UK 5 Series

I haven't included the USB / Audio Interface (Option 6FL) in my list of options, but having read a few posts on here wondered if I should reconsider (I still have time to do so).

BMW's sales brochure just says that it allows 'playback' of audio devices and control via idrive. As you can connect devices via the (standard) aux input, I figured that really the only difference was being able to control the music selection via idrive rather than, for example, the iPod itself. Given that iPods software is quicker and easier than idrive, I figured this was no big deal. Also, I don't want to leave an MP3 player in the vehicle, nor do I want to have to carry it around with me every time I leave the vehicle.

However, if I have interpreted some posts correctly, you can 'upload' the contents of a device onto the cars hard drive, which makes it a more viable option. So, my questions are;

1) Can you 'upload' the content of MP3 players (iPods in particular) onto the hard drive of the cars computer?

2) If so, does this mean that once you have done the upload, you never need to have the MP3 player in the vehicle again (unless to update) and the vehicles computer will permanently store these tracks?

3) If you can't 'upload' the contents of an ipod, what device do you need to transfer the contents of your iTunes library from your home computer to the vehicle?

4) is the sound quality as good as listening to a CD in the vehicle?

I'm sorry if these seem like really dumb questions, but it infuriates me that BMW sales literature doesn't explain these things and I trust you guys more than I do BMW sales staff who often 'guess' or make incorrect assumptions to get rid of you. ( I did try searching the site but previous posts assume a knowledge that I don't have).

Lancaster

You cannot upload the contents of your ipod to HDD.

However, you can burn your mp3 tracks to a CD and play from that.

I think your initial reasoning is sound. My son just plays his iPod stuff through the auxiliary input, which comes as standard on the rear of the centre console.

HTH

Martin

narvselius

I haven't (still) an iPod, but uses a standard USB 2GB stick. I just drag and drop from iTunes to the USB, add some folders, and I'm done!

Unless it's classical music, there is almost no difference. True, if you sit in the car when parked you can hear a difference, but when driving...? No, pop music and rock music works fine. Classical music is another matter.

Rudy

The USB/iPod interface is a very useful option, with or without an iPod. As the others already said, you can use a large USB flash drive to store and play music in the car (so you don't have to leave your iPod in the car).

I don't own an iPod but instead have an 80GB USB hard drive connected to the car and couldn't be happier. (You have to be careful as to what hard drive you choose as some work better with the car than others...)

The biggest thing to understand, if you don't plan on using an actual iPod, is that you can't play music that is protected by any digital rights management files on a USB drive (in other words, music files that you downloaded from iTunes, etc.)

I think there's also a sound quality issue where iPods sound better if connected via the BMW cable that's designed to be used with option 6FL. I think just plugging an audio only cable into the aux input doesn't sound as good.

My advice is to get the option -- I don't think you'll regret the choice...

JSpira

Why?

flipside

The audio quality issue comes when you use the BMW supplied cable. It routes the audio through the analog aux input. If you use a standard ipod cable you get a full digital transfer, but you lose the ability to play DRM protected music and itunes playlists.

JSpira

No, not correct at all. The iPod is not capable of digital music output. If you use the dock connector cable, the output is still analog but it's via the USB cable.

flipside

Actually, you're not correct at all. When you use a standard ipod/usb cable, the music from the ipod is pulled off in "disk mode" which is a full digital transfer to the cars audio system. Same thing as using a flash drive/hard drive. Nothing analog about it.

JSpira

Then Apple's documentation would be wrong as it indicates that the dock connector's audio is analog.

Rudy

The dock connector and the USB interace would be two different things. There's no way an analog audio signal would (or even could) pass through a digital USB interface.

The BMW cable splits the analog audio out of the dock connector and into the aux connector...