DICE IPOD INTERFACE Question

That is the way it is designed. This link gives a solution that may help you.

http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=30514&hl=

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wwatson @ Jul 8 2007, 09:21 AM) [snapback]475011[/snapback]</div>

It's not your unit, they're all defective that way.

I've got a cheap Panasonic (CQ-C5303U) head unit in a different car, with their iPod cable. That complete solution cost only slightly more than a DICE alone for my Toyota. Yet it shows playlist names, works perfectly, even remembers where it left off playing and starts back up from the same point when it's turned on.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mike.s @ Jul 10 2007, 09:59 AM) [snapback]476197[/snapback]</div>

Defective

You're comparing apples to oranges. We're adapting a radio that was never designed to do anything like what we're forcing it to do, without any information from the company that made the radio in the first place. A aftermarket company can design their product to work with an iPod right out of the box.

If you're going to compare us to the VIAS, remember they limit the amount of songs and playlists you can have so they have more memory space to mess around with.

Trouble is with an aftermarket radio, it would look incredibly ugly installed.

 

Make the Artist and Album 'A' to force it to the top of the playlist. It used to work by making it '0', but doesn't now. Must be an update to iTunes that made the change. Sort by Artist and Album. Then right click on the playlist and select Copy to Play Order.

 

For those looking at integrating an iPod and who haven't yet bought an adapter, wouldn't the PA12-TOY (http://www.icarkits.com/product_info.php?products_id=3330) be a suitable alternative which at least appears to allow full control of the iPod and access to playlists.... or am I missing something?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ZA_Andy @ Jul 11 2007, 12:21 PM) [snapback]477037[/snapback]</div>

That's the USA-Spec kit. They're limited to 5 playlists and if you set it to full control on the iPod you can't have text display on at the same time. The DICE kit allows for unlimited playlists (but no playlist titles) and keeps the iPod unlocked while keeping text display.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Vagabond @ Jul 11 2007, 04:38 PM) [snapback]477082[/snapback]</div>

Thank you, that's the sort of information that those who have an iPod, a Prius and no previous experience of mating the two may find extraordinarily difficult to find or make sense of. Everyone seems to claim 'full' compatibility and control, but no-one seems to offer exactly that.

Playlists that have no titles are of no use to me at all - I have several hundred playlists in my iPod and need to be able to differentiate them. Nor is a limited number of playlists of any use to me either for obvious reasons.

I guess unless there is an easy workround that doesn't require me to modify lots of titles or data, or another solution that offers me unlimited playlist titles as they appear on the iPod, I'll have to continue using it as I did before - from the iPod.

 

I spoke with the tech support people at DICE today and they told me (the noted helpful link excepted) that the playlist name will not come up as the choice (due to IPOD limitations) was to either have the play list name come up or have only 99 play lists. I personally would have gone with the name appearing and only 99 play lists, but that apparently that isn't the most popular choice.

 

I can't see how this is an iPod limitation - iPods have been used in other vehicles with integrated modules and playlists display correctly on the factory or after-market stereos. It seems to me more likely that it's something to do with a proprietary data interface in the car or JBL stereo. Didn't Toyota itself have an iPod solution in some markets that does integrate fully - just not in the US?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ZA_Andy @ Jul 11 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]477108[/snapback]</div>

It's very much a limitation of the headunit and the iPod - there's only so much space (memory) to store info. Keeping the iPod unlocked all the time adds to the issue slightly. Aftermarket radios (and even OEM radios if they are designed to, take a look at the really really nice Jeep radios offered now) can do a lot more because they've designed to be, and the same team who wrote the code for the radio can also do the iPod integration side with a lot more knowledge. Such a thing is invaluable. Companies like DICE usually don't have manufacture support so we learn as we go along. Considering companies can do so much with no support is a testament to the skill that exists in the industry. It really is amazing watching engineers jump through 20 hoops just to make one thing work, one a single model of car.

Toyota does not have a full integration kit in any market. It wouldn't matter in a car like the Prius, since the radio itself lacks the ability to understand what an Ipod is directly.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Vagabond @ Jul 11 2007, 05:50 PM) [snapback]477123[/snapback]</div>

Once again, thank you for the information - and in appreciation of the effort that goes into trying to make after-market products viable in the absence of manufacturer support!

It really shouldn't be too much to expect, given the volume of sales of the iPod, that Toyota would ensure their factory fitted stereos would be capable of full integration in the same way that other manufacturers have, but since as yet they don't, I'll stick to playing mine via the aux input in the center console and controlling it like I did in my previous vehicle, with the iPod's controls. Nothing lost at least - though I'll keep my fingers crossed that your engineers figure out how to do it!