Thread: Mediacentre ML

Hello,

I am attempting to set my lap top up for use as a media centre in the car on long European trips. With mobile broadband and a 12v adaptor we are already able to use it as a standalone PC. I have also been able to connect it to two secondhand DVD screens attached to the front headrests so we can use it to play DVDs. The problem I have now is connecting the sound from the laptop to the car audio system.

Currently the car (a 2001 163ML) is fitted with a Clarion DB328R CD/Radio and when I connect the PC to the auxiliary input I get horrendous noise interference mainly from the engine but also from all the other electrical devices! Also, the radio does not control the volume this is done via the PC output which is annoying.

So I am now intending to purchase a MB radio but don't know which to buy. I could go for an Audio 10 with the addition of a Parrot CK9100 for the phone and connect the PC to the Parrot, but I was also wondering whether a Command 2.0 would give me the bluetooth connection and the Aux in that I need without requiring the parrot? If so, could the Command screen also accept the video out from the PC in the same manner as the DVD screens have done?

Any advice you can give would be very welcome.

Hi

Comand 2.0 gives you an AUX in, but unless you add the phone system & bluetooth device will not give you the phone system.

As your car does not have the steering wheel controls and the cluster display, I always find it hard to justify spending a lot on the integrated phone system - its nice because you get your phonebook etc on the COMAND and can use that keypad so really dont need to go anywhere near the phone - but its expensive (about £650 in parts)

I like COMAND 2.0 in a ML, so personally i'd go with that - you can put a parrot or any other bluetooth aftermarket system but use the AUX in of the COMAND. Also, MB's are worth more with COMAND in then not when you come to sell, and you can pick up COMAND 2.0 quite cheaply on eBay now a days.

Remember you must get a COMAND starting part number A163 820 xx xx

Richard

Also, you can get 'Media' adapters which allow video and audio in on the COMAND (you then select TV as they pretend to be the TV tuner), so you can use the COMAND display. There is no video out on the COMAND 2.0 so you can't drive rear screens from it.

Richard

Thanks for the advice. I've taken a few steps forward since this post. I've been using an Audio 10 and Parrot MKi9000 and I've built a small PC that sits under the passenger seat with a DVD drive mounted in the dash under the radio.

The trouble is that the Parrot has now failed (it never was very good anyway) so I am going to put the phone onto the PC so I'm back to the old problem of no AUX input on the Audio 10!

I have two user manuals for the Audio 10 one of which states that if a Mercedes phone is installed the volume is controlled by the volume control on the Audio 10. This suggests to me that it is possible to fool the radio into thinking the PC is a phone thereby sending the audio out from the PC through the radio.

I have no idea how I would set about doing this though. Any ideas?

Regards
Rob

With the genuine phone system the audio is sent over the fibre optic (D2B) bus to the head unit. The D2B fibre optic transciever components are no longer made, so there will be no new products :-(

Given the ML has no steering wheel controls or smart display, if you don't have digital BOSE (bOSE from MY2002 onward), i'd be very tempted to remove the Audio-10 and replace with a double DIN new unit

Richard

I've looked on ebay and there are no suitable Command units at the moment. I've also found a Denison kit that will use the D2B loop but is £200 and the cheaper alternative the Ice Link one at £70.

The last line of your post however seems to suggests that it might be possible to modify the Audio 10 or did I miss interpret this?

I suggested removing the Audio-10 and putting something else in it's place

Richard

For this car there are now close to 8 or 9 2DIN radio systems with GPS.