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Dynavin info: D99 PLUS (D99+)......Fall 2012

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#1 · (Edited)
Dynavin Navigation info: D99 PLUS (D99+)......Fall 2012

Dynavin "D99 PLUS"​


Dynavin has made some running changes to their D99 platform Audio/Video/Navigation Systems, some of you who are particularly perceptive may have already noticed. :read: Although most of the changes are subtle, they make for a more refined, easier to set up unit and that makes for happier users! (and less work for me) This new updated model is known as the D99 PLUS (D99+). As always, they are available in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit the BMW E46, E39, E53, E9X, E8X and an assortment of Audi, VW, and Mercedes models.

Details can be found on Dynavin's website, http://www.dynavin.com

Although they have been shipping for months in certain models the roll out has been somewhat slow. Dynavin has not been making much noise about it, probably because up until recently it didn't cover all models, I expect they will be promoting these soon. THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE FOR OLDER D99 UNITS, it is a mostly similar but in many ways new unit (think iphone4 to iphone4S). If you bought a D99 in the last couple months you probably already have one of these and didnt realize it!

....and the best part? The price went DOWN....:thumbsup:

Its time to open a discussion about these units as they are different enough to warrant their own thread and Q&A. As always lets try to keep this a Q&A, try to keep the thread informative, factual, and useful. Keep the speculation and opinions out of it.

Im just going to go over the changes here....for a more complete look at the Dynavin D99 units, check out the D99 thread here:
Dynavin D99 thread:http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=895068

For yet more info, installation hints, and maybe a little history, check out these previous Dynavin threads:*
Dynavin D95 thread: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=881796&highlight=dynavin
Dynavin D90 (V5) thread: (The Big One!) http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=793437&highlight=dynavin
Dynavin Android Thread: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=839753




So you ask, what is the "+" in D99 PLUS? :hmm:


CD/DVD/USB/SD Screens Cosmetics

The CD/DVD/USB/SD screens now share the same basic cosmetic theme as the rest of the unit, black backgrounds, white letters, red or orange colorings. Previous offerings have always had a few different cosmetic looks depending on the source but now everything pretty much looks similar.




Reverse Functions

With the D99+ the reverse, backup camera, PDC (oem parking sensors), and their related audio settings are all configurable, you can even do a combination of features, like having the PDC graphic overlay the backup camera screen. While in reverse mode you can have the audio mute or only reduce its volume, you can also have the PDC beep (on vehicles where PDC is built into the stock audio system). Note the added settings (in the "hidden" factory settings menu). If you have none of these you can also just turn it all off.




Here is a short video showing some various setups you can have when the car is in reverse, first a backup camera, then PDC alone, then Camera AND PDC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbdbuo-BktE&feature=youtu.be


Password Theft Deterrence

Now the usefulness of this might be debatable, or maybe Im missing something.... I dont think Ive ever heard of a Dynaivn theft, and a password lock isnt going to keep it from being stolen, but it will keep someone from using it. In the WinCE units this doesnt really matter but I suppose in the android versions it would keep a thief out of your android apps that might have sensitive info. The password lock is not something you use every time, it comes into play when power is removed from the unit, once power is restored to the unit it will require a password.





Improved Bluetooth Phone Integration:

Dynavin is still using the Parrot bluetooth system but has changed a few things.
Minor feature but your paired phone's signal strength and charge level now display at the top of the screen on the audio screens, (or at least it does with the phones Ive tried). Bluetooth streaming audio quality is now almost indistinguishable from being plugged in (although the D99 was pretty good too).



AND NOW A BIG ONE, those of you who have been following dynavin for a long time know that there has ALWAYS been an issue with using streaming bluetooth and the nav system at the same time, there were workarounds but basically you needed to plug in to use your phone for music when also using the nav. NO MORE! Finally you can stream your audio from your phone AND use the nav system at the same time.


New Touchscreen

Small change here, only a change in the sensitivity of the touchscreen. Looks exactly the same.



Etc...
Plus a bunch of small changes in the name of refinement and stability. None of this is some huge game changer of a feature, but it combines to make the units easier to integrate into a given vehicle, and ties up a lot of loose ends for a more satisfying user experience.




Ill be adding more pics and info to this post as it comes up.
 
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#582 ·
on its way. If that doesnt work you have some kind of hardware issue.
 
#583 ·
Looking to purchase the Dynavin:

1) Do I order directly through the website, or should I go through anyone here in particular to get our fantabulous E46Fanatics discount? :)

2) Same with support; do I go through the website or can I get more direct and personalized support service here?
 
#585 ·
I really hope they are able to update the D99+ with this n6 platform software. Im on android now so Im sure it becomes even less possible to do that update.. But I have to say Im very disappointed by dynavin's units.

The ONLY thing they are good at is looking clean and fitting well.

The audio controls are terribly basic, the interface is horrid, (yah its clean looking, but navigating through it will frustrate the calmest of us) The Bluetooth controls are terrible, usb interface isn't reliable, the SD card media works sometimes and other times it doesn't.

The navigation on the android side is nearly useless. The entire android side in general is useless. They are still using 2.xx something for android. Heck even if it was 2.3 I would be ok with it, but its just not usable like it should be. Especially at 800+ dollars.

If I was given 24 hours to use and play with it before purchasing, I wouldn't have done it.

I consider myself a knowledgeable higher end user of audio equipment. I usually go with nicer headunits, but still usually only pay 3-500 dollars and still get excellent audio controls, great easy to use interfaces, and simple easy to use reliable bluetooth interface and controls from the headunit. The only advantage this has is the looks. NOTHING looks better in an e46 than a dynavin. sadly thats why i wont be getting rid of it yet to replace it with something more user friendly with more audio controls.

F/R + L/R faders, bass treble, and simple sub level controls arent enough for such a pricey unit. This should have 8 band EQ with high and low pass filters, it should have abilities to tweak the EQ bands with different cutoffs and level adjustments at each. 100 dollar headunits from walmart have this..

Ive patiently waited for something better, Ive considered custom ROMs (decided against for now), I just want it to do more than it can i guess.
 
#587 · (Edited)
Calling me out eh?

If your earlier question was to me directly you can PM, email, or call... I respond as quickly as I possibly can to those inquiries.

Its not reasonable to expect that I watch all the posts on all the threads on all of the internet all the time... I try to keep an eye on these threads when I can but there are limits to what is possible :hmm:
 
#589 ·
Ive said from the very beginning that these units do not have high end audio controls, its been said in all of my threads going back to my original review, long before I was involved with distributing them. Bass, treble, balance, fader, thats it. And for most people thats all they are looking for. I personally run a processor EQ that does all the audio manipulation since Im an audio guy. The dynavin is just the source. Keep in mind, you might be an audiophile, and I might be an audiophile, but 99% of consumers out there have no idea how crossovers work, what Q is, etc... so those advance features are lost on them.
 
#590 ·
With that aside I still have many other issues with the unit. The interface is rough. Bluetooth connection and controls are basic and not easy to use. GPS and android side are a waste of time. I bought it specifically for the android side, to integrate everything i had, my goals were to keep a mobile hotspot in my car and run my google play collection as well as pandora through the android interface. Besides the long boot time, rarely would the wifi work correctly, sometimes it did, others it didnt, the GPS signal would go from strong to nothing. Tons of hard pauses with the android software, freezes. Occassionally on boot the device just stays black, Ill push the buttons and sometimes get it to come on. Once i had to pull the device and reset power to get it to power back up. I happened to be at a gas station 3 hours from home on a road trip. Granted it only takes a phillips screw driver to remove it, it still wasnt pleasurable doing so in a gas station parking lot when it was freezing cold.

It goes further than just the audio controls. My dynavin is setup like yours, its just a source. My amps are driving the audio. Im just disappointed i get better features and more reliability with the 100 dollar best buy cheapos. Even from years ago.

If dynavin really wanted to make their customers happy, they would do one thing, and do it right. instead of tossing a bunch of features in that arent tested and dont reliably work. an 800 dollar product shouldn't require this much research and testing and tinkering to get it to work properly.

Thats my gripe.
 
#592 · (Edited)
Also keep in mind that the android dynavin was the first android head unit on the market, the first of its kind anywhere....and it was designed in 2010, ancient history in android terms. They were innovative and amazing at the time....but time keeps moving. I stopped recommending them a long time ago, they were getting too old, and consumer expectations had moved on. Besides clearance and refurbs we haven't sold any in a long time either.

Frankly I don't want to get into it but the "N6" post above is about what is coming down the pipeline....I'm not going to post any details as none of that is public yet but basically it's a ground up redesign in order to address all the shortcomings of prior offerings and make a better "stereo" with less emphasis on pushing boundaries and more emphasis on quality features. Pretty much exactly what you are asking for.

Bear with me while I ramble about tech and product development for a moment.....Product shortcomings typically are not because a manufacturer "doesn't care" or because they are a$@holes (despite what everyone on the Internet seems to think), product shortcomings happen because there are hardware constraints, time constraints, money constraints, etc... all which dictate the compromises that have to be made to get a product to market. We are at a strange time in technology where tech advancement is outpacing product development time at such a rate that products are obsolete by the time they reach the market....case in point, your dynavin android unit....it took 18 months to develop a way to shoehorn android into a dynavin unit, and by the time it was done the hardware was already dated, fast forward a few years and you get posts like the one above. Basically a situation where the a customers tech expectations outpaced the ability to create a product to meet them. I run into this A LOT. People see forum posts and get all excited about what they are seeing but don't look at the date....it it's from 2010 it's irrelevant. I talk to people every day on the phone that I have to set straight, "here is what things are like TODAY". A year from now people will be reading these posts, thinking THIS is a current discussion, and it won't be, THIS conversation will be irrelevant.

I could go on but I won't, there is a lot too this and as a business guy (and a nerd) I find it very interesting, but it's probably a better discussion for a marketing or tech forum.
 
#593 · (Edited)
For starters; YAY

but mine isn't a 2010 d95 or whatever. Mine is a D99+. and it was only a few months old at the time, i figured it was up to date. Or at least closer.

Its got so much potential. And I fully understand the business end. But basically I got a product from 2010 with minimal changes for the same price as the 2010 models. From a business stand point; with 3 years of manufacturing and programming these, it has to get cheaper. If it doesn't your not doing it right. Continuing to charge the same is also fine, if that is put back into R&D to further the products abilities. But I just don't see it.

Maybe Im being tough on them,

Yah they aren't fully established, but they are making a product for a niche market with promises that they couldn't deliver.

For that reason I probably will not buy another dynavin. However if they release an update that can work on existing models that will bring some functionality back to the device, my tune will change.

I hope they do.

EDIT* Your right Ill drop it, sorry just read that last sentence :/ But i feel others should be allowed to know this. I thought I did my research. And yah i found some negatives but most people loved it.
Thanks for your time Jeff. Its guys like you on this side of the pond that make dynavin a reality for most. Keep up the good work!
 
#594 ·
Well, I bought a new D99+ WinCE (from a dealer in Indiana, which saves me the CA sales tax hit) and just installed it today.

I will say from the form and fit aspect, it certainly fits the bill. Since this is not my car (any longer; I sold it to my neighbor who wants built-in Nav) the audio control aspect gripes that were voiced here were not a concern as the owner is not an audiophile (once any general adjustments to the audio processing is made to her preferences, the volume control knob is more than adequate for her).

On the navigation side, while the iGo Primo is definitely functional, the display is rather plain and I'm dissatisfied with its inability to speak out street names, but I'm more frustrated with the jerkiness of the map display, and more so with the "boot" time to get the navigation software loaded after starting/powering the car. I'm not sure if it's because it must always load iGo from the SD card, or if this is the way it is. I've read about the ability to load other navigation apps but although I could solve the street name text-to-speech issue this way, I don't think there is anything that can solve the slow boot time or map display jerkiness. I really feel that for a $7-800 head unit you would get a much faster processor to smoothly handle nav apps (my iPhone 5 has silky smooth nav display). Oh well, I've already handed the car back to my neighbor and won't deal with it unless she complains of these same bothersome issues to me.

I did install the USB and iPod extensions, but the only feature besides OTA radio and nav that I think the new owner will use is Bluetooth for phone calls and maybe music streaming, but I didn't test that functionality personally. Overall, the general interface is "okay": gets the job done but in boring blandness, of which the audio portion styling doesn't match the rest of the interface style.

I will report back any feedback she gives me on her own experiences with the D99+.

I now feel that spending $3,500 to convert my 2008 E90 non-iDrive to the current generation BMW NBT nav isn't such a bad investment at all (about a $1,000 of which was spent getting the basic supporting components, such as the double-scoop dash), considering the aftermarket built-in alternatives don't appear to be satisfying enough for my needs (I don't like those monitor-style fold-outs) and many don't support Satellite radio natively. The D99+ doesn't even come close to the Sony Nav/Microsoft Sync integrated system of my 2009 F-150 (which had a boring interface, but the map display was crisp and would even pop-up gas stations automatically whenever my low fuel warning light came on). But for the little old lady like my neighbor, the D99+ should be sufficient for their needs.
 
#595 ·
I echo your sentiments. I really appreciated the design, and really loved the OEM look but the interface was clunky and dated even 18 months ago. I wanted it to work, really badly, but it just didnt. (PS, Jeff was super cool about everything - lots of sellers would bail on a client that isnt thrilled, if it's improved soon I would trust his insight. He was great to deal with.)

I ended up going with a great Kenwood Excelon, spent a fortune on OEM look bezel, modifying the air ducts etc and I got what I wanted. 2014 functionality in a 2004. Awesome Garmin Nav, better than OEM and it just works. It did cost twice as much in the long run, and still doesnt look stock to the trained eye. I would have rather gone with the Dynavin but it just wasnt and isnt really refined enough.

The Dynavin needs a much better touch screen and a much smoother interface. I'm looking for a great M3 and so many of them have Dynavins right now - fack - I just consider replacing it part of the cost of the car.

Hopefully they will improve it.
 
#596 ·
The most important thing is that people get what fits their needs, the dynavins fit a certain niche in the market and that may or may not be what you are looking for. The good news is there is stuff in the pipeline that will make that niche broader and address some of the past shortcomings.
 
#598 ·
no, im talking about future units, new models etc.... Not talking about current models. Dont bother asking about specifics, there are none at this time.
 
#602 · (Edited)
Hi Jeff,

I have got a backup camera from you (indirectly!) and yesterday I installed it on my D99+.
I have a little problem, please let me know if you have any idea about this.
The camera is functioning fine but the the problem is that when the engine is running the camera's screen gets some kind of noisy ( horizontal bars wiggling vertically ).

I should mention that I had to cut the camera's cable in order to pass it through the elephant tube in the trunk. I was wrestling with it for several hours with no success and finally I got mad and cut it to remove the bulky part. I then twisted the 3 wires inside the cable together and insulated each one with electrical tape. I did not test the camera before this but poor screen quality seems fair to me regarding my action! However, I have no technical knowledge about this. Do you think this might have caused the noises on camera's picture? Can soldering and better insulating improve the picture quality?

The noises disappear and image gets clear when I test the reverse with engine off. The repaired part of the cable is in the trunk lid and I have not put back the trunk and battery covers and liners if it matters.

I would appreciate your input.

Edit:
Now I found out that not only starting the engine but also the vehicle lighting affects the camera's video quality. With engine off if I turn on the lights to the first position, some noises come to the screen and if I go further and turn on the low beam xenons it gets worse. The worst case is engine running with all exterior lights on.
 
#605 · (Edited)
Answered on the other thread....

OK, please do not beat up on me too much for this as I am WAY late to the game and although I've perused the thread off and on for a long time, I've not done a deep dive on the best choice.

So my wife wants to fall in love with her car again and would like to have BT and navigation. I'd like to do it correctly, and this seems like a strong unit and even though a bit pricey, it is still MUCH cheaper than a new car. She's got a Windows phone that I'm assuming will be able to connect to the Dynavin HU? I've read about firmware issues and the like, and what has kept me from getting one a couple years ago was just this; concern that the unit won't be more or less brainless like an OEM unit. My wife is no dunce, but I don't want to have to spend more time monkeying with the unit than using it. I work in the telematics industry, so I'm pretty astute to how all this stuff works, but still just want something only nominally more complicated than "plug and play".

Is this the unit for me/her?
Yes, if you want something relatively simple and easy to use the dynavin is the way to go, PMed with details.
 
#604 ·
OK, please do not beat up on me too much for this as I am WAY late to the game and although I've perused the thread off and on for a long time, I've not done a deep dive on the best choice.

So my wife wants to fall in love with her car again and would like to have BT and navigation. I'd like to do it correctly, and this seems like a strong unit and even though a bit pricey, it is still MUCH cheaper than a new car. She's got a Windows phone that I'm assuming will be able to connect to the Dynavin HU? I've read about firmware issues and the like, and what has kept me from getting one a couple years ago was just this; concern that the unit won't be more or less brainless like an OEM unit. My wife is no dunce, but I don't want to have to spend more time monkeying with the unit than using it. I work in the telematics industry, so I'm pretty astute to how all this stuff works, but still just want something only nominally more complicated than "plug and play".

Is this the unit for me/her?
 
#607 ·
GPS improvement

Hey guys

I did a bit of experimentation and found a GPS hardware mod that helps with reception, accuracy, and fix time. Fitting a better antenna than stock means better GPS performance. Here's some before and after pics to give an idea of the difference. In practice it means I don't worry about GPS fix any more... I just drive and it's got a fix by the time I go looking for directions...

Before:


After:


Any yes, the car was in the same place for the test (my driveway). The after pic has a more accurate position.

PM me and I can hook you up with one (or lots...).

Cheers,
Richard

BTW, the screen protectors were part of another trial to find the best option for antiglare, antireflection, contrast, etc.
 
#608 ·
interesting experiments.....both of them.... Ive not tried different GPS antennas but I have tried different screen protectors. I dont know what results you are getting but I found that all of them make visibility worse...
 
#609 · (Edited)
I tried a few different GPS antennas based on claims and specs. Some pick up different satellites better than others, some make no difference at all, but overall the Gilsson antenna did best, and like I said, it "just works" now where before it often didn't get reception if it was cloudy or in some parts of town.

With the screen protectors, there were a few criteria I used; glare, reflection, contrast, clarity, and touch/feel. I tried a lot of them (PhotoDon, NuShield, 3M, Clarivue), and my take is that the 3M AMR200 is the best balance, although the MXG provided better anti-glare/anti-reflection at the expense of clarity & contrast. NuShield DayVue was interesting but I found it too reflective in this car despite increasing contrast... Their AG film could be worth a try though... There's always going to be some image degradation with this much anti-glare wanted, and also a point where the glare causes white-out, but my subjective take is that it's better with the screen protector up until that point. Dragging menus and icons is better with the protector too - I always found it difficult to drag without clicking before.

Other experiments were software mods (new V6 SuperCharger on M3 ROM, and choice of apps) and a hardware supervisor (backup power with soft shutdown - think of a UPS) were other things I've messed with in an attempt to fix the "Force Close" issue.

Cheers,
Richard
 
#610 ·
Bluetooth Pairing Questions

1) How many phones can be paired to the D99+ for phone calls? The new owner finally got around to asking me to pair her phone to the Dynavin but we found out her son's iPhone was already paired, and even though we were eventually able to pair her phone as well, all phone call functions appeared to be attempting to go through her son's phone (who was not home at the time) and we couldn't figure out how to direct calls through her phone.

2) How do you delete/unpair a phone from the D99+?

The manual, IMO, is pretty horrible. For example, its instrux for pairing a phone state to go the main menu and select the "Bluetooth" icon. Well hello, we couldn't find any Bluetooth icon on the main menu screen. Argh! Getting no where, I Googled and found out that the Bluetooth is (always) active so simply enabling Bluetooth on the target phone and selecting "DYNAVIN" should initiate the pairing.
 
#611 ·
One phone at a time can be connected. Not sure what all you were up to there but once paired the unit will remember multiple phones but if you switch phones you must manually tell the phone to connect.....in the phone menu it should see the dynavin and you should be able to select it to connect. Having the previously paired phone within range when you are doing this is also asking for trouble so make sure its far enough away.

If this does not work then the pairing was no good, delete the pairing from the phone and start over.
 
#615 ·
Hey guys

I hv a question abt the Dynavin d99+ installing on my benz w211 e280. The question is : I use the Iphone lighting adapter to let my iphone 5 can play the music. At first, it worked very well. But, it couldnt play music by iphone5 last month. I went to ask the distributor, they test by the iphone 4. It could work, but still couldnt play w/ iphone5. They said my lighting adapter were broken. Alright, i went to buy a new one. It still couldnt work. Any one kno how to solve my question?

Also, when i use the blueteeth pairing my mobile(iphoen5), when I change stalls. It cant contiuned in blueteeth mode, jumping another mode (ie cd,radio... etc)

thx alot
brgds.
 
#617 ·
Hello Everyone,

I've had a D99+ (WinCE) unit for almost a year now. Everything worked fine until last month.
The problem is with the Navi menu (Press Button NAVI). The Unit goes into the menu but apart from displaying the screen with the 3 Icons (Navigation, Setup, Entertainment) nothing works there. I press on the icons and nothing happens.
I've also tried a HW reset. This did not help either.

Can anyone please help me with ideas on how to fix this problem? It's worht mentionning that the rest of the system works perfectly!

Have a great day and lots of fun on the road!
Bogdan
 
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