Aren't we getting a bit sidetracked here?

 

Peter, what integration unit do you have, and how is it working? ANy disappointments? The Vaistech unit looks simple enough, but is not clear what wires must be stidking out from somewhere to hook the ipod to. Does it come with a module for this?

 

Greetings to the Frozen North!!

I have the VaisTech unit. It comes with a connector lead that connects to the base of the iPod like a mini-dock. The installer asked where I wanted the lead and I preferred that it be in the glove compartment. The wire appears to have been routed through existing spaces rather than something drilled. I connect the iPod to it just like I might connect to the PC at home with the USB cable.

The Vais tech works great. Sound is highly dependent on source material. Good CD's sound great, poor CD's sound crummy. I have tried some recordings in Apple Lossless and the sound is nor really that much better. This is as it should be as I prefer to hear the recording and it shows off the resolving power of the ML audio system. On some recordings you can hear what sounds like a real voice being picked up by a microphone. It also keeps your iPod charged.

Downsides? The accessibility while the car is not moving are great. All songs are placed by the user in iPod "Playlists". The playlists are directly accessible via the Nav screen (displayed 6 at a time). The songs are also directly accessible once the playlist is selected. Once you start moving though you may only scroll through the playlists and then scroll through songs (speed lockouts like on the Nav system and unfortunately the Nav software hack does not defeat the speed related function). It's a minor annoyance for me as I usually listen to entire albums.

The iPod volume control is bypassed and I believe that the equalizer functions are as well. Having the bluetooth phone, Sirius, DVD, FM, AM and iPod make for a wealth of entertainment options for the driver. I have almost 2000 tracks or about 5.3 days of music (about 30% of capacity) on the iPod. . Highly recommended!!

I also installed a portable DVD system on the headrests in the back seat for the kids.

 

To convert your purchased ITUNES, one mp3 conversion method is to first burn them to a cd and then convert them to mp3. It works but it is a real pain in the you know what as you can only get a handful of songs on a cd before you convert them. But all in all I am happy to make that small sacrifice.

 

Just my $0.02 on the ipod.... LOVE IT!

I have a 30GB Vid-pod and have used a 30GB Pic-pod prior... Present thought is to upgrade to the 80GB. I've used it before with an i-trip and the wired connection to my car is even better... Too bad Apple doesn't make a male/male 3.5mm, I'm using a "lampcord" sized wire on a 4 footer I bought at Target.

Great on the train, great in the car!

But, a thought while reading this thread... Why is everyone so concerned about viewing the current ipod song or have issues with using the ipod... Put it on shuffle and click through 8000 songs, you'll never get through them all on a tank of gas. Whatever the case, screw buying music through i-tunes etc... It's still free if you know where to look or who to know, there's terabytes of free media available.

 

I can tell ya why I'm so concerned, can't speak for anyone else. The screen on the iPod is little and the control is a little difficult one handed. I like to be able to move freely between selections and playlists when I want. I can switch songs from the steering wheel, nav screen, or control buttons on the panel -- convenient. Also, the iPod sits in the glove compartment, out of the way, no ugly wires between the car and the unit need to be seen by me or my passengers. When a call comes on the bluetooth the song pauses and I do not have to try to go back and find what I missed. IMHO the iPod sounds better through the interface than through the headphone jack -- just my opinion.

You are so right about buying iTunes music though. I wholeheartedly agree about the amount of tasty media out there.

 

Makes sense, I can see the advantages of seamless and hidden functionality, but the ipod to me is a portable device. Opening and closing the glove box is a penelty, I would however like to use the flat-pin connector with power and play over the headset jack, but it does allow integration of all players.

If I were to setup as you've done, it would be nice to come up with a way to integrate into my home network so I would never need to touch the media player... How about this? A laptop or other device to use a wireless update when I bring the car into the garage, this way you need not fuss over removing the unit at all. A couple of questions about your linkup... Can you watch vids or look at pictures through the nav screen? What ipod controls do not work? Can your software keep up with Apple updates, the new 7.02 version and ipod software added functionality, can this negatively affect a static interface?

 

The VaisTech unit has iPod & generic MP3 connections.

Wireless would be cool, but now you're talking about perhaps a few dozen people in the whole country who would be interested in such customizations.

I'd recommend talking to Vaistech on the pinouts and other technical issues.

I think a video-through-the-nav-display version of their unit is in the works, but since I don't have the ML audio and therefore can't view DVDs anyway, I haven't been keeping up with it.

 

hi,

i thought apple has a remote out for the ipod. i saw it at the ipod store, am i mistaken?

 

I burned six MP3 CD's this weekend and that captures a whole lot of the stuff I have on my IPOD. The Lexus is not a bad MP3 player! I have the standard audio with NAV. I tried to play a DVD MP3 that I made and that doesn't work. Has anyone with the Mark Levison audio and the DVD changer tried making a DVD MP3? If it would work, that would give you a whole lot of storage space!

 

Ah I forgot about going that route...but like you said, doing it that way is a PITA. But like I said, there is an easier way...I just can't mention it here in this thread...

 

Won't work--ML CD/DVD player is not capable of reading DVD-ROM-booktype discs, which is the booktype you'd be burning MP3 files in (similar to burning MP3 to CD in CD-ROM booktype). Imagine though if it could--6 dual-layer DVDs can hypothetically hold almost double the number of MP3 songs than can be stored on a 30 GB iPod (encoding bitrate and song length notwithstanding).