iPod video integration for 2006 Prius

I want the same thing. My new 80 GB video iPod (5.5g) arrives tomorrow, and I've been converting some of my kid's DVDs to the proper format to play movies on the iPod. It would be *awesome* to be able to hook up the iPod and play the movies on the MFD in the car.

I have 2006 Prius with backup camera, no navigation system, no JBL, no satellite radio. Just single disc player with MP3 capability.

For now, I'll just use the aux jack in the center console to play music, but I'd love to have some alternatives.

 

I have the VAIS SLI in my 2006, but it doesn't do video. Right now there aren't any products that do this.

 

I have the 60gb iPod and use it with this and it works great !

http://www.avelectronic.com/NavigationVid-InterfaceDual.htm

Not cheap, but does what I need it to do.

 

I remember a thread here at prius chat and a photograph of the input a guy spliced into the leads of the backup camera and got an NTSC video to input to the multifunction display but if I recall it only worked in reverse...but I may be wrong.
-Paul R. Haller-

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Paul R. Haller @ Sep 21 2006, 12:24 AM) [snapback]322693[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, I read that thread. I think he rigged up a switch to fool the display into thinking it was in reverse. But it still had the warning on the screen, IIRC.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mark Whaley @ Sep 20 2006, 10:03 PM) [snapback]322658[/snapback]</div>

Be cautioned, he has a '05, not an '06, and there were significant changes made between the two...

That being said, Vais is currently working on a product to do both video and iPod audio, called AVIC-100i. Check out www.vaistech.com. From what i've heard, its supposed to come out sometime this fall.

 

I've had my 2006 JBL/Nav Prius since January 14th and have been actively working at a solution for exactly what the original poster for this thread is wanting.
I can tell you that companies who were making plug-n-play kits were mostly holding off to see in Toyota changed the head unit once again for the 2007 model. Well, they didn't and this is why now many companies will tell you that in 1Q07, they will have a kit for the 2006 - On.
Good news...
I did run into another 2006 owner and he bought a kit that plugged into the Nav Unit underneath the driver's seat but it was awful because he had a toggle switch on his dash (just left break-out plates to the steering wheel), and whatever this thing was doing, his 5G's iPod's aspect ratio on the MFG Display was horrible - literally tough to watch. So I never investigated anymore into what he did because while I want video, I don't want it to look as bad as this did (Changing the Widescreen On/Off Feature via iPod Settings did nothing to help the aspect ratio). Also, anytime you wanted to view the GPS or bluetooth phone choices, you had to flip the toggle switch. That's awful, I want at least some simple thought-out integration.
Hope this adds some detail.

 

I was at the Hybrid Fest in Madison Wisconsin this Summer and CoastalEtech had one to look at.
You need to have the ULTIMATE LOCKPICK which unlocks the MFD and also the MULTIMEDIA IPOD INTERFACE. This will give you a ipod and a video interface.
Thye have a video demo that you can see on the web site.
http://www.coastaletech.com/ULTIMATE%20IPOD.htm

They had a version connected to the 2005 Prius and I have been told they are working on a version for the 2006 Prius. It looked really cool and it is ran by a wireless remote control.

I'm waiting to get one after they have it ready.

Price for ULTIMATE LOCKPICK is $229.00
Price for MULTIMEDIA IPOD INTERFACE is $119.00
Not sure what price will be for 2006 model.

Hope this helps!

John

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lateplate @ Sep 20 2006, 04:44 PM) [snapback]322485[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ijjcford @ Sep 21 2006, 01:48 PM) [snapback]323011[/snapback]</div>

Hmm. What they have done is pretty cool. It's great to see people working on this. And, I don't mean to minimize it at all. But...is this really iPod integration? I suppose that depends on how you define iPod integration.

When you first configure your iPod, you tell it how much of it's hard drive should be used for "iPod" stuff (like music and video you want to play on your iPod) and how much should be used for other "data". The "data" portion shows up as a removable drive on your computer whenever it is attached. You can drag whatever files you want to the "data" portion...wordprocessing, spreadsheets, you name it.

The trick is that music and video stored on the "iPod" portion can't be seen or accessed from the "data" drive. Likewise, files stored in the "data" portion, even if they are music or video files, can't be seen or played by your iPod.

It seems clear from the demo video (although it's possible that I misunderstood), that this costaltech solution uses only the "data" portion of your iPod storage. That would be fine if the only place you use your iPod is in the car, or if you had enough storage on your iPod to duplicate all of your media files in both the "iPod" and "data" portions. But otherwise, it seems less than ideal, since your iPod and car wouldn't be playing from the same libraries.

 

I've got a 2007 Prius Touring Edition on order, and I'm already thinking about how best to tackle the iPod issue. So far I've been thinking about combining Coastal's Ultimate Lockpick (when available for the '07s) and something like DLO's HomeDock Deluxe or Griffin's TuneCenter (maybe in the glove box?). I'm just trying to think through the best way to connect the iPod with the dock. Connect it directly (is it secure enough to stay in place while driving?) or with a dock extension cable (where do I find such a cable?)? I'd like to use the cable option so I can place the dock in a location that would allow me to use the remote.

I don't have any of these items yet, so I'm doing this all in my head. Any thoughts?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Sep 21 2006, 06:01 AM) [snapback]322751[/snapback]</div>

Yes, I've been waiting for that. They originally said it would be released at the "end of summer 2006", so it looks like they're falling behind a little. They have their own forum that you can check for signs of progress, http://www.vaistech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14

I read a post from VAIS on these forums that when the new unit comes out, it will have functionality "not available in any competitor's products". Bring it on!!!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hi-Bred @ Oct 4 2006, 08:19 PM) [snapback]328283[/snapback]</div>

I found that post I was referring to. Here it is:

We hope to release it by the end of this year.
No information has been released about our new product yet.
But we can tell you for sure that it doesn't have equivalents on the market.

 

@harry...

I'm not sure that your assessment of coastaletech product is correct. It appears to me that the playlists are all intact from the generic ipod standpoint, and that there should be no need to duplicate files for the purpose of an access standpoint. After all, the link is specifically designed to work with iPods, so what would be the point otherwise (same with alternative interfaces such as vaistech, ipod2car). Programs like sharepod do this easily from windows, so I don't see any reason why this would be a concern, although an alternative OS such as Rockbox has problems. I will try to investigate further to verify, but it appears clear from the video that the iPod screen option uses the iTunes OS for navigation, although the suggestion is that other means will work as well (as from standard drive access).

 

Okay, I'm just playing (very late) devil's advocate here (and griping about sour grapes...)...how good an idea is it REALLY to have a movie video feed to the MFD? I shut down my audio backup beep and got whacked by people who told me how irresponsible that made me. That one really gobsmacked me--how many of us have driven stick shifts that give NO visual OR audio indication? I have the backup pic on the MFD plus the display of which gear I'm in, and I'm irresponsible because I don't want the f**ker beeping at me? However, I really can't imagine that playing videos on the MFD is a good idea. When I'm driving solo (which is most of the time), I can ignore what's going on on the MFD unless I want to know. If, however, there is something unexpected--to me, or if I have a passenger--that happens--it IS a distraction. How can a driver ignore flashing pictures on the MFD?