Playing audio from USB, random function is not working correctly

[delfinus]

I'm relatively new owner of Lexus IS300h and enjoy it for this first month. At the same time I'm also discovering various functions and features that they are offered.

One of the hiccup that I discovered is that random function for audio system when playing audio via USB is not working correctly on IS300h. I would judge that program code for multimedia is just not written correctly. For the reference I have 2018 model of Lexus IS300h with Mark Levinson  audio system.

When playing audio and selecting random function to shuffle music on my USB it will start and play random for the time being of your single ride. As soon as you will make a stop and turn your vehicle down random table of already played songs will be deleted. What this means? You will start the car. The song you were listening last will continue and finish but it will happen sooner or later that songs that you were listening in the your previous ride will come up again.

Correct playing with random function ON would be that the audio system remembers the songs that were already played during all the rides, no matter if a car was started or stopped 100 times in between. Same songs should not be repeated until all the songs from the random table are played out, or until the USB media is removed, or if random key function is pressed again.

So random function is a bit useless on Lexus IS300h. I read on American Lexus forum that this is common also for other owners so I guess there is no solution or trick to solve this issue. It is better to listen to the music in linear order as they are put on USB stick. This way we will at least avoid that some songs are picked over and over again. Any experiences from you? Alternative is also to stream music via Bluetooth and use media player from your phone and random function there. But I like minimalistic solutions and have my favorite collection of music on USB and use the features that are provided with the car. But I guess it is not possible?

best wishes, D.

[Herbie]

I don't know of any player, whether in a car or even a home HiFi system, where the 'random' works truly randomly.

I agree with you - if I have 2000 songs on my list then none of them should be repeated until all 2000 have been played once, but it just doesn't work that way, whether in the car or the home.

I've even had the same song come up FOUR times in a 10 mile journey, but sadly, that's just how it works.

The only way I found to sort of 'cheat' the system was with CDs. I would record MP3 files randomly onto the discs, then put the discs into the 6-slot changer in a random order and then tell the player to play randomly - and even then it wasn't foolproof!

[Ala Larj]

I just press the next track button on the steering wheel if one comes on twice.

[Herbie]

2 minutes ago, Ala Larj said:

I just press the next track button on the steering wheel if one comes on twice.

Yep, me too.

[delfinus]

Yeah, so I guess we miss a bit of advanced code programing for car audio systems. But I see that you are dealing with this problem also on RX. Random is good for long journeys, but even here for those without stopping. For short journeys it is just not good at all. Same songs might come over and over again and some might never be played at all, specially if we have a big collection of songs on USB.

By this, when listening USB media I will rather listen to the songs in the linear order as I will be less disturbed.

For more advanced listening the only option now I see is to use phone, streaming via Bluetooth and using of media players on phone. Those players that prevents double play of same songs when shuffle play is selected.

best, d.

[Herbie]

5 minutes ago, delfinus said:

Those players that prevents double play of same songs when shuffle play is selected.

That's the point - I don't think that any of them can avoid this.

If you think about it logically, we are getting what we want, ie, for the player to play tracks randomly. What we also need is for the player to have a memory of what it's already played and to have some algorithm to tell it not to play these again until all tracks have been played once.

The problem is that, in any truly random system, the chances of some songs being played more than once is no better or worse than the chances of any other track being played.

[Mincey]

1 hour ago, Ala Larj said:

I just press the next track button on the steering wheel if one comes on twice.

 I find myself pressing Next most of the time when playing my favourites on Spotify. They can't really be my "favourites" then, can they? 😉

[delfinus]

2 hours ago, Herbie said:

That's the point - I don't think that any of them can avoid this.

If you think about it logically, we are getting what we want, ie, for the player to play tracks randomly. What we also need is for the player to have a memory of what it's already played and to have some algorithm to tell it not to play these again until all tracks have been played once.

The problem is that, in any truly random system, the chances of some songs being played more than once is no better or worse than the chances of any other track being played.

Hiya, actually there are some players for Android that they can do that. So they shuffle the complete list of songs and remembers what they played and what they did not yet. But yeah you will need to use a phone and Bluetooth. So this is another device. Or to install 3rd party Android Auto media hardware into Lexus.. But yeah god knows what problems can bring that in. So until some years, at least I have a warranty for my car I will need to improvise I suppose.

best d.

[PaulWhitt20]

Is it because you have also got repeat selected? I thought that if random and repeat are selected you get tracks more than once, but if repeat is not selected then it would only play the track once.

But that still relies on knowing what it has already played, which would work for a phone, but perhaps the car audio does not remember what it has played.

I am not sure how the posh audio system works as I only have the standard one.


Thanks
Paul

[delfinus]

Nope, only random or flld random is selected and every time we start the car it plays the last song until the end and then it makes a new shuffle list. It just not exclude the songs that were already played before.

[Bob99]

I have the mark levinson system and also find you get repeats when selected to random I just press next like the others. It also appears to work in blocks of artists as well.