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[Paul M]

What I'd really like is an in-car MP3 player to which I can connect a great big hard drive full of all my MP3s and then browse them.

Anybody tried this? I guess a MP3 head unit with a usb disk connector might work, but can they cope with cataloguing 10's of gigs of data?

One of the old Dension units would fit the bill nicely but they don't make them any more. :-/

I know you can go this with an IPod + adaptor kit but I have no other use for an IPod and it's an expensive way of buying a hard disk.

Kevin

Sounds a bit like the unit I had in my meeg before I put the factory unit back in. 20 gig hard disk, use it to store MP3/WMA files, does all the catalogue stuff -- sort by genre/folder etc. It also had an SD card slot, you can play the files directly from that or copy them to the HD. And as if that wasn't enough it has a DVD-ROM drive which can also be used to play MP3s. As an added bonus, it has Europe-wide navigation (maps stored on the HD so no faffing around with CDs/DVDs) and with the addition of an external screen can play DVD movies with full 6 channel Dolby Digital and DTS decoding.

All that in a single DIN unit Makes you wonder why car manufacturers seem so desperate to go to double DIN yet most of them still put out bottom of the barrell junk that has barely moved on since 1990 .

[cem_devecioglu]

Cem - http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1166951635/all

shows my story, I think the BT-65 unit is the current equivalent

Pete, Yes, Lose Amp, Sub, and forgot, as you have the Phone display, dont think you can interface 3rd party stuff to that

Thanks..Really interesting..Shows the way to go..

[Kevin Wood]

Sounds a bit like the unit I had in my meeg before I put the factory unit back in. 20 gig hard disk, use it to store MP3/WMA files, does all the catalogue stuff -- sort by genre/folder etc. It also had an SD card slot, you can play the files directly from that or copy them to the HD. And as if that wasn't enough it has a DVD-ROM drive which can also be used to play MP3s. As an added bonus, it has Europe-wide navigation (maps stored on the HD so no faffing around with CDs/DVDs) and with the addition of an external screen can play DVD movies with full 6 channel Dolby Digital and DTS decoding.

All that in a single DIN unit Makes you wonder why car manufacturers seem so desperate to go to double DIN yet most of them still put out bottom of the barrell junk that has barely moved on since 1990 .

I've always wondered why car manufacturers bother with their own branded head units. As you say, most of them are rubbish and they get more and more integrated so it's more and more difficult to change them for something else. Why don't they just fit an industry standard hole with an industry standard connector in it, lob a 100 quid Kenwood CD tuner in there and let the customer upgrade it easily when he inevitably gets fed up with it.  

Kevin

[CaptainZok]

Sounds a bit like the unit I had in my meeg before I put the factory unit back in. 20 gig hard disk, use it to store MP3/WMA files, does all the catalogue stuff -- sort by genre/folder etc. It also had an SD card slot, you can play the files directly from that or copy them to the HD. And as if that wasn't enough it has a DVD-ROM drive which can also be used to play MP3s. As an added bonus, it has Europe-wide navigation (maps stored on the HD so no faffing around with CDs/DVDs) and with the addition of an external screen can play DVD movies with full 6 channel Dolby Digital and DTS decoding.

All that in a single DIN unit Makes you wonder why car manufacturers seem so desperate to go to double DIN yet most of them still put out bottom of the barrell junk that has barely moved on since 1990 .

I've always wondered why car manufacturers bother with their own branded head units. As you say, most of them are rubbish and they get more and more integrated so it's more and more difficult to change them for something else. Why don't they just fit an industry standard hole with an industry standard connector in it, lob a 100 quid Kenwood CD tuner in there and let the customer upgrade it easily when he inevitably gets fed up with it.  

Kevin

I'd guess at two reasons, first the more the unit is built, in the harder it is for the local scum to remove it to flog for his next fix.
Secondly, more chance you will replace it with one of their units when it breaks.
So the selling point to the customer, greater security and to the car manufacturer greater profits from replacements.

[Martin_1962]

Sounds a bit like the unit I had in my meeg before I put the factory unit back in. 20 gig hard disk, use it to store MP3/WMA files, does all the catalogue stuff -- sort by genre/folder etc. It also had an SD card slot, you can play the files directly from that or copy them to the HD. And as if that wasn't enough it has a DVD-ROM drive which can also be used to play MP3s. As an added bonus, it has Europe-wide navigation (maps stored on the HD so no faffing around with CDs/DVDs) and with the addition of an external screen can play DVD movies with full 6 channel Dolby Digital and DTS decoding.

All that in a single DIN unit Makes you wonder why car manufacturers seem so desperate to go to double DIN yet most of them still put out bottom of the barrell junk that has barely moved on since 1990 .

I've always wondered why car manufacturers bother with their own branded head units. As you say, most of them are rubbish and they get more and more integrated so it's more and more difficult to change them for something else. Why don't they just fit an industry standard hole with an industry standard connector in it, lob a 100 quid Kenwood CD tuner in there and let the customer upgrade it easily when he inevitably gets fed up with it.  

Kevin

Thats what BMW used to do years ago, they got hammered in the press for it

[Kevin Wood]

Problem is, things are moving fast enough that the car will outlast any entertainment technology by a long way, so it has to be designed for upgrades. My 2002 car has a slot for a cassette FFS! I can't remember when I last listened to one. In fact, I've only recently realised that I lent my cassette deck to mrs. KW's uncle about 2 years ago!

but.. I guess car manufacturers only have to impress the guy who drives the car for its' first 2 or 3 years and it's likely to be a company car, so he won't want to mess about with it.


Kevin