All 2005 and Prior GM Passenger Cars and Trucks
All 2005 and Prior Saturn Models
2003-2005 HUMMER H2
with CD or DVD Players
ALL CD and DVD players should be evaluated for the type of media being used before service or replacement. This bulletin should be posted and all Service Consultants, Sales Managers and Sales Personnel become familiar with the information contained below. Customers with disc player concerns covered in this bulletin should be given copies of this information in order to help them understand and maximize the use of the entertainment system in the vehicle.
A considerable amount of confusion and concerns stem from the types of Media and File types available on a standard (in appearance) Compact Disc for consumer purchase and/or recording. The information below will address some of this confusion in clear simple terms.
Whenever you have a concern with Compact Disc skipping, inoperative, sluggish, and/or long search times, you first need to evaluate the system with a known good disc. ALL GM CD players will accept and play pre-recorded media bearing the Compact Disc logo on the jewel case or the front of the disc. A diagnostic kit J 39916-CD or J 39916-A is available from Kent-Moore, which includes an evaluation CD to assist you. When testing the system for the above conditions, never use a customer supplied disc other than for the demonstration of the concern.
| • | Even if a customer supplies you with a disc that is "store bought" and appears to be free of scratches and fingerprints, other factors such as long term exposure to sunlight and/or the heat of the vehicle interior may warp the disc or delaminate the readable surface. |
| • | Some customers may be using home recorded CD Recordable (CD-R) media in their vehicle. In addition, computer programs that print facsimiles of original labels on transparent adhesive film may make it difficult to tell a well done CD-R from the original. |
| • | CD-RW are not readable in any GM CD player and should not be used. |
| • | Some discs may contain additional features and other non-music data that is unreadable to the CD player. |
Important: In all cases, you should use a known good disc to check proper operation of the CD player.
Load a known good CD into the player or changer. Operate the player and/or drive the vehicle to try to duplicate the customer concern. If the concern cannot be duplicated with your test CD, refer to the information below to assist you in resolving the customer's concern.
Notice: Advise the customer not to use paste-on labels in GM CD players. The labels may dislodge or curl, damaging or jamming the CD player.
Many home computers now come with CD-R/RW drives capable of recording music in standard CD format on a blank disc. A finished CD-R disc is advertised to work in all CD players. Customers may experience difficulty when using these discs due to several factors:
| • | The quality of the finished disc varies with the media used. Off-brand or discount blank discs may have imperfections such that they are not suitable for automotive applications. A disc that is barely readable may function in a stationary player while skipping in a vehicle due to the vibrations of driving. |
| • | The speed at which the disc is recorded will dramatically affect the readability. The laser in the recording drive gets less time to etch the readable surface of the disc as the recording speed is increased, therefore the data contained on the disc
is more faint. A good comparison is if you are trying to read a newspaper that the printing is barely visible on. Any motion or change in lighting would cause you to lose your place. The same applies for the CD player. Instruct customers to locate the speed
control on their computer software or stand-alone recorder and lower the speed. This may improve results.
ITEM Tip(c)Many CD-R discs have the maximum recordable speed printed on the case and/or the disc. This guideline is assuming all variables are met, and the latest recording equipment is used. This maximum speed rating does not assure good results. Older CD-R/RW drives may not be able to achieve the highest stated speed of 32x or 24x with good results. You should slow older equipment down more. |
| • | Discs with the readable side that is colored may be more susceptible to skipping. |
| • | CD-RW discs are not readable in any GM CD player and should not be used. |
A standard music CD in computer terms carries .cda files. It is possible to home record onto a disc with many other files types, all of which are not readable in GM CD or DVD players. Some, but not all, of the non-compatable files types are:
| • | .wav |
| • | .wma |
| • | .mpeg |
| • | .avi |
| • | .midi |
| • | .mov |
| • | .mp4 |
GM CD players that also feature DVD Video playback are not compatible with the newly released high resolution sound DVD-A or DVD Audio discs.
A Special Note About .mp3 files.: The ability of this type of file to compress many hours of music onto one disc has increased the popularity of this type of file. Many internet music downloads and stand alone players are available in this format. GM has, and will, introduce some CD players that will decode this format. Some CD players equipped with this feature may have the MP3 logo on the front of the player. You should refer to the Owner's Manual in each case for compatibility, as in some cases only one of several available radios may decode the .mp3 format. Files recorded in .mp3 format may be highly compressed and exhibit a range of good to poor fidelity depending on how the file was recorded. The audio artifacts of high compression may sound like distortion even at low volumes or exacerbate speaker rattles at high volume settings.
There are now, in addition to the original style CD, various other types of discs which promise compatibility with your standard style CD player. The two most popular of these styles are Super-Audio Compact Disc (SACD) and DVD Audio (DVD-A ).
Super Audio is a new format in which some discs from some manufacturers offer compatibility with standard CD players. SACD's may be recorded with 2 layers of data, one for CD players and one for SACD players. This type of disc will be marked as a "Hybrid 2-Channel" or "Hybrid Multi-Channel". These discs may function in your normal CD player, though no testing has been performed as to susceptibility to skipping or sensitivity to dirt and scratching. SACD's that are not marked as "Hybrid" will NOT play in your CD player.
DVD audio discs are another high resolution sound medium that is offered to the consumer. This format is NOT compatible with a CD player or a conventional DVD Video player such as those offered by GM. The exception is that recently, some manufacturers of DVD-A discs have begun producing two-sided DVD-A discs. These discs may be labelled DualDisc with an accompanying symbol. Only DVD-A discs with this symbol will play in your GM CD/DVD.
Important: Be sure to insert a DualDisc with the proper side up for conventional CD playback.
CD-ROM's are intended for your computer only. Enhanced feature CD's may contain lyrics, and/or other video information. The specific tracks on the CD with this additional information will not function in your CD player, or behave erratically.
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GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians,
NOT a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform these
technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to
provide information that could assist in the proper service of a
vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment,
tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do a job properly and
safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that the
bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have
that condition. See your GM dealer for information on whether
your vehicle may benefit from the information. |
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