Just thought you guys would like to see my wireless remote Ipod install... and I installed my G4 powerbook to watch movies for long drives... it's sounds cool with the surround sound...

 

Do you have a better pic of the notebook install?

 

Could you post more info on G4 install......mount and sound hookup? Thanks

 

iPod installation looks like Adobe Photoshop paste work???? My $0.02.

 

Just out of curiosity, with our COMAND's ability to play MP3's on a DVD (almost 5Gb), why would you need to hook up an Ipod? You could just as easily burn a few DVD's plus you could scroll through the folders on the COMAND screen as well.

 

1) iPod = fast scrolling through songs (try that on a DVD)
2) iPod = no spending hours burning DVDs
3) iPod = add one new song in 1 second
4) iPod = use many places other than car
5) iPod = multiple sorting of music (artist, name, album, playlist)
5) DVD blanks might not be read in the car

Sounds like a waste of time to burn DVDs if you have an iPod.

-s-

 

I'm not sure how fast it is on the iPod but it's not slow on my DVD. I mean it pretty much scrolls as fast as I can read it.

I burned a new mix this morning while I was waiting for my wife to finish making my waffles and toast. Took a total of 13 minutes.

On a DVD-RW this would probably take just as long (okay maybe 10 seconds but who doesn't have 9 seconds to spare).

I guess I could carry my DVD from the car to the house to the office to my portable DVD player but I could also just make three extra copies and save myself the hassle.

I can sort it many ways on my computer and then put them on the DVD however I want to. I usually find the only way I really like it sorted is by Artist since that's usually all I care to remember about a particular song, who sings it.

Haven't had that problem yet. I guess if one does not know how to use the wizards provided with Nero 6 then it could be a problem.

Funny, I was thinking it seems like a waste of money to buy an iPod if you can just burn DVD's. Oh and blank discs cost about $0.60 each as opposed to ???

I guess to each his own. I'm getting an iPod in January (comes free with purchase of a Quantum backup drive) so I'll see what all the fuss is about.

 

I don't think it looks like a photoshop pic... I would have put something better than just a G4 12" Powerbook... Well, this is how I did it... I got tired of trying to do the 357 trick on the car... I was going to buy a euro head unit but after discussing it with some of my friends they have convinced me that if I replace the head unit then it would void the warranty on the car... if it's true or not I did not want to change out the headunit until after the warranty was up... So I thought to myself ... I want to put video in my car w/o drilling holes, taking things a part... and beable to take it out if I wanted to... and this is how I did it... I bought the I curve from the apple store, a single male double female headphone jack, a 90 degree headphone jack to connect to the computer so the headphone jack does not stick straight out... a G4 12" powerbook any other size will be too big... a 6ft headphone jack extension cord ( you can probably use a shorter one...) and that's all you need...

The I curve fits right over the shift lever... for some reason it anchors well to the center console without any screws... just adjust it until it has a tight fit... place the computer on top of the I curve and then instant stand... I drive from San Diego to Los Angeles... without any problems of the computer moving... Connect the single male double female to the aux out which is located in the glove compartment (I use this because I also have my Ipod connected) then connect the headphone jack extension and hide the wires coming out of the glove compartment run it up throught the center console and then just connect it to the computer... If you want to put it away then just disconnct everything and nothing looked like anything was ever installed... Yeah kind of generic but what the heck I still get to watch movies in surround sound on long drives and I can still surf the net at Work (hospital) or at my starbucks downtown... and in downtown San Diego some parts San Diego has free wifi... without leaving my car... Well.. that's all... just thought I'd share this with you....

 

Well since I have both, I can tell you it's slow.

Slow again...

Actually, this shows you haven't tried it. When you plug your iPod in, the one song you added gets put on automatically. No launching software, no nothing. If you had a DVD-RW, and you leave the session open (so you can add files to it), you won't be reading it in your COMAND.

So now your 13 minutes has turned into 39 minutes. Take your portable DVD player snowboarding and biking too? Or into your other Mercedes with AUX inputs? Now on your three copies how long does it take to add that one album you just bought?

If it's not important to you, then that's fine... that's all you had to say. To me, DVDs suck because the time it takes. It seems you can't accept that I feel that is important.

But in reality, the iPod can sort it all those ways at any time, not just when you move the music.

Well, first you assume we all have Nero 6, which assumes we all use Winblows. So now your advantage of 60 cents per DVD turns into nil because I need to buy a $400 "PC".

But really, my point wasn't clear. All DVD media are not created equal, nor are they readily compatible with all drives. I spent a lot of money and a lot of time finding which media worked best with my three burners in producing DVDs that are readable in most of my DVD players. It turns out that the COMAND was kind of finicky, being almost diametrically opposed in compatibility to one of my players.

Absolutely, to each his own. You asked, and I was trying to explain to you why... but rather than trying to understand and accept, it seems you're only interested in trying to disprove my opinions!

-s-

 

Actually, this shows you haven't tried it. When you plug your iPod in, the one song you added gets put on automatically. No launching software, no nothing. If you had a DVD-RW, and you leave the session open (so you can add files to it), you won't be reading it in your COMAND

Scorchie: Not so in my 05 E500. I use Nero to burn a DVD+RW, leave the session open and just add albums or songs whenever I'd like, and the Comand reads it perfectly. But I agree that iPod has its advantages, and to me the best solution is BOTH DVDs for play in the car and iPod for everything else. Of course if MB could get its act together and provide full iPod integration with Comand that would be ideal. I'd give up the 6 disk changer in a minute for iPod control from Comand.

 

Scorchie,

I hope you didn't take offense to my post, I was just trying to defend our good ol' DVD audio COMAND feature. As I said earlier I will be getting a free iPod in a month or so and I'll probably love it but for right now I am just really excited about being able to hold 1200+ songs on a DVD and have it readily available in my car. Let me catch up to the times.

No hard feelings bro.

 

I gave up the DVD MP3, and reverted to the good ol’ Ipod. I too found it too cumbersome to burn a new DVD each time I wanted to add some tunes (which I do frequently). So now the DVD drive is strictly for music-DVD’s. I found a nice wireless remote control (not IR), so now I leave the Ipod in the glove box, and operate the Ipod from a very small remote control

 

since when did the command play DVD-audio w/mp3s??
sounds like a very cool feature I wish I had

 

Oslo, could you please tell us the maker of the wireless remote for your iPod that works when the glove box is closed. I'd also be interested in if you use the Aux input for you iPod or one of the iTrip FM devices. I use the Griffin iTrip most of the time instead of the Aux jack as it seems to give a little better sound; however, both are good and MUCH better than playing CD's.

Does your remote let you see a screen similar to the iPod's and can you select from a menu (album, artists, genre) or do you set up a playlist and just use the remote to control volume and forward and back on your play list?
I like having the ability to quickly change a song or album from the iPod but would be nice to hide in the glove box if you can still do that with your remote.

Like you, I find it inefficient to burn DVD's when you have such capacity and flexibility with the iPod. Hopefully, MB will integrate the iPod into their COMAND system (ala BMW's) in the near term.

 

Quick question for you iPod users:

Is there any way to see the title of the song on the COMAND or is it only displayed on the actual iPod unit itself?

TIA.

 

I just saw a post that in 16 days monster cable is coming out with a fully intergrated iopd system that works with our command unit and will connect through the satellite button and control throught the steering wheel and also display the song and title... here is a couple of links if you guys are interested...it's called icruze


Ipod intergration

Monstercable

 

It's limited in it's operation. Check this link. http://www.engineeredaudio.com/products/remote2.html . I use the AUX input in the glove box. You may also check out this link that explains how the Ipods actually build their own playlist according to the users choice. Makes it a lot easier to use since the display is not visible. http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums/sho...threadid=22266

 

Oslo,

Many thanks for your reply. I'd never heard of the device you are using and believe it will work fine for me. I'll just have to set up my playlists in advance and usually do that already.