Purpose 6 Disc DVD System in Glove Compartment?

[Talbot86]

Friends:

I noticed a string from 2008-09 in this forum relating to the topic, but not quite resolving, the purpose of the six-disc DVD player in the glove compartment of the X6 if the vehicle is not otherwise equipped with monitors to watch the DVDs. Is the answer simply so obvious that it becomes almost elusive? Perhaps. But seriously, has anyone figured out how to use the DVD player in the glove compartment? Does it play on the navigation screen? That seems rather dangerous but I suppose not entirely implausible. Logic suggests that one need only purchase some monitors for the back seat and the DVD player in the glove compartment should somehow be able to interface with them. However, when one reviews the accessory list for the X6, what one finds is an entirely separate rear DVD system that sits on the back of each of the front seats for about $2,000. Why would this be necessary if there is already a DVD player in the glove compartment?

Your thoughts would be appreciated,

Hopelessly Confused '09 X6 Owner

[GJM]

Talbot, our 6 disc changer in glove box is only for cds. Tried a DVD but it won't read the disc.

[ronald_adi]

Talbot, when you take the Premium sound option, i believe u get the DVD changer. And you can put music on the DVD, and play the music. That is therefore a LOT of music that will fit on 1 DVD.

i also ordered the DVD Player inbetween the driver and passenger seat, so then i can play video DVD's to the back passengers when driving.

[Talbot86]

Originally Posted by ronald_adi

Talbot, when you take the Premium sound option, i believe u get the DVD changer. And you can put music on the DVD, and play the music. That is therefore a LOT of music that will fit on 1 DVD.

i also ordered the DVD Player inbetween the driver and passenger seat, so then i can play video DVD's to the back passengers when driving.

Many thanks for your helpful response to my inquiry. I like the idea of using the DVD player for music.

Best,

Talbot

[dmlgc]

my dvd changer in glove plays cd and dvd will appear on the nav screen when car is parked. When I bought mine in order to get usb ipod connect you had to get package that contained the dvd player. I have Ipod hooked up so the dvd player is useless to me and I don't use it at all. I have been wondering if I could hack in a Mac mini and put it in that space, oh well for another day.

[artrosis]

The Premium sound system for the X6M is $1400 now. It was $2000 before. Now you can buy the DVD changer seperately for $600. I wish they would have offered us to opt out of the DVD disc changer earlier in 2010 because its worthless and takes up glovebox space.

[chuck92103]

My X6 has a DVD changer. Without rear seat entertainment you can still watch movies while parked on the iDrive screen.

You can also store a lot of music on a DVD if you so desire but I would rather use an iPOD.

[artrosis]

The rear seat entertainment is worth evey penny. I took some roadtrips and it made every bit of difference in the world. We gave my son a pillow to get comfortable and he fell asleep watching movies in the back seat.

[sapleas001]

doesnt the rear screen get in the way when its not it use? when its laid down on the armrest though?

[artrosis]

Originally Posted by sapleas001

doesnt the rear screen get in the way when its not it use? when its laid down on the armrest though?

Just keep it in the up position when it's not being used and it won't get in the way. Granted, the design should have never allowed for this to be impinging on your elbow room.

Dont get OCD about stowing it, just keep the display in the uprigfht position at all times. If you like to ride ghetto style and lean way back so you can hardly see over the steering wheel and have your elbow hanging in the back seat then it will interfere. If you drive like a man this wont be an issue however.

[ronald_adi]

Originally Posted by artrosis

The rear seat entertainment is worth evey penny. I took some roadtrips and it made every bit of difference in the world. We gave my son a pillow to get comfortable and he fell asleep watching movies in the back seat.

artrosis, i have afew questions about your player that i have been wondering for a long time! -

1. if you put an avi movie on a DVD, can it play the movie?
2. does it play all types of DVD's? - DVD-r, DVD+R and DVDRW?
3. and most important, does it have a VIDEO LINE IN to use an external media player to play a film on the screen?

thanks in advance.

[artrosis]

Originally Posted by ronald_adi

artrosis, i have afew questions about your player that i have been wondering for a long time! -

1. if you put an avi movie on a DVD, can it play the movie?
2. does it play all types of DVD's? - DVD-r, DVD+R and DVDRW?
3. and most important, does it have a VIDEO LINE IN to use an external media player to play a film on the screen?

thanks in advance.

I can tell you that I bought a copy of Spongebob Squarepants in Amsterdam and it worked, so I think it does PAL & NTSC. If you are a windows user and use "Windows Movie Maker" it will play those too and I think those are .avi files or .wmv files that will work in any standard player.

I didn't try burning any movies and seeing if that worked but it surely does. DVD-r, DVD+R and DVD-RW are just the features of the CD and whether it's rewritable or not. As long as you burn the correct file type and extension it shouldn't matter which type of DVD you are using just as long as the file is a playable type on that DVD. It would be nice if I could provide you with a list of extensions that it supports but I don't have the user manual handy.

I did buy the IR headphones for the kids because I got tired of listening to the movies. You can use the headphones in the back seat and listen to music on the speakers. What I didn't realize is there are 2 types of the headphones. The expensive ones which are about $180 apiece and then theres some for around $120 but sold in pairs. I thought I had ordered the expensive ones and when I went to the parts window the box had 2 in them and they ordered me the cheaper pair. I wasn't really satisfied cause they didnt look as cool as the other ones but I took them anyway cause I had to go out of town and needed something.

It has AV (Red/Yellow/White) lines going in. Sorry I cant answer your questions better I dont have the vehicle with me right now it's in storage.

[ronald_adi]

Thanks for the extensive feedback. I asked these questions because i have ordered the DVD system with my car but it was not obvious what all the details were that I could do with the system. I dont have my car yet.

Since it seems it would play AVI files, thats great! And if it accepts a video AV line-in thats is great too because it means that I can use my 2.5inch media player instead of DVD's. Its a bit easier to manage than copying to DVD all the time.

Also the 6 DVD changer will be very usefull to store all the Disney DVD's for my daughter on the long trips - which we do every month. very nice.

if i dont want to buy BMW Headphones, can i just use std head phones with a wire? I assume it has a 2.5cm jack for normal headphones?

Do u have the remote control for it? I read that it was ridiculously expensive at 300USD?

It seems a lot of people have not taken the center console DVD because of the rumor that it keeps hitting your hand on the armrest. But indeed if you leave it upright then it is no issue at all. Very strange why this was such a big issue (OCD) for some people.

Originally Posted by artrosis

I can tell you that I bought a copy of Spongebob Squarepants in Amsterdam and it worked, so I think it does PAL & NTSC. If you are a windows user and use "Windows Movie Maker" it will play those too and I think those are .avi files or .wmv files that will work in any standard player.

I didn't try burning any movies and seeing if that worked but it surely does. DVD-r, DVD+R and DVD-RW are just the features of the CD and whether it's rewritable or not. As long as you burn the correct file type and extension it shouldn't matter which type of DVD you are using just as long as the file is a playable type on that DVD. It would be nice if I could provide you with a list of extensions that it supports but I don't have the user manual handy.

I did buy the IR headphones for the kids because I got tired of listening to the movies. You can use the headphones in the back seat and listen to music on the speakers. What I didn't realize is there are 2 types of the headphones. The expensive ones which are about $180 apiece and then theres some for around $120 but sold in pairs. I thought I had ordered the expensive ones and when I went to the parts window the box had 2 in them and they ordered me the cheaper pair. I wasn't really satisfied cause they didnt look as cool as the other ones but I took them anyway cause I had to go out of town and needed something.

It has AV (Red/Yellow/White) lines going in. Sorry I cant answer your questions better I dont have the vehicle with me right now it's in storage.

[chuck92103]

Originally Posted by ronald_adi

Thanks for the extensive feedback. I asked these questions because i have ordered the DVD system with my car but it was not obvious what all the details were that I could do with the system. I dont have my car yet.

Since it seems it would play AVI files, thats great! And if it accepts a video AV line-in thats is great too because it means that I can use my 2.5inch media player instead of DVD's. Its a bit easier to manage than copying to DVD all the time.

Also the 6 DVD changer will be very usefull to store all the Disney DVD's for my daughter on the long trips - which we do every month. very nice.

if i dont want to buy BMW Headphones, can i just use std head phones with a wire? I assume it has a 2.5cm jack for normal headphones?

Do u have the remote control for it? I read that it was ridiculously expensive at 300USD?

It seems a lot of people have not taken the center console DVD because of the rumor that it keeps hitting your hand on the armrest. But indeed if you leave it upright then it is no issue at all. Very strange why this was such a big issue (OCD) for some people.

From a manufacturing standpoint there are three trains of thought with regard to rear seat entertainment. None are bad designs IMO.

1. Install DVD monitors on the seat backs. Each passenger can watch what they want, no driver obstructions. Monitors tend to be too close for comfortable viewing.

2. Install monitor in roof. Monitor is shared for all rear seat passengers. The issue is when driving, the monitor affects your rear view mirror visibility.

3. Install monitor on center console. Monitor is shared by all rear seat passengers and driver's view is not obstructed. Also, this lower view angle is better suited for small children as they don't have to strain their necks looking up to a high mounted video screen.

Option 1 makes the most sense in stretched sedans. i.e. 750iL.

Option 2 is best in minivans with high roof lines.

Option 3 is best for smaller cars with children in rear seats.

[ronald_adi]

good analogy. i am happy i chose No3.

[LEDZEP]

I have the DVD changer in my X5, and can get the auido but not video in iDrive screen. Have not tried too much, but might play more with it. The only thing the manual says about it is: if you have two drives you get video, if you have one you only get audio. Two drives? What do they mean?

[ronald_adi]

I have not succeeded in playing a DVD video from the DVD changer. Put the DVD rather into the DVD player in the dash console (middle of dashboard), and then it will work.

[Batiste]

Originally Posted by artrosis

The Premium sound system for the X6M is $1400 now. It was $2000 before. Now you can buy the DVD changer seperately for $600. I wish they would have offered us to opt out of the DVD disc changer earlier in 2010 because its worthless and takes up glovebox space.

Question:
I was misled into believing that purchasing the IPOD adapter would suffice over purchasing the premium sound package for playing and control IPOD thru iDrive system. Is it possible to upgrade "aftermarket?" I contacted a company called mOBridge who advised of not supporting the new CIC iDrive for iPod. Help!!!! What are my options. I have a nice 2011 X6 but upset that I went extravagant on other options and should've purchased the ZPS!!

Zetra