Oslo

For all of your guys from Europe that has a car that is equipped with DVD/TV, and is frustrated when the screen goes black at 8 km/h and above. Here is the solution:

Take your car to your dealer, and talk to the guy who is responsible for the Star Diagnostic System.

Ask him to do the following:

1. Menu “TV in Motion” is greyed out (German: TV während der Fart)
2. Activate the “Rear Seat Monitor” (even if it’s not installed) (German: Heckmonitore freigeben)
3. Then you will have access to the menu: “TV in motion”. Activate it.
4. Go to the menu: DVD-Region. If it’s EUROPE, change it to D (Germany) and back to Europe
5. Give the guy some pocket money

Enjoy, but be aware: It’s your responsibility as a driver to keep your eyes on the road, and leave the entertainment to your passenger!

Ps.
The menus will probably not be exactly as I spelled it, but you/he will find something very similar.

glojo

Hi Oslo,
Well researched, and on your behalf I would like to add the caviate for those of us in the UK.

It is illegal for the driver to watch a TV\DVD whilst the vehicle is in motion. I am a little rusty on motoring law, but I also believe it illegal if it is within the view of the driver??

On my Sprinter I have the Pioneer DVD Navigation System with TV, and all that was required on that system was to disable the 'Handbrake Setup'. Far easier than the method used by Mercedes-Benz for our S211's.

Any news yet of our 11th week upgrade???

Thanks again for the above info.

Regards,
John

Le Burpor

It's illegal in Australia too. However, what impact could it have with insurance? I was told that if the car got into an accident and the insurance company discovers that the TV OFF function has been disabled then that is ground to void your insurance policy. Anyone know if this is true?

glojo

Playing devils advocate here, it would be down to what you call an 'accident' If you drive into the back of someone and witnesses are available that alledge you were watching television instead of looking where you were going; the insurance company on reading those statements may well check your DVD\TV system and refuse payment.

If you were stationary (on a public highway in the UK) and someone drove into the back of you, and there was NO suggestion of your looking at your television, then I cannot imagine an insurance investigator going to the lengths necessary to check out your DVD\TV system. However if witnesses made statements stating you were indeed watching the television and the damage was extensive they MIGHT consider checking the system.

If it were a very serious accident involving deaths then you would definitely be in deep 'do-doos'

Would I alter my DVD\TV - Then the answer would be no, but I am a kill joy that would never dream of putting wide wheels, or lowered suspension on my car either.

Good luck on whatever decision you make, and your secret is safe with me

Regards,
John

Oslo

The EU has discussed this matter. They decided NOT to implement a new law, but to give a recommendation and Daimler-Chrysler decided to implement this recommendation. There are so many things with modern car/electronics that can take away the drivers attention. Therefore, most countries and assurance companies stick to the common rule “The first rule for all drivers should be undivided and concentrated attention. “

glojo

Totally agree with what you are saying, and EU law tends to supercede our own sovereign laws. (I have my own views on this)

In English law there are two 'catch all' traffic laws of either driving without due care and attention, or driving without reasonable consideration for other road users.

I am trying to think of a circumstance where the driver of a motor vehicle could justify watching television whilst driving, but without success, yet!!!

I can understand those that use mobile phones, eat sandwiches, drink (soft drinks), but watching TV?? I'm still working on that one. I can understand the front seat passengers however wanting to watch TV, and that I feel is acceptable, but would contravene English law (providing it was in the view of the driver). Although EU law allegedly supercedes our own, Traffic\Motoring law must be an exception. We are one of the few countries that still drive on the proper side so pooh hooh to the EU. Apart from certain countries of course.

Regards,
John

Oslo

The worst thing for us Norwegians is of course the fact that we are NOT a member of EU, but we are the first to implement all the laws/recommendations that comes out of Brussels.

And I totally agree with you when it comes to watching TV while driving. But it’s a nice thing for those with kids on a long journey.

Driving on the left side of the road is far more dangerous, especially for us that visit UK from time to time. :o

glojo

But you forget that when riding your horse (reindeer) and you are approached by a blaggard (highwayman) you are free to defend yourself with your right hand.

Whereas, if you were in Europe and you were riding on the wrong side of the road (right hand side) then you would have to reach across your body to defend yourself Of course to keep this topical it would hace to be an S211 reindeer.

It infuriates me terribly when someone is found guilty in an English court and then have that conviction overturned by a European Court. Grrrrrrrrrr Mega anger



Totally agree about youngsters getting bored on long journies

Regards
John

Oslo

Totally out of topic....

When we (the Vikings) conquered England in the 1066, and ruled it for a long time, we probably were too drunken to know left from right, so we are the one to blame that you still drive/ride on the left side.

QUOTE:

Introduction to the Viking Age

From the time of the first known raids in Lindisfarne in 793 until the Battle of Stanford Bridge in 1066 the Vikings were the most powerful and influencial people of northern Europe. With an extensive trade from western Europe to the Black Sea they had made themselves known. They settled in many places of Europe, and were the people who helped form what today is Russia. They have left marks in almast every country in Europe and if you travel the Great Britain you will encounter names of Villages and Streets that will sound Norse.

glojo

I think 1066 was when we first introduced our open door policy on immigration. I remember a young upstart called William who liked to play 'conkers'. He had the nerve to invade us in that very same year.

It wasn't until many years later that we started an export trade of our own to 'Bush Tucker Land' A place where we sent rabbit poachers and other such villians.

I also believe it was the Vikings that first discovered the Americas, but how they sailed across the Atlantic in those longboats, without a COMAND system, climate control, or windscreen washers, I will never know.

(I hope people realise that I am on morphine medication, and prone to ramble)


Regards,
John (son of Charles)

Oslo

Just found out how they did it without COMAND Navigation (See below), but without windscreen washers?? That's hard to believe...

Quote:

The Vikings were the first real European explorers. From their Scandinavian homeland, they explored the rivers of western Russia and Europe and sailed as far south as the Mediterranean Sea, north Africa and on to what is now Israel. They were also the first Europeans to travel westward beyond the horizon and onto North America. Since they were very practical people, the Vikings based their navigation skills on knowledge gained from many years of sailing. They knew about prevailing winds and where these steady winds would take them. They could identify where they were by the type of seaweed floating on the ocean, the types of seabirds flying overhead and the presence of whales and other sea animals. During expeditions that took them out of sight of land, the Vikings released captured seabirds and ravens and watched the directions in which they flew to find land and then followed them. If the seabirds returned to the ship, it was a sign that land was still far off. There are also accounts of the Vikings using the colour of seafloor mud samples raised on sinkers to help them determine where they were.

thug_law

what can we do here in Califoria to watch DVD on our nav???

Silver_Lana

PM Steve, aka MBenzNL or go to www.mbenznl.com and contact him from there.

Cheers!

NATS64

This sounds a whole lot like using COMAND Navigation in Map Mode!

Apollo

Hi

Does anyone know if the Comand system has video and audio outputs to allow custom screens to be fitted in back if required.

Could not believe what MB wanted to charge for a factory fit screen in back.

scorchie

You just pointed something out to me that I hadn't thought of previously...

The W211 COMAND has a fondbildschirm (rear screen) connector right on the COMAND... and the W211 TV Tuner has a rear screen connector right on the TV Tuner.

In the old systems, you needed the TV Tuner to get the rear screen output. Now, you don't need it. So I wonder if the rear screen output on the TV Tuner still works.

Before you get any ideas on hooking up aftermarket rear screens... traditionally, the outputs for the TV Tuner have been digital. So the compatibility with third party stuff is pretty much nil. Some companies sell adapters to convert from the analog signals to digital and back, but we've had pretty bad luck using these. Except the rear screen output from the old TV Tuner seemed to work pretty well.

Maybe we need to do more hacking with the W211 COMAND.

-s-

glojo

The European COMAND has pictograms on the lower row of buttons, and there is a VIDEO button in the function selection group. On the back, there are connectors for TV Tuner, rear screen, auxiliary audio input, and fibre optic/power. The mounting for the disc drive is along the top.

This is an extract from mbenznl site.

I have found this site to contain excellent information.

Regards,
John
Sunny morning here in
Torquay

Tony Lu

Hi, Oslo

Thank you very much.

Oslo

But remember: If (when) you upgrade to MP3, the "DVD in motion" feature will be gone

Apollo

Hi

Has anyone fitted a rear screen to the Comand.

Oslo

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

Apollo

Thanks Oslo. The MB ones look brill, shame about the price. I take it that there must be outputs at the back of the Comand for audio and video.

scorchie

There is an output on the back of the COMAND for the stock rear screen (fitted to the back of the center console). I believe AMG also use this to do their dual headrest mounted screens (pictured in the linked thread and discussed as "not being fitted by Mercedes").

-s-