Maff

Hi Guys,

Just finished with the help of my installer and a fellow board member (Richard) the integration of Panasonic DVD player into the COMAND 2.5 system in my CL so I can watch DVD’s via the COMAND screen.

I used the multimedia adaptor from Megacomm, and made a custom wiring harness to fit the COMAND 2.5 in the CL, as the multimedia adaptor is made for the 2.0 COMAND (CLK, E class etc).

The parts I used were:
Panasonic 1500 DVD player
Megacomm.de multimedia adaptor for COMAND 2.0
Wiring loom for S-Class TV tuner
Euro COMAND (already installed, as I’m in the UK)

My installer also turned off the COMAND feature that switches off the TV picture once you start moving, so my passengers can watch the DVD at any speed.

The integration is totally stock with the CL, only the DVD face unit can be seen. All the wiring was run through the normal MB looms at one side of the car.

Here’s some pictures I took (large): Enjoy!

awiner

VERY nice job Maff.. I like it !

newMBz

Maff,

Very impressive. I wish I can have the same thing. Anyway, I have a question for I'm in US and I have the command system without a TV button (US version, I believe). Can you tell me how to integrate the DVD system into my US command system?
Thanks.

Maff

Have a look at this thread on the CLK forum (towards the end of the thread), as it discusses exatcly what you need to do to get DVD to work with a US COMAND system, basicaly how to get hold of a EURO COMAND system, and which version you need.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...&highlight=820

awiner

The cheapest and eaisest way is to replace the US Spec COMAND unit with a EURO Spec COMAND unit. Several people have already done this with great success. Supposedly some compaines claim to be able to modify US COMAND to have a "Video Input". However, no one here has ever gotten one to work that I know if and it seems the cost of having your unit modified is more time than not greater than buying a used Euro Spec COMAND unit.

freakinfreak

It's kind of weird seeing the inside of a right hand drive CL.

JamE55

Awsome Maff! And the quality is just amazingly very clear!

Thanks for the pics!

Richard

I have a European COMAND s/w disk - (Im in Europe) - is there anyone out there that is about to buy a European COMAND to replace their US COMAND before adding the video stuff ??

If so, do they want to try out the S/W disk (or I'll give you the part number and you may be able to order it from your MB dealer)

R

Boo2

I called this company today. They claim they can do it if you go to a custom installer and have the installer call them and get directions over the phone. Told me the cost should be just under $2000 (including DVD & install).

http://www.nav-tv.com/main.htm

It's worth a shot!!!

Ted Baldwin

Let us know if this works. I have spoken to those guys before many times. They are in Brooklyn, NY. I got the impression that they did not know what they are talking about. Besides, they wanted me to bring my car to them in Brooklyn. There basic plan was to solder into the navigation component of the command and use an FM modulator for the sound. This will void your warranty on the command and the sound will be likely be poor. Also, you cannot use your DVD and navigation at the same time. Also, so many people would like to retrofit their command to play DVd's that if these guiys have figured out a good way to do it, I doubt that they will be giving it away to anothet installer. But, if I am wrong, I will come back to this board and retract my statements.

Ted

Richard

I'll explain my software offer above, since I thought it may generate more interest since people regularly ask for TV etc
in their MBs.

On US comands, the TV button does nothing (and is in fact blank)
On EU comands it displays "no TV" if you dont have TV, or TV comes on if you have TV.
Maff has installed a "multimedia adapter" that emulates the TV tuner and has only video inputs - the standard TV tuner has a PAL/SECAM tuner with 2 aux video inputs and connections for a rear TV screen)

Im pretty sure that the only difference is the operating system software installed in the unit.

To upgrade the s/w, you insert the s/w disk and hold down certain keys and power the unit on.

The US dealers all have the latest s/w disk for USA.

I have a s/w disk for Europe, ostentsiably for MY2001 vehicles but it seems to give MY2002 features (according to what Maff says happened to his CL when this s/w was loaded).

Therefore, Im pretty convinced that rather than buying a European unit, if you have COMAND, all you need to do is to install
this s/w disk on you comand and the TV button will be enabled - then all you need to do is to add the multimedia adapter (that Maff has added) and you can pipe DVD direct into it. (Maybee you need a Euro DVD player with multi-region, maybee you dont)

If anyone was about to buy a Euro COMAND, it may be sensible to either order this disk from your US dealer (since Euro parts are avaialble if you know the part #), or i'll lend you my spare disk to try.

(The spare disk was given to me by another kind UK chap who didnt need it anymore)

Cheers
R

MusFather

Thats really really nice yo

-Musfather

Ted Baldwin

I'll explain my software offer above, since I thought it may generate more interest since people regularly ask for TV etc


..........It is not a matter of installing new software. I have been researching this for 2 years now and kinda know. The TV in your command system comes to you from the factory with the TV turned "off." What maff has is Multimedia adapter from the german vendor megacome. I have three of these I purchased from them if anyone wants to buy one. After you plug in the multimedia adapter, your video function will still not work. you need to have the TV enabled by going into the starr diagnostics system and turning the TV "on." This is for EUro Command. For American command, no one knows if the TV function is actually not there at all or also simply turned off. To manipulate the TV function, you need to plug in either the Euro MB Tv tunner or the multimedia adapter because the command will serch for TV connection before turning attempting to turn it on. I have done this on a Euro command, but not on a US command. In any case, because you need an actual physical connection of a TV tunner or the megacome AV adapter to the command, you cannot simply takle your US car to the dealer and ask for Tv to be turned on. Back to the software issue. This isd not a matter of upgrading your command software. Pre-2001 Euro commands have TV functionality. I know because I bought one and installed in my car.

Ted Baldwin

..............The command in Maff's CL worked because the installer went into the star diagnostics system and turned "on" his Tv function. There is no strange new software in his command unit. So, for a US command unit...........what needs to be done is for one to buy a TV tunner or the multimedia adapter from megacome and to connect it with the command and then go to star diagnostics and turn "on" the TV. If this does not work, then the US command does not just have a blank TV button, it has no Tv function at all. If it works, the nothing more needs to be said. Why have I not done this? First, I don't think it will work. second, although I have a Us command sitting in in my garage. I swapped it out to install my Euro command. I would have to retrofit the Us command into another car in order to test it. Too much trouble since I already have what I want. TV/DVD/XM/PLAYSTATION 2/DVD CHANGER/AND NOW COMPUTER WITH INTERNET CONNECTION INTEGRATED WITH MY INSTALLED EURO COMMAND.
...........the only credible sounding group in US that seem to have rigged the Us command to show video is brabus. They did this by using something called a transponder. If interested, call brabus, but only speak to a guy called Andreas. Good luck!

Ted

Maff

Ted,

The TV function is turned OFF via the star diagnosis machine from what I recall. We simply plugged in the adaptor and it found it.

If I go into the diagnosis menu on my comand (hold down mute 1 and 3) and select configuration, it says the TV tuner is not present. This screen only relays what the star dianostic machine tells it.

Maff

Also commenting on the software that Richard mentions and Ted calls 'strange' my car had COMAND with software from MY2000, thus did not support SMS messages and other neat things. I upgraded to the MY2002 software which enabled these new features. What Richard is saying is that he also has the offical MB software update disk for anyone in the US who wants to try and upgrade their US COMAND with a EURO software version. Whether this does anything to the TV button (i.e. after upgrading with this disk, when you press your blank button, it may say 'no TV') remains to be known.

Richard

Ted, I hate to contradict you but ..., when I added TV to my COMAND in my CLK (using MB TV tuner), the TV function worked instantly (even though the TV function hadnt been enabled via Star diagnosis. As Maff says below, same is true for him but with megacomm adapter.

I borrowed the dealer's star diagnosis system :-) and removed the 4 safety interlocks so TV would work all the time, and for completeness told the system it had TV tuner, and did some other telephone related tweaks at the same time.

The software I have is the Operating System software for European COMAND. (not the map disk or anything else).

The software version I have is officially an update released my MB germany for EU COMAND systems of MY2001 fixing some voice recognition problems. Actually, it happens to give you MY2002 (europe) functionality. Its a proper MB/Bosch issued s/w, and there is a MB part number for dealers to order it (but dealers in the UK seem to be happy for customers to order it !)
I have a spare disk (as I wont make illegal copies of it)

I stronly beleive that the US COMAND and EU COMAND units
are *identical* hardware (except for the TV legend on the button)
but the US version has software built with *most* of the TV code
missing, so the button does nothing.

What I want is someone willing to install the EU software on their
US COMAND along with a megacomm adapter. Of course, once EU software is in, you will lose some of the US only functionality such as weatherband

If it doesnt work, then MB USA dealers have s/w disks to reinstall the US software ...

This may save all of you guys in the US who want video-in to their COMAND systems from buying European COMAND systems .....

Hope Ive explained myself properly this time !!

Ted Baldwin

I have a s/w disk for Europe, ostentsiably for MY2001 vehicles but it seems to give MY2002 features (according to what Maff says happened to his CL when this s/w was loaded).



............i think we may be misscommunicating. My point is that the problem is not whether or not the pre 2001 command systems have the proper software to support TV function. THEY DO, PERIOD!!!! Maff did not have to install a new sofware to get his TV function to work, neither did I. And mine is a 2000 Euro command. Regarding the US command, if the problem is in the software, then a Euro command software of any year ought to fix the problem. Since ALL EURO COMMAND SYSTEMS REGARDLESS OF YEAR HAVE TV FUNCTIONALITY. This is my point. I know this has been tried and it has not worked. Therefore, that the new upgraded Euro software will do it, does not seem likely on its face. But, I agree that this ought to be tried.

Ted

Richard

Aha, we are miscommunicating

I put TV on my MY2000 European COMAND, and as you say all (except the very first units in the S class) European COMANDs support TV tuners.

My reference to MY2001 was purely that the s/w disk I have was officially released as a fix to MY2001 COMAND systems with voice recognition issues - although it happens to fix a load of other things and give you European MY2002 functionality - I guess MB UK doesnt want everyone with a COMAND in the UK expecting MB to pay their dealers for doing the s/w upgrade

My suspicion is that if you install European s/w on a US COMAND then the blank "TV" button will spring into life (and you will get "No TV" displayed when pressing it.
- But, whether the video input hardware is actually present on a US COMAND system or not can only be determined by trying a US unit with my EU s/w and a megacomm or MB TV tuner. Naturally, as Im in Europe I dont have a US unit to play with (only a couple of EU units!)

I am of course hoping (for you US guys) that the video hardware is actually there, and its only a s/w thing. Or anyone got a US COMAND unit they want to lend me (I have a spare TV tuner etc etc to test with!)

Anyone want to try it yet....

Cheers
R

(BTW, Ted, what version of the COMAND unit do you have (part number), does it ever do dodgy things, i.e will you benefit from the s/w update)

Ted Baldwin

.......on a related note: does anyone know why Mb went through the trouble of disabling the Tv function in Us commands to begin with. I realize that the Us is more lawsuit happy than Europe, but is driving with your TV showing on the command screen perfectly legal in Europe?

Ted

Maff

The feature is disabled as (from what I understand) it is illegal in a couple of US states to have TV visable to the driver. It's OK in the rear.

It is also illegal to drive with your TV on in Europe, however it switches off when you go above a set speed, unless you get the dealer to diable it. (no dealer will do this in the UK, unless you pay the right person, or know them well.)

streetburner

Ya many US states are getting like that. Driver distraction is a very big problem here in the states. It accounts for like 60% of all our wrecks

Ted Baldwin

..........Since it is both illegal in Europe and in the US, why did European Commands come with Tv functionality while Us commands did not?


Ted

Richard

(a) I think in the US its illegal to have a device able to receive
TV signals with in view of the driver, whereas in EU its illegal to
actually turn such a device on
(b) You get sued a lot more easily in the US than in EU

BTW, there are 3 types of "comand" system for any given car. The US one, the Japanese one, and the rest-of-the-world


One of the other [to me, hugely amusing things] is that in US the CLK has a flashing "trunk release button" inside the trunk in case you are dumb enough to get stuck inside it. Thats not there in EU.

I imagine that MB got sued in the US around 1999-2000 since it appeared after that ....

R

Ted Baldwin

..........Interesting. I could have saved a few cents on my CLK by opting for one without the trunk release. Oh well. I wonder if anyone here has info or pics of the Japanese command and how it didffers(or not) from the US and Euro ones.


Ted