventually work to design a similar system for the USA. Of course, the European system wasn't built overnight either. I remember having to mentally translate all the over-the-air Stau warnings from the encoded radio and deciding if it would affect me. With full integration it appears as a series of small triangles 'backing up" on the autobahn that both visually and audibly forewarns you of a problem looming up ahead.

Sorry to steal your MP3 thread.