Curious about this - maybe existing owners can chime in their thoughts.

I thought the navagation system was pretty cool, and noticed that the system plays from a DVD-ROM drive located in the back. The screen, the DVD-ROM, and the controls - they all seem to add up to DVD movie playback to me (assuming there's an MPEG2 decoder somewhere).

I guess the legal issue is you're not suppose to be playing a movie in the forward seats (at least that's what the sales guy said).

Anyone look into this at all? Wonder what would be required to get this thing playing movies through the LCD screen...

 

Yes, I too was wondering this. So, I put in a DVD movie and it couldn't read it. I am assuming that a decoder is needed. One would most likely have to download an MPEG2 decoder somehow. Anybody know how to make this system play movies?

 

You can't.

 

Guys with G35's hacked they system to do this.

If i remember correctly, they add a second DVD reader with decoder, then tap into the video feed to the montior. For audio, they get a FM modulator, and tune the radio the the frequency.

 

I think it *might* be possible, but it would require some modification or replacement/addition to the unit....

Check out these sites:

http://www.navtv.com/products-dealers.htm <--- Japanese NAV
http://forums.vmag.com/suvlc0199/messages/2488.html <--- Sample for Land Cruiser NAV Override
http://www.lextasy.com/storeb/agora....&ppinc=search2 <-- Lexus DVD NAV Override

It may be just a matter of time before someone makes it available for our RX8s.....
:p

 

oh yes you can.. i am almost done :D

 

post when youre done--I want in

 

word
________
Vapezilla

 

Great. As if we didn't have enough distraction's like cell phones, radio controls, climate controls, etc. Now we want to watch a movie while we're driving 70mph?.....There's a reason it's illegal in most states to be able to view a video in from the front seats.

(Even though I don't think we need this, It would be cool as hell if someone can get it to work :D )

 

I dont plan on watching movies while driving on freeway or streets for that matter. However, I may watch them while waiting for friends or girlfriend or It will be a nice touch when I enter the car in a car show as soon as I get the car fixed up the way I want it

 

how are u running the system? a chip or a second dvd player?

 

Kudos to you Mike...lol

Wouldn't it be easier to try and install a 2nd dvd system to play movies? I would think there'd be alot more work in trying to alter the programming or devise a new chip to allow the decoding.

 

you are precisely rigth... yeah its cheap but for right now is what we should do. i tired to open up the dvd unit and see the components and comparing it with diagrams that i have from other players, i see that it is missing 'a few' things in order to play mpg files. not to worry thoug. it is fixble, it just takes time, a used dvd from that car from ebay(i don't want to use mine as a guinny pig) , couple of chips and a soder :D .... heck if i can make an xbox to play ANY game under the sun (in cd or dvd format) i can make this darn thing to play movies.
BUT meanwhile, just get a dvd changer (i will use the pioneer one) tap the video signal, some where in the from of the car put a signal xover (to chosee wich one u want to use) and as far as sound goes, well if u decide to use amps, its easier to tap in than without it...

 

My salesman opened up the rear armest, pointed at the DVD drive and said...

"Here's the DVD drive, you can play movies on it too!"

I paused for like 5 seconds and just laughed in his face {HOLY crap is this guy stupid}!

Later when I was standing looking at the front of the car he came around and pointed beside the fog light and said...

"Do you know what that is in there, I wonder why they left it out in the open like that"

Pause again... Me: "Uhhh, that's the OIL COOLER and there's one on the other side too, it needs to be open to the air just like coolant radiators."

Salesmen just make me wonder how they even got a job in the first place.

 

please post pics when done

 

Yes please let me know if and when you get this done and how much it cost you. I talked to someone here who could do it but they want $3000 in labor. No thanks!!

 

3k is unheard of. Soon enough their will be a kit that will allow you to play movies for like 4 or 5 hundred. they have these kids already for bmw, acura and other cars with nav.

 

Yeah it is!! Thanks Mike. I'll wait and see what other options are available. A kit would be great!

 

anyone got movies playing yet on their nav

 

This is very interesting to me too! I didn't get the nav sys because you couldn't play movies! I saw the DVD drive and got all excited to be told no, so no useless 2000.00 feature! Here is a new question where can I get the dash portion to do my own (the intended parts)? I'll just wire it.

 

Just a thought here...

The Nav system is DVD ROM. So would it be possible to write a DVD-ROM disk with a DIVX movie & player? If the player could be loaded then it might be possible to play the movie. This is most likely not gonna work but I just wonderin if anyone has tried it.

-JiM

 

Doubt it, the nav system will be hard coded into some sort of embeded controller. It only reads data from the disks, and from what has been said there isnt all the physical components to play mgeg video at all.

Even if you could load code and run it, I doubt very much the thing is capable of decoding DIVX, that takes 500mhz+ of CPU power(or custom HW) - it wont have that.

 

I asked about this in the other thread, haven't gotten an answer...

Does anyone know what sort of input the video display takes? Seems like the easiest solution would be to interface into that and rig up a Latte PC or something similar, with some way to switch between NAV and PC.

 

that configuration migth be a bit harder than just adding a dvd changer. specially not only for electricity but sound as well.. also slow since you would have to "boot up" everytime the car is turned on..

 

The Latte (and its little brother the Cappucino) already operate off DC... hooking them up to draw power from the vehicle's electricity bus would be a challenge but not overtly so. For audio, I was thinking about using the headphone-in hack for the tape player. Actually, I have an MP3 player on order from Trussville, and when it gets here I'll see if it has AUX-IN pads suitable for soldering.

As for boot-up, not a problem. Windows actually boots up quite quickly if you disable about two-thirds of its services, which would be totally unnecessary in a car. Betcha I could get it to boot faster than the NAV system.