New Kenwood ipod Control Interface [Archive]

mookc1

03-24-2005, 10:37 PM

I have been a die-hard Kenwood fan for several years. Their integration with different audio/video accessories is a major reason for my use of their products. As such, when Kenwood came out with the Music Keg (Phatnoise) I had to have one.

The drawback to the Phatnoise solution is in order to use it in the house, I would have to purchase a separate component for my home stereo. If I wanted portability, I'd have to get a separate mp3 player.

For Valentine's Day, I decided to purchase an iPod for my wife. She loved it. I started to use it, and I had to have one.

Right after I purchased my iPod, I did some research and found that Kenwood was coming out with an interface which connects to the changer output.

Well, today was the day it arrived! I purchased the KCA-IP500 from Crutchfied for $99. I hooked it up (without running the cables to test) and had it running in 10 minutes. I also purchased the KCA-s210A so I could use both the iPod and Music Keg on my KVT-815DVD. Again, that worked as well.

I was getting ready to run the cables for the new "stuff", when I decided there was no longer a need for the Music Keg. Out it came.

I will let you know what I find, but so far, I'm impressed with the product.

My car system:

KVT-815DVD
SR 901 Sirrius tuner
KCA-IP500
Xbox
7" Pyle Visor mount monitor
2 7" Fahrenheit Headrest Monitors for rear seat
Music Keg 710 (retired)

pendragn

03-25-2005, 12:01 AM

I am a very happy Music Keg owner. It's my second favorite piece of consumer electronics, right behind my TiVos. I gotta ask, how's the iPod interface? I love how the Keg exposes your albums as virtual CDs. Does the iPod interface do the same thing? If so, I'll buy the adapter in a heart beat.

tk

mookc1

03-25-2005, 08:55 AM

So far I like the way the interface performs. Much like the Music Keg, the iPod treats play lists like cds in a changer. Another nice features is the ability to have the iPod use albums, artist and genre as playlists (selectable from the Kenwood Head Unit).

One of the playlists is actually the name of the iPod (mine is Chuck's iPod), and it is listed as the first play list. From here you can shuffle the entire iPod. (a feature the Alpine lacks, from what I have read.) Additionally, from my KVT-815DVD it will show up to 250 playlists.

Remember, I've only had this installed for 12 hours, and haven't really put it through its paces yet. But the trip to work went fast as I am trying to hammer on this thing.

Regards,

Chuck

pendragn

03-25-2005, 11:46 AM

Originally posted by mookc1
Another nice features is the ability to have the iPod use albums, artist and genre as playlists (selectable from the Kenwood Head Unit).
This is exactly what I wanted to hear. From what I understand, the Alpine has two modes. The first mode gives you access to five playlists. The second mode makes you use the ipod controls to access tracks not in those five playlists. I wanted to hear that without any playlists (I don't use playlists at all) I would be able to use my headunit to access all my songs, like I do with my Music Keg.

tk

TheBum

03-25-2005, 12:10 PM

Originally posted by pendragn
From what I understand, the Alpine has two modes. The first mode gives you access to five playlists. The second mode makes you use the ipod controls to access tracks not in those five playlists.

I think you're confusing the interface for aftermarket Alpine decks (KCA-420i) with the BMW interface (which is also manufactured by Alpine). The BMW interface has the limitations you mention, but the KCA-420i gives you full search capability by playlist, artist, and album.

It sounds like the Kenwood has one more search mode (Genre), but the big question is whether the newer Kenwood head units will treat an iPod uniquely rather than treating it as a CD changer. The 2005 Alpine decks do just that, which really simplifies the controls.

mookc1

03-25-2005, 12:54 PM

Just remember, my comments are based on actually using this for about an hour total.....with that said:

My Kenwood sees it as EXT MEDIA. (Music Keg seen as EXT HDD) It allows for the display of 250 Playlists(playlist on iPod, artist, album, or Genre).

By hitting the scan button on the Kenwood Screen, it changes from playlist, to album, genre, artist mode. I can use the random button to shuffle songs within the selected playlist. (but remember, one of the playlists is actually the iPod library).

If there is something you want me to try, let me know.

Here is the link to the manual: http://www.kenwood.no/manuals/kca-ip500.pdf

Yes it has english!

Regards,

Chuck

pendragn

03-25-2005, 01:20 PM

Originally posted by TheBum
I think you're confusing the interface for aftermarket Alpine decks (KCA-420i) with the BMW interface (which is also manufactured by Alpine). The BMW interface has the limitations you mention, but the KCA-420i gives you full search capability by playlist, artist, and album.

It sounds like the Kenwood has one more search mode (Genre), but the big question is whether the newer Kenwood head units will treat an iPod uniquely rather than treating it as a CD changer. The 2005 Alpine decks do just that, which really simplifies the controls.
I can't speak to how the iPod is exposed, but the Music Keg is exposed to the head unit as a CD changer and I agree, it's awesome. Definitely the way to do it.

Has anyone found a list of headunits that work with the KCA-ip500? I know the official word is 2003 models and later. Problem is, I don't know what year my unit it. I've got a KDC-x859 if that helps. I almost ordered the ip500 from Crutchfield and then I realized it might not work.

tk

sundevil

03-25-2005, 01:45 PM

Does anyone know if the IP500 will work going through the pass thru on the Sir-Ken1 (sirius tuner) ? I tried connecing my Icelink Plus to it and I lose the scrolling text.

I then tried connecting the Sir-Ken1 and the Iclelink to the Kenwood cd switch box (KCA-S210A) with no luck.

I think the Icelink is the problem but would like to know for sure before buying the IP500. If it works going through the Sir-Ken1 with full functionality it seems like the ideal solution.

mookc1

03-25-2005, 02:21 PM

The configuration you are speaking of is exactly how I have mine hooked up. It works without a problem.

My original configuration was:

KVT-815DVD - SR-901 - KCA-S210A - Changer 1 Port - KCA-IP500 and Changer 2 port Music Keg 710

The KCA-IP500 allows for the connection of two changers (or equivilents (Music Keg, Changers, iPod module).

I've read that the total length of cable form the changer control port on the headunit to the last device cannot exceed 13 meters. I used stock cables and did not have a problem.

This configuration worked fine, however, since the IP500 worked so well, I eliminated the Music Keg thus removing the KCA-S210A.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Chuck

sundevil

03-25-2005, 03:42 PM

mookc1,

Thanks for the info. I think I will be replacing my Icelink with the KCA-IP500.

My new setup will be:

KDC-MP5028 -- SIR-KEN1 -- KCA-IP500

Hope this works.

Ordered it from Crutchfield, found some coupons. Free shipping and $20 off $100 (I ordered some connectors for less than $2 to bring it over $100).

Jman2

03-27-2005, 09:00 PM

Mookc1,

I have a similar setup to yours..... Kenwood MP225 > Sirius SR902....

I've been looking for a solution for my iPod, and the KCA-IP500 looks perfect. I drive a Toyota 4Runner, and my Sirius box was installed in the very back (behind the sidewall)... And I just want to make sure I have this right. I'm guessing the ultimate setup will be MP225 > SR-902 > KCA-IP500 > iPod..

It looks like I will need to position the IP500 in the back next to the sirius box, because of the included cable length, then run the Ipod cable up to the front of the truck, does that sound right to you? It looks like that cable is 2.5 meters (8.2 ft).. Do you know if I can buy a longer cable for this unit if I need to? Thanks for any help or suggestions...

mookc1

03-27-2005, 11:26 PM

Here is a link to the KenwoodUSA store that has an extention cable. http://store.kenwoodusa.com/product.asp?sku=2224796

You might also want to run a google search.

My SR-901 is in the trunk, I opted to just leave the iPod there.
1). You can't use the controls on the iPod
2). If I want to take it with me, pop the trunk!

I purchased a hard case for my iPod, and I just use the belt clip to attach it to the trunk liner.

Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Regards,

Chuck

gender

03-28-2005, 10:27 AM

Are there any display limits that hamper the alpine solution?

mookc1

03-28-2005, 12:48 PM

What specific limitations????

What I have found is there are only three track "display" options that can be selected (at least on my HU kvt-815dvd):

1). Playlist - This is diplayed as an iPod Playlist, Genre, Album or Artist - Depends on what you have selected using the "scan" button.
2). Track Title
3). DNPS - Has to be manually manipulated.

IMO, the Music Keg options for display are better, however, I am getting used to the IP500. This change is sort of like switching from WordPerfect to Word but I am adjusting. Change can be a bad word!

Overall, I'm still very happy with the product.

Does this answer the question?

gender

03-28-2005, 01:02 PM

On the alpine solution, it will only show track information on the first 255 entries. If you have over 255 artists you cannot access the 256th on.

I'm trying to decide on which option to go with between the pioneer, alpine or kenwood. It nice to read information and how people like their own configurations.

mookc1

03-28-2005, 01:08 PM

Now I know what you are asking. My Kenwood will display 250 Playlists (touchscreen option). Again, the playlists are defined by pressing the "Scan" button: iPod playlist, artist, genre and album.

rj_gonzales

03-28-2005, 01:27 PM

how about display lag time when searching for a song? on my alpine unit, it can only handle about a song a second.

mookc1

03-28-2005, 03:27 PM

I don't know if it is a second, but there is a tiny delay. It is more noticeable when changing from disc to disc (playlist to playlist) than song to song.

I also use the Pac SWX (Steering Wheel Control) adapter. That device has a dely in itself, but at least I don't lose the Lincoln LS' audio control on the steering wheel.

Jman2

03-28-2005, 04:24 PM

MookC1,

thanks alot for the info... I think that should do it for now.

saintsaints

03-29-2005, 09:18 AM

Does the ipod power off when you switch to am/fm radio?

saintsaints

03-29-2005, 09:32 AM

Will two KCA-s210A work connected together? I want to use the aux changer for ipod, xm radio and psp movies.

Originally posted by mookc1
Well, today was the day it arrived! I purchased the KCA-IP500 from Crutchfied for $99. I hooked it up (without running the cables to test) and had it running in 10 minutes. I also purchased the KCA-s210A so I could use both the iPod and Music Keg on my KVT-815DVD.

viaoandipod

03-29-2005, 11:55 PM

I have some questions for ya'll.....when searching for music....does it give you a sort of "sub-folder" search ability....what I mean by this is....when searching for a song....can you go to it's genre...then view all artists within genre....select the artist...then view all songs by that artist.....and the same with playlist....can you go to a particular playlist...then view all the songs within that playlist....I currently own the Alpine Interface with the Alpine 9851....it's searching functions are very weak....playlist, album, artist, and individual tracks....that's it...no further searching within those selections....pick a playlist and listen pretty much...the only searching is by pushing NEXT TRACK....and lets say your looking for an artist among hundreds....if you could break down the search by starting with the genre of that artist (resulting in a smaller area to search through) WONDERFULL!! But with the Alpine....start at 'A' and try to keep your eye on the road! Huge dissappointment....but.....I do have the reciept....lol....looking forward to hearing back from anyone with more info on the Kenwood and maybe even a comparison to the Pioneers as well.....thanks

deepsignal

03-30-2005, 03:20 PM

http://www.kenwood.com/i/kca-ip500/table/eng.html

Jman2

03-30-2005, 04:44 PM

well I just got my KCA-IP500 today....(thanks for the info Mookc1). had it shipped to work and hookep it up during lunch. I only messed with it for a few minutes and it sounds great. But I pretty much have the same questions as VaioAndIpod.... I figured out how to use Scan to go through different playlists (album, artist etc...) but like it seems when you pick Artist for instance, it just starts playing the first artist... Can I not scroll through the artists, then pick one? again, I only messed with this thing for about 10 minutes, so I'm sure there is some functionality that I don't know about yet...

TheBum

03-30-2005, 06:28 PM

Originally posted by Jman2
well I just got my KCA-IP500 today....(thanks for the info Mookc1). had it shipped to work and hookep it up during lunch. I only messed with it for a few minutes and it sounds great. But I pretty much have the same questions as VaioAndiPod.... I figured out how to use Scan to go through different playlists (album, artist etc...) but like it seems when you pick Artist for instance, it just starts playing the first artist... Can I not scroll through the artists, then pick one? again, I only messed with this thing for about 10 minutes, so I'm sure there is some functionality that I don't know about yet...

The Alpine solution does the same thing, so it sounds like a limitation of the iPod accessory bus.

Jman2

03-30-2005, 07:41 PM

well, I messed around with it some more, and I think i've got it figured out for the most part... it seems like if you are in Album mode, it treats each album like a separate CD, which I believe someone mentioned earlier.... the problem with that is that each album is just a number. So does that mean I have to remember what number every album is in the list? Moockc1, you said something about the DNPS being manually manipulated. Does this mean I can name each album through the head unit, and then it will display titles? This may depend on the head unit being used... mine is the KDC MP225. thanks for any suggestions...

sundevil

03-31-2005, 12:19 AM

Got my IP500 today and everything seems to be working.

My setup:

KDC-MP5028 --> SIR-KEN1 --> KCA-IP500 --> Ipod

Previously I had tried to connect my Icelink Plus but it would only work correctly when directly connected to the head unit. It was nice having the info display on the Ipod as well as scroll and also have the option of using the Ipod interface but ........... I wanted to have the text scroll as well as have my satellite radio.

Selecting cds on the IP500 is a litttle cumbersome, but since making playlists is so fast and easy I will probably just make ten or so of what I am most likely to listen to each week. That should make selecting faster.

Jman2,
Depending on what I want to display it will show at least part of the album title. Not sure how your unit works though.

Overall, it was very simple and fast to setup and I am so far very satisfied.

Jman2

03-31-2005, 11:54 AM

I guess I'm starting to get more used to the way this thing works, but now I have a problem with it.... Everything was working fine the first couple of times I used the unit. However, last night i tried to use it again, and lost communication with the IP500... when I connect the iPod, it doesn't display "Kenwood" like it did before, and the Head Unit just says loading, and eventually an error is displayed. The manual says I need to reset the iPod now. I don't know what happened, but to make sure it wasn't my fault, is there any particular order to connecting the iPod, or turning the units on?

Also about resetting the Ipod....do you think this means Update, or fully restore the thing?

deepsignal

03-31-2005, 12:33 PM

As noted on the Kenwood site, make sure your iPod has the latest software.

sundevil

03-31-2005, 04:22 PM

To those of you that have installed the KCA-IP500:

Do you notice a lot of hissing/static for a few seconds when changing playlists ? Not really noticeable when going to a different track within a playlist.

I have not had this happen with anything else connected to my head unit. Bad cable ?

Jman2

03-31-2005, 07:54 PM

Sundevil,
I haven't really noticed that problem with mine.... bad cable? maybe...but it seems like it would do it all the time if it was cable related...

I think i got my problems sorted out... I reset the Ipod and everything seems to be working fine now. I'm still gonna wait a day or two to make sure it is definitely working right before i put my truck back together...

hongchoi

03-31-2005, 10:13 PM

Just installed my IP-500..

Likes: I get to use my iPod in my car with great sound quality.

Dislikes: uh...these integration adaptors are still too clumsy. I get hisses and pops when changing playlists...changing playlists takes too long...how about being able to display the artist along with the title in all modes and not just artist browsing mode??..did I mention the hisses and pops??...too frequent freezes when in shuffle mode (you have to turn off you stereo and turn it back on to unfreeze it)...

...all in all, it's definitely better than the Alpine version..and I think Kenwood did a great job with what they have to work with.

...I'm going to reinstall my Music Keg and use my iPod strictly for portable use.

sundevil

03-31-2005, 11:00 PM

Originally posted by hongchoi
Just installed my IP-500..

...these integration adaptors are still too clumsy. I get hisses and pops when changing playlists...changing playlists takes too long...

How is your system set up ? I have the same problem when changing playlists (hissing/static) which I never had before. Are you going directly to the head unit or thru another box ? It doesn't sound like everyone has this problem and I am trying to figure out if it is my setup or maybe a defective product.

hongchoi

03-31-2005, 11:11 PM

I have it running through the KTC-SR902 Sirius tuner:

KDC-X679 =>KTC-SR902 =>KCA-IP500 (soon to be KHD-C710 again)

Even if the hisses and pops go away with a different set up, I will still go back to using my Music Keg. Maybe they'll get it right next year.

sundevil

03-31-2005, 11:22 PM

I also have mine going thru a Sirius tuner.

Does anyone going thru a Sirius tuner NOT have any hissing/static when changing playlists ? Or does anyone NOT going thru a Sirius tuner have hissing/static ?

Maybe this problem is limited to setups not directly connected to the head unit.

viaoandipod

04-01-2005, 02:07 AM

I'm still wondering if anyone could tell me whether or not the IP-500 has the same search ability as the Pioneers iPod Interface....to be specific...here is a quote from the Pioneers Manual on defined searching ability..."You can refine your search by searching within the results of the last search. For example, searching for genre first and then artist will give you a list of that artist's albums which fall into the chosen genre. When you select a genre from the genre menu, a list of artist falling within the selected genre will be displayed. When you select a genre and artist, a list of the artist's album in that genre will be displayed"....do ya'll see what I'm getting at....please tell me the IP-500 has this ability...I know from personal experience that the Alpine doesn't.....looking forward to response....Jonathan

sundevil

04-02-2005, 02:04 PM

Originally posted by sundevil
To those of you that have installed the KCA-IP500:

Do you notice a lot of hissing/static for a few seconds when changing playlists ? Not really noticeable when going to a different track within a playlist.

I have not had this happen with anything else connected to my head unit. Bad cable ?

Tried connecting the IP500 directly to the head unit and had no static. Connecting an Icelink Plus thru the Sirius tuner had no static (but lost the text scrolling). Crutchfield support says maybe a bad design ? So far seems to be only when the IP500 goes thru the pass thru on the Sirius Kenwood tuner.

hongchoi

04-03-2005, 12:52 AM

Hmm, I wonder if the static will go away if you use the KCA-S210 switcher box.

Anyone willing to dish out another $60-$100 (depending on where you get it from) to test it out?

hongchoi

04-03-2005, 01:00 AM

I just emailed Kenwood tech support about the static issue. I also asked them about the frequent freezing when in shuffle mode (anyone else having this issue????)

I'll let you know when they resond......

sundevil

04-03-2005, 01:54 AM

I will be trying out the KCA-IP500 and KCA-S210A next week. Crutchfield says that Kenwood tested that combination and it works. Hopefully they will be right.

viaoandipod

04-03-2005, 03:37 AM

viaoandipod

04-03-2005, 03:39 AM

Anyone????

viaoandipod

04-03-2005, 03:41 AM

By now I can imagine most of you who own this have tinkered with it enough to know its searching options....can anyone ACURATELY answer my previous posts....please....

saintsaints

04-04-2005, 08:58 AM

I got the KCA-IP500 few days ago with KCA-S210A and I don't get any static or hiss, songs play like they are playing from the cd. I have a 4th gen ipod 40 gig.

saintsaints

04-04-2005, 08:59 AM

no search within a search capabilities

saintsaints

04-04-2005, 09:03 AM

My ipod get hot after a few hours of playing, I leave it in my trunk hooked up to the KCA-IP500. At night, in the trunk it gets cold. I wonder if going hot to cold often will break the ipod. Unlike a computer hard drive, it's usually room temp to hot.

saintsaints

04-04-2005, 09:10 AM

I only like to play using playlists and my head unit has two lines. One line is for the playlist name and second line is for song name, but it's missing artist name. I can have artist name, but it will be missing song name. I'm going to have to rename my songs for example, jaded to jaded - aerosmith. It's a lot of renaming when you have 800 songs.

saintsaints

04-04-2005, 09:15 AM

I guess the Ipod armor I put it in though very secure, may be why it gets cold.

sundevil

04-07-2005, 04:41 PM

Received the KCA-S210A switch box and connected the Sirius tuner and IP500 to it. Everything works perfectly and you get an extra aux in if you need it. The static which I got when connecting the IP500 to the pass thru on the SIR-KEN1 is gone. Had to buy an extra box but overall am happy.

BigFatDuck

04-11-2005, 03:08 PM

just judging by the posts in this thread compared to the pioneer and alpine threads it SOUNDS like this is the better solution of the 3, would that be an accurate assumption?

my main concern with the pioneer was when i read that it will automatically start playing everything. browse by artist and it starts playing the first song of that artist, scroll down the list and it tries to start playing every song as you go down. does the kenwood suffer this same problem?

the main concern with the alpine seems to be how slow it scrolls. is this a problem on the kenwood? is it tolerable or am i going to end up just sticking to a few playlists?

viaoandipod

04-12-2005, 12:45 AM

It seems all 3 have their own set of flaws...the only one I've noticed in the threads for the kenwood is that it doesn't have the "search within a search" capabilities that the Pioneer has.....otherwise I would have bought it already...the whole delay between scrolling doesn't bother me....i'm just looking for a way to cut down the searches....genre to artist within genre to song within artist....etc.....that would cut artist search time incredibly....

explorz

05-12-2005, 12:46 PM

Originally posted by saintsaints
I only like to play using playlists and my head unit has two lines. One line is for the playlist name and second line is for song name, but it's missing artist name. I can have artist name, but it will be missing song name. I'm going to have to rename my songs for example, jaded to jaded - aerosmith. It's a lot of renaming when you have 800 songs.

I only seem to be able to get the song name while using playlists. I only use playlists as I have them set up just as I like them. When I play a regular MP3 CD, I can get song name / artist information.

How can I get either both song / artist OR at the very least "Artist" information when I am playing through the Playlist option?

explorz

05-13-2005, 04:08 PM

Originally posted by saintsaints
I only like to play using playlists and my head unit has two lines. One line is for the playlist name and second line is for song name, but it's missing artist name. I can have artist name, but it will be missing song name. I'm going to have to rename my songs for example, jaded to jaded - aerosmith. It's a lot of renaming when you have 800 songs.

Not sure if you are on a mac or pc, but if you come across a simple method of renaming all your songs to include song title/artist, please let me know. I am thinking about changing all my 6500 songs to include artist in the song title so that it iwll show up when using the ip500.

kennyb

05-16-2005, 09:39 AM

Originally posted by saintsaints
I only like to play using playlists and my head unit has two lines. One line is for the playlist name and second line is for song name, but it's missing artist name. I can have artist name, but it will be missing song name. I'm going to have to rename my songs for example, jaded to jaded - aerosmith. It's a lot of renaming when you have 800 songs.

I have the Kenwood KDC-MP228 and it has only 1 text line display. When I select a playlist, only the playlist name displays. Anyone know how to get the song name to show up or do I need a head unit with a 2 line display?

Never mind - Finally dechiphered the awful user manual. Just need push in the joystick and hold for 1 second.

saintsaints

05-16-2005, 09:44 AM

I don't know what to use for renaming and decided to try the icelink for song and artist display. If that doesn't work out, I'm changing my deck for another brand.

explorz

05-16-2005, 11:02 AM

Please let me know how the icelink compares to the ip500 since I might go that route as well.

Thanks

Jman2

05-17-2005, 01:14 PM

ok, So I've had my IP500 for a couple of months now, and overall I'm very satisfied with the product. As with anything, some things could certainly be improved, specifically the searching method. I've found the easiest way for me is either using playlists or just selecting an album before you get in the car. The head unit will resume playing the last thing played on the Ipod. The biggest reason I got this was so I could control the Ipod thru the head unit. But I find that it is such a pain to find an album thru the unit, that I normally just disconnect the Ipod, find the Album and then reconnect. Not that big of a deal really, but it could be improved. But this method does create problems sometimes....

The head unit doesn't always recognize the Ipod like you think it would. After several months of using this thing, I still can't figure out if there is supposed to be a certain order to hooking up / turning on the units or not. Sometimes the unit will start playing the Ipod when I crank the car. Other times I will have to cycle thru Standby/Tuner/Sirius/CD/*MEDIA before it will play. Other times I will have to turn the unit off, then back on and cycle. And still other times I have to reset the head unit alltogether. Has anyone else had these issues or figured out a solution??

kennyb

05-17-2005, 04:45 PM

Originally posted by explorz
Not sure if you are on a mac or pc, but if you come across a simple method of renaming all your songs to include song title/artist, please let me know. I am thinking about changing all my 6500 songs to include artist in the song title so that it iwll show up when using the ip500.

tagscanner for the pc. See post below this one.

explorz

05-17-2005, 08:13 PM

HUH??!!

saintsaints

05-18-2005, 08:56 AM

Do I change the line below? What if I want to rename all in mp3's on the ipod? I don't keep any mp3's on my computer.

("ASSOCIATORS OF {Win32_Directory.Name='C:\MyDocs-DataFiles\Music'}

kennyb

05-18-2005, 09:28 AM

Originally posted by saintsaints
Do I change the line below? What if I want to rename all in mp3's on the ipod? I don't keep any mp3's on my computer.

("ASSOCIATORS OF {Win32_Directory.Name='C:\MyDocs-DataFiles\Music'}

Yes, that is the line. it won't work on the IPOD itself and would run on the pc where your music files are stored. I renamed all my mp3's with this script, reformatted the IPOD, and reloaded the IPOD from my pc so that all the IPODs tables would be re-built.

Well - it turns out this did not allow the Kenwood hu to display artist - title. So it must look at the id3 tag and not the filename when displaying. Bummer.

explorz

05-18-2005, 11:18 AM

Yes, it is the id3 tag for 'name' that needs to have the artist information added. Most likely it is a commercial tag editor that might have this feature, but I have not found one yet.

kennyb

05-18-2005, 07:59 PM

Originally posted by explorz
Yes, it is the id3 tag for 'name' that needs to have the artist information added. Most likely it is a commercial tag editor that might have this feature, but I have not found one yet.

I can't post a URL, but Google tagscanner and try this freeware

w w w tucows. com /preview /341611

I just tried this and it works like a charm!!!

First use the Music Rename tab and set:
Format field to %1 - %2
Click the Rename button

Next use the Tag Processor tab and set:
Task to Generate Tag from filename
Existing Tag box to Update
Title field to %1 - %2
Click Generate

explorz

05-18-2005, 08:45 PM

Alas, I am on the Mac system and tagscanner is only for windows. I did find a nice mac program, but once I replace the "title" tag with title and artist info, I can't find an easy way to change the "title" tag to just title if I want to revert back to normal tagging.

It is just such a drag that Kenwood didn't think it through so that the ip500 looks at both the song title tag and artist tag for the display. When my head unit plays Mp3 CDs, it display that information just fine, but not from the iPod.

saintsaints

05-19-2005, 04:09 AM

Does tagscanner rename all mp3s at once or do I have to click and generate each mp3 individually?

kennyb

05-19-2005, 12:22 PM

Originally posted by saintsaints
Does tagscanner rename all mp3s at once or do I have to click and generate each mp3 individually?

You point it to a folder and it does them all at once. It also does subfolders.

I ended up using tagscanner to plug in title - artist in the title filed of the ID3 tag on all my mp3 files(2000+). It only took a few minutes. The Kenwoord now displays the title then artist on the display, so I'm liking this much better now!

Freaky87

05-26-2005, 09:09 AM

Hey. I just purchased an IP500, and a kenwood deck KDCMP-4029

I purchased the ip500 with the hope of displaying the song title, however i am extremely disapointed as i cannot get it to display.
I've looked at the user manuel, but its the hardest thing to understand. I've had a fool around with my deck, and cannot seam to get it to display the song title, only luck so far is displaying the artist, or playlist.

If someone could let me know how i can get my deck (KDCMP-4029) to display the song title, it would be greatly appreciated!!

kennyb

05-26-2005, 01:35 PM

Originally posted by Freaky87
Hey. I just purchased an IP500, and a kenwood deck KDCMP-4029

I purchased the ip500 with the hope of displaying the song title, however i am extremely disapointed as i cannot get it to display.
I've looked at the user manuel, but its the hardest thing to understand. I've had a fool around with my deck, and cannot seam to get it to display the song title, only luck so far is displaying the artist, or playlist.

If someone could let me know how i can get my deck (KDCMP-4029) to display the song title, it would be greatly appreciated!!

Push in the joystick and hold for 1 second on the Kenwood head unit. The move joystick to select D-Title or T-Title

Freaky87

05-27-2005, 03:51 AM

Originally posted by kennyb
Push in the joystick and hold for 1 second on the Kenwood head unit. The move joystick to select D-Title or T-Title

thankyou so much for that piece of info. Greatly appreciated.

Now im just editting the songs with that tagscanner software. This thread has been greatly informing.
Thanks everyone.

Freaky87

05-31-2005, 09:15 AM

Originally posted by kennyb
I can't post a URL, but Google tagscanner and try this freeware

w w w tucows. com /preview /341611

I just tried this and it works like a charm!!!

First use the Music Rename tab and set:
Format field to %1 - %2
Click the Rename button

Next use the Tag Processor tab and set:
Task to Generate Tag from filename
Existing Tag box to Update
Title field to %1 - %2
Click Generate

Im having a problem with this.
What to put in the album field? If i leave it blank and click generate, then the album is blank.

I tried putting %3, didnt seam to do anything.
Any advice?

kennyb

05-31-2005, 05:54 PM

Originally posted by Freaky87
Im having a problem with this.
What to put in the album field? If i leave it blank and click generate, then the album is blank.

I tried putting %3, didnt seam to do anything.
Any advice?

The value of the % field depends on what you are doing. If you are on the "Music Renamer" tab then the ID3 tag fields are substituted to rename the files(i.e. %1 = Tag artist). If you are on the "Tag Processor" tab, then parts on the filename are substituted and put into ID3 tag fields and the delimeter of - is used by default to break apart the file name.

Freaky87

06-01-2005, 02:28 AM

I am having trouble under the "Tag Processor" tab.

Here is a screen shot of what i have:

http : //img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/Freaky87/TagScanner.jpg

Here is a result of what happens

http : //img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/Freaky87/TagScanner1.jpg

Any ideas?

(there is gaps there cause im not allowed to post a url)

kennyb

06-01-2005, 06:32 PM

Originally posted by Freaky87
I am having trouble under the "Tag Processor" tab.

Here is a screen shot of what i have:

http : //img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/Freaky87/TagScanner.jpg

Here is a result of what happens

http : //img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/Freaky87/TagScanner1.jpg

Any ideas?

(there is gaps there cause im not allowed to post a url)

I'm not sure, but you may need to change the "APE" option in the top right to "ID3V1"

Freaky87

06-02-2005, 09:32 AM

^Awsome.

Works fine now. Thanks heaps man.

cyberi4n

06-02-2005, 06:31 PM

OK I hesitated long and hard before giving this a middle-of-the-road review rating. Why? Because whilst it does everything it says on the tin, it also needs to do a whole lot more to fulfill its promise!!!!!

First things first the unit is quick and easy to install - took a matter of minutes. The unit charges the iPod whilst connected, and it was refreshing to learn that the unit didn't need a separate power source - taking all it's power from the head unit.

OK so once connected and wires tucked away, it was time to power-up and see for myself!!!! The head unit of choice was a Kenwood KDC-W6027 installed in a '98 MX-5.

Sound quality is good, if a little quite. The unit automatically plays the last track played on the iPod first. Selections available are by Artist, Playlist, Album, Genre.

But this is where the problems creep in. It takes at least 3 seconds for the unit to scroll from one item to another. So on an iPod with 250 albums it will take you AT LEAST 325 seconds, or 6.25 MINUTES to get to the 125th album. Chopping and changing between selections isn't any better either, the minute you change from browsing Albums to browsing Playlists you're back to the first item, so another long scroll session to reach what you really want. Once you've found the ARTIST you want, pressing play at that point will simply play all songs by the artist in album order, one after the other. Once you've selected the ARTIST, changing to ALBUM view to view a list of their albums simply takes you to....yep you've guessed it, the beginning of the iPod album list. Enter another long scroll session!!!!

In actuall fact it's easier to disconnect the iPod, use the iPod to find the album/artist/playlist/genre you want, press play on the iPod, then connect back up to the head unit again. Now this could be due to the head unit I have, however until these issues are sorted out then this unit is a bit of a turkey!

Hopefully future Kenwood head units will make use of a scroll wheel to scroll through quicker, otherwise this unit will simply fall by the wayside!!!

TikiMotel

06-06-2005, 03:13 PM

viaoandipod, I do have your answer. Unfortunately, it is probably not what you want to hear. Unless I am completely missing something with the interface, it does NOT have the ability to browse more than one level deep (no subfolders, subsearches, or whatever you want to call them).

This unfortunatley makes the interface next to useless for me. If you do mostly playlists, then it works great. However, I never use playlists and pretty much exclusively search by artist and then album, which does not work on the Kenwood. So, you either have to search by artist and advance tracks all the way to the next album for that artist (pretty tough if you have lots of albums from a single artist), or you have to list by album and advance through hundreds of albums (which are alphabetized not sorted by artist).

If I am missing something, someone PLEASE correct me. I love my Kenwood unit otherwise.

Until I figure something else out (or return the unit), I am prepending an abbreviated artist name before every album title on my iPod (e.g., DMB: Busted Stuff) so that I can at least search by album and have it sorted by artist. You have to make the artist name really short otherwise you can't see the album title since the display line is so short on the Kenwood (another ridiculous limitation).

markhadayah

06-07-2005, 02:30 PM

My advice, do what I did and take the IP500 back. It was awful in trying to find an artist. I swapped it for the CD changer to Aux input on the same Kenwood headunit and just charge it from a Belkin Auto kit. This works so much better, its cheaper and if you are clever with hiding the wiring, you won't notice the differene

Freaky87

06-08-2005, 05:46 AM

^Can you still see the song title/artist name on the deck?

cyberi4n

06-08-2005, 06:03 AM

I have the eMail address of a nice guy in Kenwood, whom I've been eMailing regarding the way the Kenwood unit works. I suggest you start sending him your comments - at this stage he claims to pass everything on to Kenwood in Japan. If enough of us ask for the same thing then things may change.

I'm not going to post his eMail addy on here - if you want it eMail or PM me with KENWOOD IPOD as the subject title and I'll mail it back to you

markhadayah

06-08-2005, 06:04 AM

No, you cannot see any track info, but as my HU only has 8 characters, and the first four are taken up with either ART: or GEN: or ALB:, this means you only got to see the first 4 letters of the artist etc, or have to wait for it to scroll. As I now have my iPod in a cradle, I can see from the LCD display much more information than I would ever have got on the HU.

cyberi4n

06-08-2005, 06:10 AM

@ markhadayah

This does depend on the HU of choice though. Mine can display Album title, track title, time of track and time, flicking between each at the press of a button. It also scrolls so that I can see the entire track name. With the display set to track name I don't get any of the ALB: characters before each title. The newer HUs with multiline displays will display the Album title, track title, etc all at once (check your Kenwood Adapter instructions for this - it shows it clearly!!!! - you DO read instruction manuals don't you?? ) :)

markhadayah

06-08-2005, 07:02 AM

I read the manual very carefully, but no matter how many times I read it, I only see 8 characters on the HU! I was not aware that Art: etc would be showing when I bought the unit. I still maintain that playing through the aux imput gives much greater control.

cyberi4n

06-08-2005, 07:20 AM

@ markhadayah

I don't disagree with you there. The ability to change from disk title to track title rests with the HU and not with the iPod controler, so it's that manual you need to look at, not the iPod manual. If your head-unit is one that plays MP3 CDs as well as standard CDs then this functionality should already be built in. If not then it is likely that the only control you have is the standard CD Autochanger interface which in all likelyhood will only display as you say it does. Out of interest which model HU do you have?

I agree that the iPod unit that Kenwood have produced isn't the best or the most flexible - it's almost as though they got half way through the design process then rushed it to production to get one on the market straight away. In addition they will also be limited by how much information Apple provide them about the iPod control architecture. We can only hope that future incarnations are significantly improved, and the only way to do that is to keep presssure up on Kenwood to modify and improve their product. Perhaps you'd like to eMail your thoughts to Kenwood so that they may have some guidance as to what the public want - I have an eMail address you can use - perhaps you'd like to PM me for it.

markhadayah

06-08-2005, 08:26 AM

I have the Kenwood 4531. Its was a real pain to scroll through artist or genres, and when you did eventually find the correct artist, you coudn't then choose an album, it just started from the top. I appreciate that it may not be Kenwood's fault, but that doesn;t alter the fact that I found it a waste of time, and MUCH prefer the aux input.

jdg

11-27-2005, 03:00 AM

Originally posted by cyberi4n
@ markhadayah

This does depend on the HU of choice though. Mine can display Album title, track title, time of track and time, flicking between each at the press of a button. It also scrolls so that I can see the entire track name. With the display set to track name I don't get any of the ALB: characters before each title. The newer HUs with multiline displays will display the Album title, track title, etc all at once (check your Kenwood Adapter instructions for this - it shows it clearly!!!! - you DO read instruction manuals don't you?? ) :)

I have the DDX-8017, which is a multiline unit, and I can only see the 'searchable name (genre, album, artist, etc)' or the song title ... scrolling works, but that's it ... :(

mcberk

12-04-2005, 06:24 PM

I just had installed a Kenwood MP-5028 head unit with the Kenwood iPod adaptor in my 2006 Toyota Camry. It works great except for one important thing .... I can't figure out how to display and scroll through/select the playlists on my 40GB iPod.

I realize that once I figure this out, it will be a slow process to scroll through. But I'm frustrated that I can't even get there. I've read both booklets for the head unit and adaptor until my eyes are bleeding, but still can't figure it out.

It says to press the scan button and that the playlists, etc., will show up on screen. The only thing that happens when I press scan is the current track playing blinks off and on.

I love the sound quality of my setup. I love that it charges my iPod. I'm able to shuffle through all of my songs using the random function. But I have this one major stumbling block that's driving me crazy.

I'd appreciate any helpful suggestions.

mcberk

12-04-2005, 06:25 PM

jdg

12-05-2005, 01:30 PM

The scan button allows you to change between: Genre, Playlist, Artist, or Album ... then you have to hit another button to search within those categories. I'm attaching a link that explains it somewhat. How many items appear in your search is dependent on your HU and the select mode of your IP500. If this doesn't work, please let me know and I'll see what else I can dig up. ;)

I can't post links apparently so replace as needed:

www -dot- phatnoise -dot- com/products/plug_ins/kenwood_viot_how_it_works.php

DwarfIpod

12-11-2005, 08:08 PM

i just got this connector today and have had the alpine unit for some time and all i can say is the alpine is great and this unit is not even close to the alpine. this unit is extremly slow about 8
seconds in selecting playlists. they just come up as numbers and then you have to wait another 2 or 3 seconds for the title to pop up so you can either remember the order of your playlists or do what i did and make a playlist call it "1" and put all your songs on it and just shuffle. i am also very disapointed that it wont just shuffle the whole ipod just a playlist thats weak. all in all the alpine is way better.

jetlounge

12-14-2005, 12:32 PM

the ip500 is a great addition to my kenwood system, but it desperately needs a cradle or dock. is there anything out there that i can use to hook up to the cable? or a base dock with an adapter?

five

02-02-2006, 08:31 AM

Originally posted by Jman2
Sometimes the unit will start playing the iPod when I crank the car. Other times I will have to cycle thru Standby/Tuner/Sirius/CD/*MEDIA before it will play. Other times I will have to turn the unit off, then back on and cycle. And still other times I have to reset the head unit alltogether. Has anyone else had these issues or figured out a solution??

Have you had any luck with this? I am having a similar problem.

wyzard

03-11-2006, 04:06 AM

I have a Kenwood KDC-MP825 with a Sirius receiver and a Music Keg.

I'm thinking of getting rid of the Keg and replacing ti with the KCA-IP500.

Does anyone know if the KCA-IP500 will work with the KDC-MP825? I'm not sure when my unit was manufactured, so that's why I'm asking. Will I be able to see my song titles, etc. on my display?

Thanks.

middlec

03-12-2006, 06:02 PM

I've had this Kenwood adapter for about 3 weeks now and I just love it.

One thing that's frustrating is the amount of time it takes to select the playlist that I want to play.

When I'm in "playlist" mode, I hit the >> button either on the stereo interface or on the remote control, and it selects playlist no. 2, generally the one that I play the most (playlist no. 1 is the whole ipod). But while the number 2 is flashing, it takes its time to load up and sometimes it doesn't even load up at all and goes back to playlist no. 1. I have to try again and again until it works.

The other weird thing that I discovered after having just come back from a long car trip is that it ignores some of the criteria that I have set for the playlist to work. For example, the criteria I depend on alot to keep my songs rotating is "last played is not in the last xxx months/weeks/whatever", so that when a song has just played, it automatically gets deleted from that playlist. But Kenwood adapter ignores this and keeps the song in the playlist. With the Random function on, songs tend to repeat within hours of hearing them.

THe only way I can think of to get around this is to play the iPod on its own (without the adaptor) straight after a car trip, which should then rotate songs out of playlists according to the criteria, and then plug it back into the car. But then of course I get the problem of spending five minutes waiting for the playlist to load up again.

Other than that though, the Kenwood adaptor runs rings around the little Belkin FM transmitter I used to have.

tscales

03-21-2006, 10:22 PM

Hey all,

I searched and got some good info but no answer to my question.

I have a Kenwood MP7028 head unit and just hooked the ip500 up to it - sounds good. I have lost the mp7028 manual and I cannot figure out to search or browse thru the artists. Its seems like I have to unhook it, find what I want, and plug it back in - undesireable. I have tried it with my photo and nano and it seems like I can only scan from playlist to playlist or soemthing - any suggestions. I have the switches set on the ip500 as Kenwood says I should for this head unit.

how do I search? I can't even just "cue" forward to the next album, really odd, it only lets me cue forward to two different albums I have resumed.

any thoughts or experience would be very helpfull - thanks.

-Tim