X6 Accessories: TV & Front Camera

[apollner]

In US we don't get these options so I wanted to hear back from non-US X6 owners on the following accessories. First some background:

When I owned my E39 M5, a beautiful and fast car, I found out how I could order the parts to get the TV option working through the navigation screen. With the help of an enterprising BMW aficionado it all was installed and worked! I had a lot of fun on the occasional stop light or while waiting for family and friends to watch some TV. The TV tuner, I believe, was a multi-format tuner which at the time needed to support the US NTSC standard.

Now, the US is transitioning to the ATSC digital over-the-air transmission standard and any new tuner would need to be ATSC capable. The TV Function option I've seen listed in the European catalog says it supports DVB-T a standard which will not work in the US. Question:Does anybody know if there is a TV tuner that conforms to ATSC? Other countries adopting the ATSC standard include: Canada, Korea, Mexico.

Regarding the front camera, I remember seeing this option a few years back for certain models. It would be great to have this option as its often tricky to know exactly where the front corners of the car are, especially in tight situations. Question:Does anybody know if the front camera is available in the accessory catalog? The US accessory catalog does not list it (actually, no US accessory catalog that I recall has ever had this option for any model).

Many thanks!
ANDREW

[chuck92103]

I imagine most TV's in cars will die soon once they start broadcasting digital.

[dmlgc]

didn't know there was a front camera available.

[Daniel B]

When switched to digital here in Sweden at the same time i bought my X5 in -05
It came with a combo tuner with both digital and analog.
Im pretty sure that BMW will have the same solution when you go from analog to digital US.

[xDrive50i]

Hi apollner,

I had inquired about the same options for my X6 order.

1. Digital TV tuner: BMW does NOT have a digital (or analog) TV tuner for the X6 for the NA market and from what I have heard, they won't have one anytime soon either. It is not a high priority item for them.

2. Front camera: There is a camera available for the front as well as for both sides of the car. basically an all-around-view like the new 7 series has as an optional item. In fact, the 7 series has the exact same cameras that you can buy through the parts department for the X6 (or any other BMW that has the iDrive controller). You will need an additional unit that will add more inputs to the iDrive controller. BMW had this option for a few years now but they don't really advertise this.

See below:

[CyberDude]

Not sure what they cost from BMW but these are a little expensive.

http://roveractive.biz/index.php?cPath=23_186_187

[apollner]

Originally Posted by xDrive50i

Hi apollner,

I had inquired about the same options for my X6 order.

1. Digital TV tuner: BMW does NOT have a digital (or analog) TV tuner for the X6 for the NA market and from what I have heard, they won't have one anytime soon either. It is not a high priority item for them.

2. Front camera: There is a camera available for the front as well as for both sides of the car. basically an all-around-view like the new 7 series has as an optional item. In fact, the 7 series has the exact same cameras that you can buy through the parts department for the X6 (or any other BMW that has the iDrive controller). You will need an additional unit that will add more inputs to the iDrive controller. BMW had this option for a few years now but they don't really advertise this.

See below:

Attachment 216497

This is great news! Very exciting at the prospect of getting these. Do you by chance have the part numbers? Also, have you or do you plan on getting any of the cameras?

[xDrive50i]

Originally Posted by apollner

This is great news! Very exciting at the prospect of getting these. Do you by chance have the part numbers? Also, have you or do you plan on getting any of the cameras?

I can post the part numbers a little later for you if you want.

If you go by pricing from Roveractive, you are looking at:

Front Camera Retrofit Kit $1100.00
Side View Camera Retrofit Kit $875.00
Accessory Control Menu ACM Retrofit Kit $750.00

Total: $2725.00 !!!

If you are only interested in the front view camera, I believe (if memory serves me right) you do not need the ACM kit. So your cost would be around $1100 for that option. You also have to remember that after the installation, the system needs to be programmed to recognize the additional equipment. You would have to take the car into your dealership and ask them to do that. Not sure how much they would charge you for doing the programming!

[akraptor]

Better BMW should install the Night Drive system in more models, soon. .with the infrared front camera. .don't really need the head up display for collision warnings at night in low light, high fog, but the car should react by itself, braking automatically, and even steering away from damage. . .well, maybe I am dreaming through the sleepless night with my eyes wide open. .

[dmlgc]

Originally Posted by akraptor

Better BMW should install the Night Drive system in more models, soon. .with the infrared front camera. .don't really need the head up display for collision warnings at night in low light, high fog, but the car should react by itself, braking automatically, and even steering away from damage. . .well, maybe I am dreaming through the sleepless night with my eyes wide open. .

like the idea of night vision system, not to keen on the idea of the car making decisions about steering and braking on its own.

[akraptor]

Electronics don't get tired or pissed or bored about tired wife bla bla. .no emotions on hardwires. . they only need to be accurate. If electronics are right, we can downgrade our stress and fatigue levels at night. If we drive perfectly for 300 miles at night, and get distracted for a second by car's atmosphere,.and a deer pops up all of a sudden, we don't need that. .because of family or friends that don't get a fokin clue that their lives, and driver's, is in your hands. Let the damn car clear it out. .with our input. .that's why we pay a shitload of money for it. . to get something back even in critical situations, when we have no fault.

[Deda]

cool and very expinsive thing for front and side cameras...however if there was an option for night vision i would have oredered it...thats a pitty.

[xDrive50i]

Originally Posted by akraptor

Electronics don't get tired or pissed or bored about tired wife bla bla. .no emotions on hardwires. . they only need to be accurate. If electronics are right, we can downgrade our stress and fatigue levels at night. If we drive perfectly for 300 miles at night, and get distracted for a second by car's atmosphere,.and a deer pops up all of a sudden, we don't need that. .because of family or friends that don't get a fokin clue that their lives, and driver's, is in your hands. Let the damn car clear it out. .with our input. .that's why we pay a shitload of money for it. . to get something back even in critical situations, when we have no fault.

I highly doubt that we will see cars that steer themselves out of harms way anytime soon (not on our current street infrastructure anyway). I can just imagine the kind of field day lawyers would have with such a feature on cars... unfortunately, but true!

It would be WAY to easy for people to blame it on the car instead of taking responsibility for their own actions in case of an accident. They could simply claim that 'The car did it'!

Not to mention, seeing as there are still so many software bugs in other functions in the car (and I am talking in general here and not just about the X6), are you REALLY willing to put YOUR life (and the life of your passengers) into the cars hands???

Lets assume you are traveling down a country road at night, doing about 100km/h (62mph for our American friends), when out of the blue, the electronic decides, that there is imminent danger on the road ahead of you and 'steers' you off the road and into a ditch (lets hope you are not traveling along the mountain side next to a lake...). I think you get the picture.

Although I like electronic gadgets, I would NOT and NEVER EVER want to have a car that makes or can make these kind of decisions for me on its own.

Now in the future, if they change roads to have electronic monitoring and control systems that will keep the car ON the road, that be a different story. Similar to a rail system but without the rails... But then again, where is the fun in driving on 'streets' like that?

[xDrive50i]

Originally Posted by Deda

cool and very expinsive thing for front and side cameras...however if there was an option for night vision i would have oredered it...thats a pitty.

+1

That's why I had asked BMW NA, BMW Canada and BMW Germany about the night vision camera but unfortunately this feature is not yet available... Maybe in future X6 models.

[archwerks]

Originally Posted by xDrive50i

+1

That's why I had asked BMW NA, BMW Canada and BMW Germany about the night vision camera but unfortunately this feature is not yet available... Maybe in future X6 models.

Thought i read in fall edition of bmw magazine that nu 7 will come w/nite vision option & active steering w/integrated rear wheel steering! Hey what about DPC on top of that? Awesome!

[xDrive50i]

Originally Posted by archwerks

Thought i read in fall edition of bmw magazine that nu 7 will come w/nite vision option & active steering w/integrated rear wheel steering! Hey what about DPC on top of that? Awesome!

I haven't seen anything about rear wheel steering on the new 7. It definately has the new iDrive controller and a new display as well. It's larger at 10.2 vs. the current 8.8 inches with a resolution of 1280 x 480.

All-wheel drive is supposed to come to the 7 as well, but most likely not until 2010 or 2011 model year! I would assume that this all-wheel drive system at that point would include DPC.

The night vision system on the 7 has been reworked and has now twice the distance it can cover (300m/900ft). The associated processor for the night vision camera has also been upgraded and can now detect animals and pedestrians and if they are detected to be on the road, it will throw up a warning symbol in the dashboard and the new HUD (if so equipped).

There is a LOT of new stuff in the 7 series which in NA will originally be available in the 750i and 750Li model only (uses same 4.4L TTV8 engine as the X6 xDrive50i).

[xDrive50i]

Anybody noticed that the front wheel in the picture of post number 5 looks a little funny ?

[Deda]

Originally Posted by xDrive50i

Anybody noticed that the front wheel in the picture of post number 5 looks a little funny ?

ha ha..