Play Digital Music in Your Car

By Michelle Hainer

Nancy Kirk, of Omaha, Neb., and her 17-year-old daughter definitely don't have the same taste in music. "She likes heavy metal artists like Marilyn Manson and Linkin Park, which make me crazy when I drive," says Kirk. So to compromise, Kirk's daughter converts her favorite tunes to MP3 files, burns them onto CDs and then listens to them on her Discman. Meanwhile her mom enjoys lighter fare like Josh Groban through her car stereo. "It's our way of keeping the peace," she laughs.

If you are like the Kirk family, and you want to take your favorite sounds on the road, you have plenty of options. These days, digital versions of songs and books are available online or in stores that sell entertainment products.

Here's what you need to make your car an MP3 jukebox on wheels:

1. Organize your digital tunes 
In addition to downloading MP3s from the iTunes store or sites like Rhapsody and MP3, you can also convert your entire CD collection to MP3s. But how do you catalog a life's worth of music? Software programs like iTunes, Windows Media Player or Music Match allow you to use your computer to import music from CDs and automatically convert the tracks to MP3 files. These software programs organize your music in a variety of ways, including by song, artist name and CD title.

Andy Rathbone, author of MP3 for Dummies (For Dummies) says you can also use programs like iTunes to organize your music by genre. While iTunes is the most compatible software for iPods, there are alternative programs you can use like Anapod Explorer or EphPod (ilounge Web site).

2. Connect your MP3 player to your car stereo 
If you have an MP3 player such as an Apple iPod, Microsoft Zune or the iRiver Clix, you can use them to listen to MP3s in your car. Many newer cars allow you to connect your MP3s to the car's audio system with a simple cable. The cable (which usually comes with your player) connects to the player's headphone jack and then to a port for your car stereo, says Rathbone.

If your car is not MP3-ready, it only takes a few steps to get the music going. For starters, you can buy a few attachments to make your portable MP3 player compatible with your car stereo. If your car has a tape deck, you can purchase a converter (try the Belkin Cassette Adapter, from the belkin Web site) which looks like a cassette tape with a thin wire that connects to your MP3 player. Once attached and turned on, your car will play digital music via the cassette tape player. In this set up, the audio is controlled by the buttons on your MP3 player.

Another option is to use an FM transmitter, such as the Digital Wireless Tune Cast Full Frequency FM Transmitter (HDAccessory Web site), which plugs into your car's cigarette lighter and streams your MP3s through a radio frequency. With a transmitter, Rathbone notes, there could be some setbacks to consider. "FM transmitters work, but the sound quality isn't very good. They're also susceptible to interference from nearby radio stations."

3. Go hands-free 
A step up from FM Transmitters is the DLO Transdock Deluxe (dlo Web site). This gadget plays your music via the radio, and it comes with a wireless remote control that attaches to your steering wheel, allowing you to operate your MP3 player and maintain safety while driving. For now, however, this gadget is only compatible with iPods.

For those of you with new cars, your car stereo is likely to be Bluetooth-enabled, a technology that connects devices wirelessly. With Bluetooth you can use your MP3 player in your car without cables.

For non-wireless cars, you might want to invest in a Bluetooth kit. Try the Parrot MK6000 Bluetooth Hands-Free Kit.

4. Make your own CDs 
If you don't have a portable MP3 player, you can still play digital music in your car. Since MP3s are compressed files, you can fit a lot of them on a blank CD -- anywhere from 100 to 300 songs. The number of songs you can fit depends on their length and the quality of the file, says Rathbone. To burn CDs with your MP3 collection, you need an internal or external CD-R drive that allows your computer to write to CDs. Then use iTunes or any CD burning software, including the one that's included with Windows XP, to transfer your MP3s to your own mixed CD. The beauty of making your own MP3-packed CDs is that you can mix and match music, so all of your favorite tunes are in one place.

No matter which route you go to start playing MP3s in your car, if your family is like the Kirk family, it will improve the comfort of long and short trips.  "Now that I have my music, my van is like my second home," Nancy Kirk says.