Bolero + MDI pictures

[alex2000]

I'm getting a new vRS and don't know whether to get the MDI connection or not. I will be getting the Bolero as the HU. I do have an iPod that I could connect to it, but I'm not really sure if that's the best option. I could also get a HDD to connect through the MDI, but I'd like to see how I can control it from the Bolero.

I've read a couple of posts on the forum before, there was someone saying that MDI + iPod is crap and that you can't control the playback properly.

Can the Bolero + MDI + iPod be controlled from the HU properly? Playlists, artists, genres and everything? How about Bolero + MDI + HDD? How are the access times with both the iPod or the HDD?

I'd really appreciate it if someone could post just a couple of pictures with how you access the tracks using Bolero + MDI + HDD.

Thanks.

[M12MKD]

it works fairly well. only grumble I have is the display of the track gets frozen but I think this my ipod rather than the hu.

Will try and do a little demo later today if that helps.

[Dodgy]

I considered MDI and now can't really see the point. Just get a nice fast Class6 SDHC card of around 16GB and organise your music with playlists instead. I can see artist/track name on the Bolero and on the Maxidot with this set-up. No messing about with carrying your iPod, I just leave the SDHC card in place all the time.

I'd have been tempted by MDI if the interface had been in the jumbo box with just a simple USB (with power) connection instead, far more versatile.

[alex2000]

polocoupe, I'd appreciate it if you have the time.

Dodgy, so does the car recognize the ID3 tags of the songs from the SD card? Or it just displays the filename on the Bolero and Maxidot?

[Dodgy]

polocoupe, I'd appreciate it if you have the time.

Dodgy, so does the car recognize the ID3 tags of the songs from the SD card? Or it just displays the filename on the Bolero and Maxidot?

It sees the ID3 tags.

[john999boy]

Don't forget there's also a 3.5mm 'aux' in the jumbo box that will allow you to output your ipod but the tracks are only controllable from the ipod itself - not as good as an SD card!

[Dodgy]

I'm guessing there are at lease some advantages to MDI over SD cards? Anyone know what they are?

[alex2000]

john999boy, yes, I'm aware, but I'd like it integrated to the HU somehow and be able to cycle through the tracks with the steering wheel's buttons.

I think I'll stick to the SD card, but I'd appreciate it if someone could post some pictures with the iPod on Bolero.

Also will a 32GB SDHC work with the Bolero? And if you make playlists, what's the startup time?

[Evening Star]

Depends on the speed of the SDHC card & amount of music on it, but for the pure ease of use I'd buy an Ipod, the shuffle function works perfectly & no playlists required either. It's a far easier option than faffing about putting playlists on memory card to listen to your music, which if the Bolero had decent firmware wouldn't be required in the first place, you don't get the silly mix problem either.

[Dodgy]

If you use Playlists and a class 6 16GB card like I have, then start up time is virtually instantaneous. I reported back my startup times the other day after first converting to Playlists, but now the system has done the initial scan it seems to be even quicker. Now when I turn the key the Bolero picks up on the same song that was playing when I turned off, and it comes on more or less immediately..

If anyone wants proof I can video it

[Evening Star]

Wooosh! Point missed & gone straight over Dodgy's head!

[Dodgy]

Wooosh! Point missed & gone straight over Dodgy's head!

Take a look at the time you posted your message, then take a look at the time I posted mine. It took me about 2 minutes to type my message.

Has the penny dropped yet?

[Evening Star]

God your a slow typer!

[Dodgy]

God your a slow typer!

Bet I can type faster than you, and more accurately, too

By the way, I accept your apology.

[Evening Star]

Forgot to mention you can always try using a USB hard drive (capacities from 250Gb-1.5Tb) such as a WD passport drive (£60-70) with MDI & with that you can crank the bitrate upto 320kbps (audiophile standard) and it will still only make a small dent in the HDD's capacity; However AFAIK you'll still need to use playlists to get it to mix the content.

[john999boy]

Also will a 32GB SDHC work with the Bolero?

Yes

Depends on the speed of the SDHC card & amount of music on it. You don't get the silly mix problem either.

No it doesn't - stop winding Alex up Warren! As for the 'mix' problem - talk about adding more for confusion for the poor lad! :no:

you can crank the bitrate upto 320kbps

Obviously that can be done on the 32GB or any other capacity card as well. Maybe a bit irrelevant within the confines of a car with OEM speakers etc though?

The long and short of it is: Do you want to pay extra for the MDI and a relevant cable to go with your ipod or do you want to pay a relatively nominal amount for an SD card that'll always be available without having to connect things up?

[Evening Star]

Just making sure we cover all of the options.

BTW, john, latest price for 32Gb SDHC card is approx £65, for that you can get a 320 or 500Gb USB drive & MDI cable!

[john999boy]

latest price for 32Gb SDHC card is approx £65, for that you can get a 320 or 500Gb USB drive & MDI cable!

However 2 x 16Gb would only be about £36! Lets not forget to factor in the cost of the MDI+cable which would be an extra £180.

I'm sure Alex will let us know what he's decided upon later.....

Edit = typo

Edited 3 April, 2010 by john999boy

[K1W1]

I'm guessing there are at lease some advantages to MDI over SD cards? Anyone know what they are?

The are two advantages and only two imo.

For Skoda - increased profit

For the user - the iPod charges though the MDI.

As far as control vis the Bolero screen it's minimal at best. Essentially you get a list of about lines on the screen that you need to scroll through using the extremely slow and difficult to use whilst driving scroll button buttons. If you have more than even a few songs or albums finding the one you want whilst moving is almost impossible and unless you are jammed unmoving in traffic or you come across the worlds slowest changing red light you won't have enough time whilst stationery to get very far.

The SD card option is way cheaper and offers exactly the same amount of control over your songs.

The aux input means that you can use the actual iPod to select your music which is only about 1000% easier but the iPod will not charge whilst being used but that is easy to fix with a cigarette charger thing.

[Evening Star]

Sorry, but that's twaddle.

If I want random songs I expect it to choose random songs from the 2590 songs/tracks/titles that I have available, I don't want it to play random tracks from one folder before moving onto another folder & doing the same thing.

Nor should I have to use playlists, that's for people who want the same music selections again & again & again.....

If I put an Ipod in I get true random playing, it hops around the songs very nicely.

I've said before & I'll say it again the Bolero needs a complete firmware rewrite because it's god damned awful, it's like it has been written by some secondary school kid.

Edited 3 April, 2010 by Evening Star

[john999boy]

Let's not forget that you're OCD (in a nice way) about mixing Warren and you're the one that brought it up here.

However, talking about a playlist that will mix to your satisfaction, have you made one that has ALL your songs on and then told the Bolero to mix? That should cover all your bases I think and at a lot less cost than any other option.

Try it later and see if it works okay.

[Dodgy]

I like technology, over the years I've had all manner of music and video playing gear, but one thing I've never asked or wished my gadgets to do is to mix my music, I simply have never used that feature and have only recently realised it might not be easily possible on the Bolero - because I haven't tried it.

I like to listen to an album all the way through.

Looks like I made the right choice by not opting for MDI.

[john999boy]

I like to listen to an album all the way through.

I agree with you Dodgy but Evening Star without a 'proper' mix function is like a dog without a bone!

I made a new playlist today encompassing all the tracks on my SD card to test my theory in the last post and, whilst it seemed to 'mix', it probably wasn't how Warren would want it to happen.

It only seemed to look so far ahead in the list and didn't randomly jump around. That said, it still did it but I got too bored with wondering what track it was going to play next!

Edit = typo!

Edited 4 April, 2010 by john999boy

[K1W1]

If I want random songs I expect it to choose random songs from the 2590 songs/tracks/titles that I have available, I don't want it to play random tracks from one folder before moving onto another folder & doing the same thing.

You can have random songs on a Bolero using the Mix function with no problems at all. Put a short track (I have a 30 second mp3) in the root directory. Play that and while it's playing press Mix. After that tracks will play in some sort of random order until your decide otherwise. The Bolero only plays all the tracks in the initial directory before it starts hopping around if there is only one track in the directory (in this case a very short track) then it starts hopping around straight away.

If I put an Ipod in I get true random playing, it hops around the songs very nicely.

That really depends how pedantic you are and what your definition of random is. The iPod uses a mathematical formula to decide what tracks to play just as all computer products must. No mathematical formula can be truly random simply because it's a formula. Over the years there have been lots of discussions on iPod forums about just how "random" the selection really is and the general consensus last time I looked appear to be that it's not very random at all in a mathematical sense.

Edited 4 April, 2010 by K1W1

[Evening Star]

You don't get it K1W1, you should by definition be able to put the SD card in or USB drive in, start it playing with the Mix function on and it will select randomly, you shouldn't need to put any 30s empty MP3 track in to get it to do it, that's purely indicative of how poorly the coding has been done.