CAN-View Software Updates

[Dmaximum]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eflier @ Mar 31 2006, 08:17 PM) [snapback]233175[/snapback]</div>

People keep asking about a CAN-view for the 2006 Prius. I've explained that Toyota has moved away from the RGB video inputs used in the 2001 to 2005 and replaced them with a single wire digital video. Its quite likely that to use this new digital input requires more expensive technology that can be used in the very small quantities CAN-view is made in.

That does leave the back-up camera input (composite NTSC) installed in many 2006 Prii. (Although someone wrote that their package 4 does not have the camera and so may still use the 2005 MFD. Does anybody know for sure?)

Composite video is lower bandwidth than RGB and so displaying crisp text on the MFD becomes more difficult. DVD movies look excellent, but you have to look at text and character edges to be able to judge. As an experiment I connected a good quality RGB-composite converter and took some screen shots of identical screens, using a camera tripod and fixed focus to be a fair comparison. There are 2 screens shown, a parameter one and a graph one, both in RGB and composite.

You can see the results at http://www.hybridinterfaces.ca/testNTSC.html

Be aware that a 'frozen' photo does not show the jitter/wavering seen in composite video, so the composite pictures in the real world don't look quite so good.

I would welcome comments, especially from those who are interested in CAN-view for their 2006.
[/b]

Norm,

Thanks for entertaining the possibility for 06 Canview systems. I can only speak for myself, if the canview system worked on 06 models and cost an additional 40% because of needed hardware I would not hesitate to get one. For now I am waiting and hoping .....if anyone else is interested in Norm getting this going please post your comments ......

Regards
DmAx

[hdrygas]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dmaximum @ May 4 2006, 06:51 AM) [snapback]249646[/snapback]</div>

Norm,

Thanks for entertaining the possibility for 06 Canview systems. I can only speak for myself, if the canview system worked on 06 models and cost an additional 40% because of needed hardware I would not hesitate to get one. For now I am waiting and hoping .....if anyone else is interested in Norm getting this going please post your comments ......

Regards
DmAx
[/b]

Norm this seems like the Nav mod thing. I would imagine that there are those who will pay the premium to get CAN View. Only question is are these people enough to justify the cost of getting the parts and upgrades? I would imagine a dollar figure will settle the question.

[unruhly]

I'm very interested in getting this going. However, I know I'd be dissapointed with lowering the image quality using a composite signal. It's just too noisy for displaying text IMO.

Norm, feel free to PM me. I have a background in computer electronics and a 2006 Prius that we could *gulp* maybe use as a test bed.

[eflier]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(unruhly @ May 5 2006, 06:19 AM) [snapback]250164[/snapback]</div>

I'm very interested in getting this going. However, I know I'd be dissapointed with lowering the image quality using a composite signal. It's just too noisy for displaying text IMO.

Norm, feel free to PM me. I have a background in computer electronics and a 2006 Prius that we could *gulp* maybe use as a test bed.
[/b]

If we rule out the composite video input that leaves the new single wire digital input for any 2006 MFD access.
With the format unknown, you need a 2006 Prius with NAV to provide that signal for analysis and then put a scope/logic analyser on it and try to determine if it looks like anything 'standard' like MPEG for which chips might be available.

That experiment is the next logical step. Other engineers have suggested they would look into it on theri own 2006's but I have had no feedback yet.

Feel free to volunteer!

[unruhly]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eflier @ May 6 2006, 03:18 PM) [snapback]250790[/snapback]</div>

If we rule out the composite video input that leaves the new single wire digital input for any 2006 MFD access.
With the format unknown, you need a 2006 Prius with NAV to provide that signal for analysis and then put a scope/logic analyser on it and try to determine if it looks like anything 'standard' like MPEG for which chips might be available.

That experiment is the next logical step. Other engineers have suggested they would look into it on theri own 2006's but I have had no feedback yet.

Feel free to volunteer! [/b]

Dangit! I guess I've got my hand in the air, but it surely isn't very high. I'm worried about messin' up my car.
I do have an 06 with NAV. However, I don't have access to any test equipment and I know nothing about digital video signals. Good time to learn huh? If I had to guess, I would say they are using MPEG-2. Have you seen the cabling that the video is going over? Is it coax or twisted pair? I'm reviewing the wiring diagrams now, but if you have any ideas for other ways of determining the video stream, I'm all ears. Otherwise I'll have to see about renting some test equipment.

[efusco]

Just installed the latest updates....honestly, I'd put it off and didn't expect to see much different, but had nothing better to do and recent discussion reminded me... so I put it in.

WOW do I love that EV screen! So much data and the way the power is graphed at the bottom is pretty slick...took me a few minutes to figure it out but I like it a lot now.

[Frank Hudon]

the "Trip" screen of the up-date today is really cool, worth the time to try it out. Nice to have the throttle graph on it as well.

[mrbigh]

The trip screen looks cool and very practical, very nice improvement to CANview. I have to try it to give my full comments.

[efusco]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ May 12 2006, 11:11 PM) [snapback]254567[/snapback]</div>

the "Trip" screen of the up-date today is really cool, worth the time to try it out. Nice to have the throttle graph on it as well. [/b]

Whoa! Where's that? I didn't see a 'trip screen'....

BTW, Norm, I found another little bug. When I hit the "audio" button when CAN-View has been up in auto-start mode if I hit 'audio' again it goes to the "I agree" screen but the screen is inactive (ie the soft key doesn't work). Do I have something set up wrong? I can only get back to CAN-View by hitting the INFO button twice.


Ok, I just went out and looked and I find not trip screen of any kind...someone help me out here.

Oh, had to reload the download page and scroll all the way to the bottom....looks like I'll HAVE to install that today. Thanks again Norm for your responsiveness.

[eflier]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ May 13 2006, 01:43 PM) [snapback]254845[/snapback]</div>

Whoa! Where's that? I didn't see a 'trip screen'....

BTW, Norm, I found another little bug. When I hit the "audio" button when CAN-View has been up in auto-start mode if I hit 'audio' again it goes to the "I agree" screen but the screen is inactive (ie the soft key doesn't work). Do I have something set up wrong? I can only get back to CAN-View by hitting the INFO button twice.
Ok, I just went out and looked and I find not trip screen of any kind...someone help me out here......


[/b]

Hi, not a bug actually. Under the video set-up screen if you have "video 1 (or 2) toggles with AUDIO: YES" then hitting AUDIO will bring up which of those 2 video screens you have highlighted. 2 happens to be the NAV so you see the NAV screen but the NAV isn't on-line until you press MAP so the soft button doesn't work. So either select 1 (for camera/DVD) or press NO and SAVE and the AUDIO will no longer show you any external video screens.

Please note the trip screen is subject to a possible 2% error from machine to machine (depends on the chip oscillator) but it will at least be consistent, so the trip records can be compared from day to day.
This is still a work in progress...