Reading mp3 file contents

I am new to CE2000.  Upon opening some mp3 files CE2000 seems to need a description of how to interpret the file contents.  Not knowing the various mp3 file formats I am unable to answer and get sensible data from the file.  WinAmp seems to have no trouble interpreting these same file contents as they play just fine.  What am I missing with CE2000?

Any help appreciated,

John.

[.mp3]

A proper mp3 decoder is supposed to be able to deal with any and every real mp3 file; there should never be any questions to answer. Is the file extension .mp3? Exactly what is the message you get?

In the open file dialogue there is check box near the top right: Show file information
check it
What does it say the file is when you have the file highlighted?

I am new to CE2000.  Upon opening some mp3 files CE2000 seems to need a description of how to interpret the file contents.

What actually happens is actually well-known, and not exactly as Andy describes at all - it's not a CE2000 problem as such, and you can open the files if you know exactly what the format is. What's different between the CE2000 decoder and the WinAmp one is that the WinAmp one will still open an MP3 that has a corrupted, or even non-existent, header. CE2000 simply needs to know that the data it's been presented with is an MP3 file, and the bitrate. Usually if you use 'open as', you can provide the information, with a couple of guesses. Effectively, you are rebuilding the missing header information.

If there's no extension on the file, or it has an incorrect one, you may need to append .mp3 to it - and I seem to recall that there is at least one other workaround for this too, involving RAW data.

Did CE2000 come with a full mp3 encoder/decoder?
What do you see listed when you go to File->OpenAs and pull down the Files of type options?

Did CE2000 come with a full mp3 encoder/decoder?

Yes it did - it was only an add-on for CEP.

...with the proviso that the MP3 encoder was time limited to (I think) 60 second files until you pay for and register your CE2K.  

Bob

What's different between the CE2000 decoder and the WinAmp one is that the WinAmp one will still open an MP3 that has a corrupted, or even non-existent, header.

With the right plug-in installed (or maybe even without one?), WinAmp will play MP2 files.  Mine does, but I'm not at home now to check if it is because a separate plug-in is installed.  Did/does CE2000 open and play MP2 files?  Could Hibbs' mp3 files be mp2 files that have been given the mp3 extension?

Thanks to all whom replied,  my problem was solved by using 'open with'.

Cheers John.