gordongl450

My wife and I had the Vizualogic DVD system in the 2007 GL450 and liked it a lot. There was one problem. My 3 year old son is rough on DVDs. They get scratched so when playing them they skip, freeze, digitize or lock up. The soft buttons on the Vizualogic screen are a bit difficult for a 3 year old to comprehend so he could not get out of the DVD freeze ups. Sometimes it was just that the DVD finished and it was back to the main menu and just needed to be started again. So we would have to hear "my DVD's not working" but we couldn't really tell what was going on. We would be left with trying to "blindly" aim the remote control back there and try to get the DVD chapter to move ahead while monitoring the FM modulated audio, which is terrible.

For the 2008 GL320 I looked into the options of getting the DVD players to be seen on the Command Screen. It seemed extremely complicated and expensive. Probably $1,500 in interface parts plus labor and then the fact that these installers were going have to remove the command unit and mount some kind of switching somewhere to choose which DVD player was to be played on the command screen. I just really did not feel good about it.

So I came up with another simple idea after talking to tech support at Vizualogic. The Vizualogic AV connector/distibution unit for the 2 DVD players already has built in to it, 2 addtional outputs for 2 additional LCD screens. So I just had my installer hook up another 7 inch display that we keep tucked under the front passenger seat. So now if a DVD that my son is playing gets locked up, we can pull out the addtional monitor, see what the problem is and control the DVD player with the remote control and acually see what we are doing. The extra LCD monitor has a source bottom so it can check on both Vizualogic DVD players.

It cost $290 for the parts and the labor to have the addition 7 inch screen under the seat.

This has worked out great!!

oknish

I like your idea. God bless kids for they keep us busy in more ways than one

XJ9

just a note: the AV out on the visualogic system control box can be patched into the aux-in jack in your glovebox. This offers a clean connection to the audio system as opposed to the crummy fm modulated one.

midnightz

Is $1,500 plus labor for the Nav-TV install?

gordongl450

To answer some questions:

I have iPOD integration so I don't have the AUX jack in the glove comparment.

My installer was not quoting the NAV-TV product, he has other suppliers that he did the interface research with. It seemed complicated, one interface unit for the video, more expensive to have both DVD players visible on the command screen (versus just one player) and a second interface unit for the audio. I have been on the NAV-TV website a number of times, maybe I am stupid, but I can't figure out which of their products is compatible with the 2007/2008 GL's. I am not sure if our command units are the ones that have to be sent to NAV-TV for them to modify.

gordongl450

Below is a copy and paste of a post from the benzworld forum from someone who says she works for NAV-TV. As you can see getting video to play on the command screen is tough when you have the factory RSE.

My installer though he had a way to do it with connections to the Vizualogic system, but is was also very complicated.

That is why I came up with my minimalistic solution to my specific family's DVD control problem.

Gordon

>dvd on comand

>Aroby and Friends,

>I work for NAV-TV. What we have is an interface that offers dual video >inputs to add an external dvd player to play on the comand radio screen.

>The x164 interface is only compatable with radios with the Mercedes Part #
>ending with these numbers, 1779,1789,3689,3879,4079,4089 ($1050)

>If the last 4 digits match those numbers then it is the x164 that we send >you!

>If the numbers dont match then you would have to send us the radio for
modification to add the dual inputs directly to the comand radio. ($950)

>If enough people check the 4 digits and they match maybe a group buy >could take place near the end of the month. How many of you are >interested???

>Susanne

XJ9

thats not a problem: MB makes a cable called AASS which allows the aux to work with the ipod. take a look at this post on benzworld:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/gl-c...or-switch.html

XJ9

Additionally on the front screen issue there is a company called gnet that makes an interface piece that allows you to put video from the vizualogic system. see this thread:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w251...interface.html

the gnet piece is $450 and your local audio shop will probably charge a couple hours labor to install it. far less than $1500.

gordongl450

XJ9,

Thank you for those two links, I appreciate the input. I read the threads.

To be honest, until I hear from someone that has actually done it and can confirm the correct functionality as advertised I don't trust it.

My installer went to the big auto accessory show in Las Vegas last November. All of the big auto accessory vendors were there. My installer asked specifically for the solutions to get Vizualogic video to play on the command screen on 2008 GL's and 2008 ML's. Because of some of the optical interfaces in the MB command he was told it required 2 seperate aftermarket units, one for video and another for audio. I have to trust him for the information he got talking to the vendors face to face.

It just sounded way too complicated to me and at that point I did not want him taking apart the dash.

So, my simple solution is adequate for my family. It may not be the most elegant but it did not require taking apart the dash and only cost $280 installed.

Thanks again.