scorchie

Then you'll probably need a MOST-based car! Time to make more work for yourself and swap everything over to a 2005 C230K.

-s-

Skylaw

You will also note an increased sound quality if you import your music from CD AIFF files into iTunes in the Apple Lossless Format; while the file sizes are much larger than MP3 or AAC files, they are far smaller than the AIFF files in which CDs are originaly recorded. However. all other recording quality factors being equal, the Apple Lossless format will give you sound virtually indistinguishable from the original CD.

I'm not certain if Apple Lossless Format is available in a Windows version of iTunes; I use a Mac G5 dual processor. Of course, if the music was already in MP3 or AAC, expanding it to Apple Lossless gets you nothing.

If Apple Lossless isn't available, an alternative is to import at a 192 bit rate, or as awiner has, at VBR. It does pay off.

The Bose system does sound great with the iPod!!

If Scorchie is right, I hope the new Dension Screen Link display system that Tom mentioned earlier will provide some hope.

awiner

I will wait until we see the final info for Screen>Link, however, I bet it won't work with our US COMANDs since we #1 dont have a TV tuner and secondly we don't even have TV capability in the US COMANDs.


As a side note, Monster has introduced their new Icruze which is a lot like Denisons prodcut. Monster doesn't have a version for the D2B Mercedes yet however.

One intersting thing is that Monster has a separate screen that you can mount that will show Artist/Song/Etc....

scorchie

Oh yes your US COMANDs do have video capability. You can hook up a TV tuner (might be overkill for Screen>Link) or a video input adapter. The 2003 S/CL COMANDs are better than the earlier ones due to having the same connectors as the other COMAND 2.0 systems instead of the offbeat COMAND 2.5 connectors.

-s-

shorthair

Some questions about the ipod icelink operation:

1) Does the ipod go into pause mode when you switch to radio? If so, does it automatically start again when you switch back to CD?
2) Does the ipod go into pause mode when the phone rings? If so, does it automatically start again when the call ends?
3) Does the ipod go into pause during other phone operations, ie: dialing, VC, etc...

thx

Ted Baldwin

Yes the steering wheel buttons control the Ipod. The COMAND screen as of now looks just like when you are playing a CD (CD # which now represents play list # and Track # which now represents song # in the play list). ID3 text is not yet able to be transmitted to COMAND as per my previous posts.

.........Can you select playlist number 7 from either the steering wheel control or directly from the Comand?

Ted

awiner

The Ice>Link allows quick selection of the first 5 play lists using CD 1-5 Keys. The CD 6 key access the internal Ice>Link menu that you view on the Ipod.

To access Playlist 7 you would need to access the Ice>Link menu and choose it from there.

Personally I am finding the Ipod UI option to be a better choice than the Denison UI option, however, I am still up in the air about what one I will finally settle on.

awiner

MBUSA and Apple team up for OEM Integration !

http://www.mbusa.com/main/container....iPod/index.jsp

2006 Models forward, retrofittable to most 2005 models.

Sorry, Pre 2005 wont get the retro modules it looks like.

awiner

I tested this today in Ipod UI mode. I will test it in Denison UI mode as well soon, however, I assume the same answers will hold true.

Yes, when switching modes, the Ipod turns itself off and when going back to the CD/Ipod mode the Ipod will turn on and resume from where you left off.

Ditto with when you use the phone, etc....

shorthair

Thanks for the info!

xaveon

So this new iPod OEM integration is probably for MOST. I knew I should have gotten an '05. This realyl sucks! This was probably the one feature that I really wanted.

awiner

4th full day with the Denison. I am still using it in Ipod UI and I think I like the Ipod UI the best.

With Ipod UI the track time doesn't sync from the Ipod to COMAND but I like browsing the Ipod UI for Artists/Ablums/Etc much better than Denisons UI.

Skylaw, have you tired both UI's ? Thoughts ?

Skylaw

Adam,

I just started using the iPod UI today. Have pretty much gotten used to the Dension UI, but I'm going to give the iPod UI a try for the upcoming week. Will update.

I did my final installation of the iPod cradle tonight. I used the ProClip Tilt Swivel Mount #213018 together with the Dension iPod cradle, and placed it in the front part of the console, as pictured earlier. It makes for a solid mount, and with the two devices at maximum tilt, the viewing angle is good.

awiner

Sounds good ! Keep me updated.

awiner

Today I started to use my Ice>Link in the Dension UI mode. So far, the biggest thing that I notice is that the time displayed on the COMAND screen syncs with the Ipod time. Same with track # to the Ipod's song #.

I will use the Ice>Link in this mode for a week and then decide what UI mode is the better one.

awiner

Skylaw, have you flashed ver 2.04 of the Ice>Link firmware yet ? I have not since the venison update information doesn't list any Mercedes specific fixes or enhancements.

Updates available here:

http://install.dension.com/updateil2.html

Skylaw

Adam, I haven't flashed v. 2.04; since it lists no Mercedes improvements, I probably won't.

Regarding the earlier question about the UIs- for me it seems to depend on how one uses the iPod, coupled with how it is mounted.

The iPod UI provides much more flexibility in making music selections than the Dension UI does; but the Dension UI allows use of steering wheel and COMAND controls, where operation in the iPod UI doesn't.

I organize my music into extensive playlists, and I prefer to select a playlist and let it go - much as I would use the CD changer (on which I usually played my own compilations, vice artists' entire albums). I don't tend to select individual songs, or to select by album or artist (I do that when organizing the playlists). The Dension UI is easier to use in this fashion. I can navigate the iPod playlists and songs within a playlist fairly easily from the steering wheel and COMAND controls (though I still wish more information were displayed). The one thing I still find more difficult than I'd like when driving is verifying that I have tranferred from a song within a playlist, back to the Dension playlist menu (the best way to do this is to press CD 6 again).

My iPod is mounted in a Dension cradle in the console, which limits ability to spend time looking at the iPod screen while driving. Therefore, for me, using the iPod UI is more difficult than it probably is in your installation, which lets you lift the iPod out of the console to see the screen. The iPod UI is much more flexible than the Dension UI in that it lets you select by album, artist, or any of the othe iPod categories; however, to use them, the selections must be made from the iPod controls, not the steering wheel or COMAND controls. It is possible to do this from my mounting location in the console cradle, but is a serious (and unsafe) distraction for me while driving.

Mounting the iPod externally could be a solution, but I don't like the way it looks, and I really prefer using steering wheel controls. So, for my uses, the Dension UI works out best. For someone who prefers the iPod UI, the best solution is either yours (where the iPod can be lifted out of the console for viewing the screen) or if you can accept the way it looks, an external mount.

awiner

Skylaw, in iPod UI mode I can use the COMAND and steering wheel controls to forward tracks/rev tracks, etc. I assume you can as well.

Does the Denison UI work better for you simply becuase you can access the playlist menu ? Doesn't this still require you to look at the iPod ?

BTW, I am messing with the Dension UI and noticed that when I attempt to select a playlist to play using the "FF" button, Ice>Link will just move the selection to the first playlist entry again on the iPod screen.

Any suggestions ?

Also, I too am having some issues using the CD naming. Seems the CD Naming selection is 'grayed' out got anything higher than CD1. I think you had this problem as well.

Have you gotten your "Random" button to work ? I am trying to see if the "Random" settign will flag the Album Play mode. Problem is that I have not gotten this to work. I assume our Random setting would be either the Magazine Mix or Track Mix mode.

awiner

I finally found some new information about Screen>Link on Densions homepage. As I thought, Screen>Link uses Video out from the iPod to a Video in source. Unless you have a TV Tuner or someother type of RCA/Video In, Screen>Link will be pretty much useless.

awiner

FYI... v2.05 of the firmware is avaialble now. Has an update that applies to all car interfaces. I think I will go ahead and update it tonight.


v2.05

Bug fixes:
- Fixed standby bug. (Useful update for all car interfaceS.)
- Fixed track change bug for AUDI/VW Navi+ headunits.
- Modified SONY interface to make dics change more stable.
- Fixed SONY and KENWOOD update bug.

Skylaw

Adam,

In the iPod UI, I am able to scroll within what I selected, using the steering wheel controls; however, I am not able to jump from one type of music selection to another using them (i.e., I cannot jump from "music" to "songs" to "playlists" to "artists" to "albums," etc. Once I select one of these and begin to play, I can change tracks with the steering wheel control. However, I must select the items mentioned with the iPod control (the click wheel in my case). The >| and |< buttons on the COMAND console seem not to be functional for selecting entry into one of the lists, either - I must use the iPod center button to enter the given list - then I can scroll within it using the steering wheel controls.

Because I usually choose playlists and let them just play, I find it easier to use the Dension UI. No matter where I am within a playlist, pressing "CD 6" puts me back to the "playlists" within the Dension menu (at the first playlist); I can then use the >| |< buttons or the steering wheel buttons to scroll to a given playlist. I ususally must look at the iPod screen for this. Once in the playlist I want, I select it with the >| button, holding for 2 seconds - and can then scroll between songs with either the steering wheel buttons or the >| |< buttons on the COMAND console. The ease of the Dension UI, and the reason I like it, is that if I want to change to the main listing of playlists from within another playlist, pressing "CD 6" gets me there. No looking at the iPod screen to do this, unlike the iPod UI mode. I know where "CD 6" will take me without looking.

Of course, iPod controls are disabled in the Dension UI.

When I am in the Dension UI, having selected playlists, depressing the >| button briefly scrolls to the next playlist. Pressing and holding it for 2 seconds enters the selected playlist. Pressing "CD 6" goes back to the first playlist, if I am either within a playlist (showing songs) or in the playlist menu overall, not having entered one.

CD naming: I was able to name the first three CDs. When trying to name CDs 4 & 5, the last name I entered for either was the name for both- i.e., naming CD 5 changed CD 4 to the name I had entered for CD 5 - and both were named for CD 5; correcting the name for CD 4 renamed CD 5 also. I could not name CD 6 (not even to "Dension").

I have not gotten the Random button to work; the blank button on my COMAND 2.5 is disabled, and doesn't do it. I have been able to scan CDs using either the "Scan" input that resides on the COMAND LCD when CD is in use; and also using the "Scan CDs" in the "settings" menu. Some of the other features work there as well, and some don't. Track Mix did switch at the end of a song, going to a different song than the one following, but there seemed to be some confusion. It changed several times, seemed to be searching before playing a song. I haven't used Magazine Mix enough to see how it works. However, I suspect that we'll have to use these selections for random play; I just don't know which yet.

Thanks for posting the Dension update page; I could not get to the v. 2.04 or 2.05 update through the Dension USA or the Dension International page, except by following the link in your post - no matter what I did on those sites (i looked in every logical place - support, updates, downloads - all dead ends).

I did successfully finally download the 2.05 update into the iPod. However, the first time (because I have extensive playlists) , when I tried to copy the "Update.M3U" file into the iTunes library, it did not create a new "playlist," as advertised - though it added the files to the library. I created a folder that I labeled "UPDATE" and copied the files into it - but the IceLink wouldn't recognize that update, and it failed. I have gotten rid of the first download effort and downloaded it again, after making more space in my iTunes folder lists (turned off the album art to make space at the bottom of the list), and this time the download seems to have worked as advertised.

I'm going to criticize Dension, though, for publishing its firmware update instructions only for Windows. I am savvy enough in both Windows and Macs to be able to "translate" - but come on, Dension - the iPod is an Apple product, and I'd bet that still over half the owners of them use Macs (as I do whenever I have a choice). The old argument that there aren't enough of us to worry about hardly holds when you're writing for an Apple product. How about including instructions or at least differences for the Mac in your firmware update instructions? If you need screen shots, I can make and send you some.

I'm going out now into the cold and bluster to try the 2.05 update again, will let you know how it went. But first, must get a new belt for my snow blower (second effort today. Oh, well).

awiner

I got the 2.05 update working but with some minor confusion.

When you try to update per the update.pdf it never seemed to work, just went back to the Dension menu.

So I used the Start_Update.mp3 as found on Densions international site. This worked and updated the Ice>Link to 2.05 HOWEVER it also removed the Mercedes-Knw headunit setup.

When docking to the Ice>Link I got the message, "Please visit install.dension.com". At the given site there was no download for the Mercedes-Knw setup so I email Dension support.

Dension International support responded right away and told me to use the Carif_Kenwood.mp3 headunit setup as it was the same as the Mercedes-Knw setup other than it says Kenwood. I guess Kenwoods and Mercedes headunits use the same syntax for commands sent.

I installed and played Carif_Kenwood.mp3 which docking and right away it initialized the Ice>Link as 2.05 and a Kenwood headunit.

All works well now however I still will press Dension support for the original Mercedes-Knw headunit setup.

Thanks for the reply ! I will try again and see if I can get the playlists feature in the Dension UI to accept a playlist when entered.


Also, there is a donotbrowse_warning_off.mp3 that I got from the internationls sites forum that disable the "DO NOT BROWSE WHEN DRIVING" msg at docking init.

Skylaw

Thanks, Adam. After getting a proper download to the iPod, the Ice>Link once again didn't recognize the update and remained with 2.03, just as you described. I'm going to e-mail Dension suppport and let them get it working right before I waste any more time.

If I'm going to be a beta tester, I want some compensation. Otherwise, they can do their own work. I thought I was buying the "gold" release. Apparently not the case.

Skylaw

When I choose "CD 6" the Dension UI initially, it goes to my iPod's name; immediately below that is the start of the playlists. I must use the >| button on COMAND to move to the first playlist. Once I have done that, I can scroll the playlists.

There are also some other choices in the Dension UI - Albums, repeat settings (playlist, song, etc.).

awiner

Mine does this as well, as is normal. But when I hold down >| (FF) to tell the Ice>Link to start playing the particular playlist that is highlighted it does back to the first selection which as you stated is my iPods name.