Media Device Interface - MDI & AUX Questions

[Umai Naa!!]

We're doing them for $78, from memory.

Could probably supply them for around $60 posted, if anyone is interested. Same goes for the other cables (USB, miniUSB, etc).

[elisiX]

G-rig I dont know why the included cable which comes with your iPod / iPhone does not physically work either.

Technically speaking they would have had to deliberately block this functionality (recognising the genuine Apple cable) and I am personally not sure how this works.

We obviously know the reason why they've done this however.

[midlifecrisis]

So the iPod/iPhone using the MDI and extra cable will be controllable from the steering wheel as well as the headunit, but you need the $1800 headunit upgrade to get the touchscreen interface? I have watched the youtube vids of the headunit and it seems slow and I would probably be better just mounting my iPhone. Doubly true if I want my iPhone to run my GPS.

So my questions are;

Is the $90 cable long enough to reach a dash mounted position; or can it be extended?

Does it provide power to an iPhone?

Does it work whilst connected with the Bluetooth option? (So I am playing music via the cable and I get a call and the BT takes over nicely?)

[G-rig]

So the iPod/iPhone using the MDI and extra cable will be controllable from the steering wheel as well as the headunit, but you need the $1800 headunit upgrade to get the touchscreen interface? I have watched the youtube vids of the headunit and it seems slow and I would probably be better just mounting my iPhone. Doubly true if I want my iPhone to run my GPS.

Steering wheel buttons work same way as playing SD/HDD/CD. It is slightly slower in navigating the menu/pressing button than the other sources but easily tollerable for the convenience. Also find that it sounds great, and a lot of people say far better than the crappy AUX jack. I use apple lossless and sounds better than the Sd/HDD.

So my questions are;

Is the $90 cable long enough to reach a dash mounted position; or can it be extended?

Depends how you feed the cable, it isn't real long but cant remember exactly, maybe 300mm.

Does it provide power to an iPhone?

Yes.

Does it work whilst connected with the Bluetooth option? (So I am playing music via the cable and I get a call and the BT takes over nicely?)

Yes, i've tried it with mine and works fine but usually have another ipod in the car as i can't be bothered unplugging the phone all the time, but if it was in the console/dash area somewhere may be more convenient than glove box but not a bit deal.

[midlifecrisis]

Steering wheel buttons work same way as playing SD/HDD/CD. It is slightly slower in navigating the menu/pressing button than the other sources but easily tollerable for the convenience. Also find that it sounds great, and a lot of people say far better than the crappy AUX jack. I use apple lossless and sounds better than the Sd/HDD.

Yeah I want to avoid the Aux but dont know if I really need to full audio upgrade given the cost and the likelihood I want use the touch screen.

Depends how you feed the cable, it isn't real long but cant remember exactly, maybe 300mm.

Thats very short. Ok, I need to work out how (if) I can use a windscreen mount and a nice long cable for the MDI.

Thanks for the advice.

[G-rig]

If you didn't need gps then the RCD510 touch screen would be fine.

The iPhone screen could be a bit small and cumbersome to use while driving but depends how long you're going to keep the car.

Would be cool to get google maps onto the head unit, their traffic feature is pretty cool as well as quick searching for nearby POI. Just need it to evolve into a car kit version or something..

[lunar1]

VW did a lot of co-branding w/apple in the past, at least in the states, so am surprised they don't have a more straightforward ipod integration.

Wires and connectors are so 2009...lol

Must be a bluetooth/wi-fi hack or more effective 3rd party HW approach out there.

[G-rig]

VW did a lot of co-branding w/apple in the past, at least in the states, so am surprised they don't have a more straightforward ipod integration.

Wires and connectors are so 2009...lol

Must be a bluetooth/wi-fi hack or more effective 3rd party HW approach out there.

I kind of agree, but it's also cool that you can retrofit the ipod connections to a stock head unit.

Although you'd think soon that new head units should be being designed with that in mind so you only have to plug in an ipod cable like the Alpines etc, but even those need a proprietry cable. Would be good if the MDI did video as well.

[Maverick]

G-rig I dont know why the included cable which comes with your iPod / iPhone does not physically work either.

Technically speaking they would have had to deliberately block this functionality (recognising the genuine Apple cable) and I am personally not sure how this works.

They haven't blocked the genuine apple cable so you can take your tin foil hats off.

The standard USB cable for an iphone doesn't allow the integration that the MDI offers and nor does it allow the audio to be transmitted to the MDI.

There are three cables offered with the MDI.

By default the USB cable which is for plugging in dumb USB devices like hard drivers and flash drives. The MDI handles the reading of the file systems and the playback of SUPPORTED file types and sends these as an analogue signal to the head unit (the same way the cd changer would).

An option is the IPOD cable, the MDI controls the operation of the IPOD from the headunit and the audio is played back on the device and sent as an analogue signal from the IPOD to the MDI to the head unit (the same way the cd changer would). This cable has to support and work with all the varieties of IPOD's out there now and in the future and VW have to follow APPLES specifications for connections not make up their own half arsed connection (look at the problems with the waywell units and CAN bus because they CBF to do the implementation properly).

The other cable is the 3.5mm cable which is essentially a dumb cable that takes an analogue signal and passes it to the head unit.

So contrary to the conspiracy theorists in here there are valid technical reasons as to why the MDI operates the way that it does.

We obviously know the reason why they've done this however.

Please tell us because I would love to hear it.

[Maverick]

VW did a lot of co-branding w/apple in the past, at least in the states, so am surprised they don't have a more straightforward ipod integration.

Wires and connectors are so 2009...lol

Must be a bluetooth/wi-fi hack or more effective 3rd party HW approach out there.

Yeah let's ignore APPLE's specifications and come up with some half arsed bluetooth connection that causes nothing but problems, gives poor sound quality and requires drivers to mess around with a hand held device when driving. And how is the IPOD going to be charged when driving?

What is more straightforward than plugging in an IPOD to the head unit via the MDI, the IPOD being charged and being given full control via the factory head unit? This allows you to leave the IPOD in the car so the music is always online.