Coastal E tech Products

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hdrygas @ Jul 19 2006, 10:25 PM) [snapback]289170[/snapback]</div>

The universal lock pick is definitely worth it. I am kind of dissapointed on the iPod "interface" since it does not allow steering wheel control. I am hoping the Coastal Tech Universal Lock does not interfere with the VAIS Soundlinq. Those together would be the perfect combo.

Cheers!

 

Interesting, but it doesn't list the 2006 as compatible with the Lockpick Kit, but the BT one just might work as it connected to the MFD and not down below. I suspect that one electronically disconnects the speed sensor wires that are there.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aaf709 @ Jul 20 2006, 12:54 AM) [snapback]289228[/snapback]</div>

Hey! I noticed you have an AVIC. Can you select audio from the iPod to match video from another source?

Thanks,

Alric

 

I have given up 100% on Coastal Tech - I ordered a NAV/Blue Tooth upgrade well over 1 year ago and never received anything despite their accepting the order. If you are in business, do business. I can't stand people that dangle a product which they never deliver.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ Jul 20 2006, 05:50 AM) [snapback]289292[/snapback]</div>

I have the DICE, not AVIC. I don't even have the iPod yet.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aaf709 @ Jul 20 2006, 10:23 AM) [snapback]289378[/snapback]</div>

Oh! Its hdrygas!

Hey (hdrygas)! I noticed you have an AVIC. Can you select audio from the iPod to match video from another source?

 

Anyone get any answers out of Coastal Tech about these lockpicks? I tried emailing, but I got no reply. After seeing his video on the Ultimate IPod, I'm curious if theres another way to go about this, since he seems to have poor response, and I've heard of a lot of people complaining he doesn't ship products. The item he shows for the Ultimate IPod is a Valor iLink. You can buy one at Discount Car Stereo.com for $125.

Does anyone know a (hopefully cheap) solution to getting audio and video in via RCA? If I went the route of the Lockpick, I'd spend $230+ to get nothing more than the a/v. All the other features to the lockpick, aren't applicable to me, being that I have a package 3. I've searched everywhere and have found nothing.

Please send links if you have them.

 

I am a little curious about this product, it states Compatible audio file formats: MP3, WMA. Does it concern anyone that they listed WMA (Microsoft's media format) and not AAC (the format used on the iPod)?
Has anyone actually used one of these devices yet?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kolisar @ Jul 26 2006, 06:00 PM) [snapback]292894[/snapback]</div>

It's in effect, its own MP3 player. It takes any format, and plays it through its own software. It actually looks at the iPod as nothing more than a harddrive, not an actual MP3 player. It also has a USB port, which I plan on plugging a small harddrive into.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(seanyob @ Jul 26 2006, 09:53 PM) [snapback]292923[/snapback]</div>

Then that is not good, at least for those of us who use Apple's AAC format on their iPods. The site does not mention AAC and, since it looks at the iPod as a harddrive (which would explain why the documentation says you have to press the "disconnect" button and wait for the iPod to say it is safe to disconnect).

If these assumptions/observations are correct, it is a shame as it makes the device useless for a large number of iPod owners (expecially since the music you purchase from iTunes is in the AAC format).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kolisar @ Jul 27 2006, 02:25 PM) [snapback]293426[/snapback]</div>

I think it's great that someone is doing something and IMHO you cant blame anyone but yourself for locking yourself to a particual audio format. All of my friends user thier iPods and store all of their musinc in MP3 - a trully universal format playable on anything. So, it's a shame you try to blame a fault of your own on a person who is actually trying to fill a demand on the market, it's just you are outside of the market share the product is aimed at ...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kolisar @ Jul 27 2006, 02:25 PM) [snapback]293426[/snapback]</div>

First thing to note is AAC is no longer used. When you convert your music in iTunes to 'AAC' it actually creates an M4A file. AAC was the audio file associated with MPEG-2 movies. MP3 was the audio file associated with MPEG-3, and now M4A is the audio file assocaited with MPEG-4 videos. So Apples 'AAC', which does not stand for Apple Audio Codec, is just a way for you to convert your whole library from MP3 to M4A, and when your iPod busts, you'll think you have to buy another because your music is in "AAC" format. I real MP3 player can play any given MPEG format, not AAC only. Which is just what the Valor iLink does, play any MP3 format, as well as WMA.

I'm also drawn to it because it doesn't only play .MOV files, but also plays MPEGs, AVIs, and DivX formats. Something your iPod won't do.

 

Just take your Protected AAC's and burn them to a CD and recapture as MP3's. Only those with very acute hearing will notice the difference. Especially on the crappy stereos the Prius have. I burned and converted a bunch of songs for my GF and she never noticed the difference. And she has excellent hearing but probably does not care that much about the finer points of high quality music. But I suspect if anyone really does, they should buy the CD's anyway since most music store downloads are in a lossy format.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CrazyRussian @ Jul 27 2006, 06:04 PM) [snapback]293443[/snapback]</div>

I made the decision to use AAC so, you are correct, that is my fault, but it seems odd to me that they support WMA for a device that cannot play WMA files and they do not support the default file format for that device. It seems like writing software that claims to be compatible with Microsoft Excel and telling the customers they have to save all of their spreadsheets as .csv files.

As for my being outside the marketshare the product was aimed for, you may be correct, I thought that the product was aimed at iPod owners and I thought that the majority of iPod owners would keep their songs in AAC. I know a small number of iPod owners (less than 20) and they all use AAC for their files. Perhaps we are short sighted but if I have to switch to another device I will have iTunes convert my files to MP3 and burn the purchased songs to CDs and re-rip them into MP3. With 20+ gig I will put that task off until it is necessary.

Also, the Apline iPod interfaces (and others I have seen) let the iPod play the music so it will play AAC (including the DRM'd files) without problem.

Just for the record, my comments are just my opinion and as such are probably wrong. I am not trying to start an argument, I am just pointing things out that seem strange to me.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kolisar @ Jul 28 2006, 05:13 PM) [snapback]294063[/snapback]</div>

My collection consists of .mods, .s3ms, .midis until the new-fangled lower-quality and fat mp3s came along (you can't beat infinite quality synthesized). Now I got scattered chunks of .ogg too, but only 3 AAC.

Corrections for the bad information by seanyob:
MP3 aka MPEG-1 audio layer 3
MPEG-3: no such thing ever existed
Advanced Audio Coding aka MPEG-2 part 7 and MPEG-4 part 3; is the successor to MPEG-1 layer 3. AAC and Apple's DRM on it (and the different file formats of .aac and .m4a of the same encoding) are two separate things with nothing to do with the quality of AAC. DRM is bad, mm-kay?

My iPod plays only the .mp3s and the 3 AAC. For my friends, also mostly .mp3 and then some scattered DRM-encumbered. Data-point for you.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NuShrike @ Jul 28 2006, 09:05 PM) [snapback]294092[/snapback]</div>

Point taken, but since I don't know you my statistics do not change. Still, unless I go through the process of converting 20+ gig of music to MP3, that device will not work for me. It is good that people are making them, though I would really like to see something that uses the touchscreen (like Coastal has been promising). But, since it does not appear that anyone is coming out with one I will probably end up with the Apline VPA-B222.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kolisar @ Jul 29 2006, 09:44 AM) [snapback]294305[/snapback]</div>

Do you mean touch screen use for video from your iPod? If it is just Audio you want, then you should look at the Vais Tech SoundLineQ.
I have the first version called the Sli, and it works great. The titles are only so many characters long, but most functions of your iPod are controlable from the MFD and steering wheel.