tebalto

Hi,
how is the Navigation Voice comparing it with the Old Command's one??
I have the Italian version of the Command and let me say it, it's terrible!!! The speech isn't fluid at all. The girl doesn't talk but spells all the navigation infos. It's better to take it off.
I think that into the Old Command there was the possibility to choose between male or female voice. Than the female voice was a really normal voice, fluent, human.
The new one is something like robotic and it makes a micro pause every word it says. It seems like Mb technicians made an audio file for every word and then they join them for making a speech.
It's a terrible sensation.

Is the german/usa/uk/other country version the same???

Oslo

I’m not familiar with the old COMAND, but the one I have is brilliant. There isn’t any localized Scandinavian version, so I use the English version. An English lady (from London I think ) speaks very nicely, and even if my English pronunciation is not perfect, I have no problems with the conversations.

PSquared

My American English version has a lady with a German accent speaking in a stern tone of voice that is choppy because of those micro pauses. My wife's Pacifica has a much better voice on the navigation, and it's much more user friendly. But I do have to say that the MB navi is much faster in plotting routes.

alewifebp

I always thought that the American version sounded a little abrubt, and that she sounds a little too stern. Compared to what I have heard with the previous generation COMAND in the S and SL, I thought she sounded much better in the older version.

glojo

My wife tends to argue with our very polite lady.
"Take a 'U' turn now!!"
To which my wife will refuse to do, and within minutes the whole saga is repeated

It is a much friendlier female voice than the Pioneer system I have in the Sprinter.

So basically a nice polite, English voice with no accent. (what Oslo correctly calls London or Home Counties)

Tebalto,
I notice 'Fastbuck' posted a message this morning, hopefully he might have a contribution regarding your 'throttle lag'

Regards,
John
Sunny Torquay

Oslo

My gal says: "Please make a u-turn if possible".

glojo

I have just interrogated the 'boss' and she confirms now that the first request is very polite, but I think the "Please" gets dropped when they start arguing

It is obviously a very one sided arguement and after a while the navigation system, like myself, gives up and plots a new course

Regards,
John
Sweltering away
in Sunny Torquay

Nice to see that our House of Commons was only suspended for a short while this lunchtime.

alewifebp

After all of the bashing of this system, and it is just about fair, the one thing that I like a lot that it does is the auto route recalculation. I've seen some nav's that try to get you back on the original route.

jdhoang

IMHO, the voice on the Nav COMAND is very clear. I thought the E Nav system was not that great, but after using the one on my wife's 2004 Lexus GX-470, I appreciate it a lot more now. On that system, you have to go through a disclaimer screen everytime the car is started, the voice is muddy (even with the Mark Levinson system), and you can't enter destinations while driving.

HELL ONA HARLEY

Funny??? Mine says mow the lawn and take out the trash!!!!!

marksatex

You get off LIGHT Harley !!!

How do you get the picture in your post?

HELL ONA HARLEY

Yea, I guess your right, But then again the benz is hers....

Upload your pic from a disc or file in your puter to this link...

http://www.stlhosting.com/upload/

Then copy and paste the link (address) provided by them in your post or put in in your profile as I have.... Hope this helps.

MBenzNL

On my 2004 Vito with OLD style comand (203 CD rom based comand) I can hardly understand what the DUTCH voice is trying to say (Vlamisch voice rather then Dutch) and have it set to english (perfect)...so regardless what version of comand you have...some languages came out nice - others didn't...

greetingz,

Apollo

Hi

I had the CD based Nav on my C Class and this one is brilliant by comparison. So quick and accurate. Also all of central europe on one dvd. All we need now is the traffic conjestion option working in the UK. The guy who showed me the car when I picked it up in Germany told me that this option was working in the UK now. This I am afraid is not the case.

Oslo

Apollo, he probably mixed that up with the UK based system: Trafficmaster. This is a good system, but not compatible with your COMAND. Although, I also heard that TMC is available in London. Where do you live?

Apollo

200 miles from London. I do travel to London and it did not work there either. The guy said TMC would work. I have phoned MB and they said soon, but would not commit to when. Problem is in UK all our roads are conjested.

It was great in Germany when travelling back.

Oslo

The TMC transmit information via RDS. I’ve heard that companies that sell navigation systems have to pay a license fee to the TMC originator. When that is done, they will send encrypted signals via TMC that will make it available for that particular system. In Norway, they are testing TMC, but I’m not able to pick up the signal. Since MB sell navigation CD/DVD on license from Navteq, I think MB has to pay this license fee before we are able to see it in action.

Oslo

And one more thing, Apollo: BMW seems to have the TMC for UK. Here is something I picked up:

_____________________________

BMW Great Britain is now able to provide drivers of the new 7 Series with a fully integrated traffic navigation system. This new system not only gives visual and verbal warnings of impending traffic problems but can also re-route the driver to avoid the delay. It will be offered as standard to all 7 Series customers with immediate effect and as an option on all other BMW models later in the year.

Integrated with the satellite navigation system, warning symbols are displayed on a full colour screen map enabling the driver to see where traffic problems are located. By selecting the traffic information screen the driver can then access a detailed list of messages showing information on the exact location of the delay, the length of the tail back and the cause of the problem. For example a detailed message might read as follows:

* M5: Birmingham (West) & Quinton to Frankley Services
* Accident. Carriageway reduced to one lane
* Length 1.5 miles

If a final destination has been entered and a route selected, the system will offer to re-route the driver. The driver will be alerted via voice and screen messages in red on the navigation map. If the driver feels that the cause of the delay will make re-routing unnecessary, he can continue on the original course.

If a final destination has not been entered into the navigation, the system will give advance visual warnings to the driver of any delay along the route. Dynamic Traffic Information has the capacity to pick up accurate warning messages within a two hundred mile radius of the location of the car.

How the system works?

The system used is called TMC (Traffic Message Channel) and is operated in the UK by ITIS. This organisation collates traffic information from regional traffic control centres throughout the UK as well as using an advanced traffic collection system known as Floating Vehicle Data or FVD.

This system collects speed and congestion information from thousands of vehicles travelling on the road network. The traffic data is then broadcast on FM radio (Classic FM) as a "silent" sub channel. Once received and decoded the messages are integrated into the navigation system to provide the driver with verbal and visual warnings. The result is a system that provides accurate, detailed and timely traffic alerts ensuring the driver is aware of problems well in advance of reaching them.

Apollo

Hi

Wow. thanks for the info

My understanding is that they are negotiating. Well I wish they would bloody hurry up and pay. There are loads of MB's in the UK now and they need to keep ahead of BMW.

glojo

The wealth of Oslo's knowledge has never failed to amaze me. I think Apollo and I (hint, hint??? ) are going to have to carry out further investigations.

Thank you again for yet more very useful information.

Regards,
John