RCD510, MDI and iPod skipping

[oz_train]

Hi all,
I've read all about the subject issue, but just wanted to get consensus from the group...
My Tig came with an RCD310, but I upgraded to an RCD510 myself. Works perfectly, except, there is a very annoying little "skip" in playback when the iPod transitions from one track to the next. (Don't know if the 310 did it, because I didn't get the iPod cable for a couple of days, and had already swapped to the 510.)
The internet is full of similar complaints, but some users talk about a firmware update which may (or may not!) fix it.

So my real questions are:
Do others have the same problem with iPod playback on RCD510 (or RNS510)?
Is it possible to tell what firmware is running, without looking at the sticker on the box?
Has anybody fixed the problem, by firmware update or iPod/iTunes trickery?

I can't really take it back to the dealer, because I added the 510 myself. If it can't be fixed, I'll resort to SD card or USB hard-drive, which is fine, but it would be nice to drop somebody else's iPod into the MDI when they are a passenger, and have it actually work! The skip drives me nuts, and makes the iPod interface useless.

Appreciate your thoughts!

regards,
John.

[DigTig]

I have noticed the exact same problem...it only happens when you let the song finish and it cues the next - if you jump forward to the next song with the fwd button, it plays ok.

I would be very interested in how you get this fixed.

[oz_train]

I have noticed the exact same problem...it only happens when you let the song finish and it cues the next - if you jump forward to the next song with the fwd button, it plays ok.

Exactly! Also seems fine if you "rewind" to the beginning of the song.

One theory that I have is that it is related to iPod firmware version. I just upgraded to 4.2.1, which supposedly fixes some problem with skipping in car audio systems (although some users in cyberspace report whole songs being skipped, so I'm not sure which issue the O/S update relates to).

I'll be without the MDI/iPod cable for a few days, so can't test my theory. What iPod firmware are you running DigTig? Hope we can fix it - it is the only niggle in an otherwise perfect vehicle.

regards,
John

[epilot]

john,
dont know if this helps but i have the rcd510 without an mdi and have no issues from my iphone or ipod via bluetooth.
regards

[oz_train]

john,
dont know if this helps but i have the rcd510 without an mdi and have no issues from my iphone or ipod via bluetooth.
regards
Thanks - I have kind of the opposite setup - with MDI but without bluetooth! Wish I did get the bluetooth option though... Oh well, had to draw the line somewhere!

[oz_train]

Well, I updated my iPod to the latest firmware (iOS 4.2.1), with great expectations - but alas, the skip remains. This is really annoying - and the only (tiny) blemish on an otherwise perfect car! Maybe I'll come across a fix someday, but I guess for now I'll have to live with AUX input and iPod control - because the skip drives me crazy. Or perhaps ditch the iPod and go SD card for music in the Tiggy... :facepalm:

[DigTig]

I really wish they would fix this though - I paid for the MDI - I'd like to actually use it. Firmware upgrade on ipod did nothing....I can't believe more people don't have this same problem

[AdamD]

Ref the firmware, there was an MDI firmware update that was available on another site, released about 9 months ago, that was supposed to cure the problem. The consensus at the time was that while it didn't fix the problem entirely, it did reduce the gap significantly. (My car was delivered with the new firmware version, so no update was required for me.)

I have noticed the issue occurs on my iPod Classic (current model, 120G), iPod Nano 2nd gen, and my iPhone 3GS. My personal opinion is that it won't be corrected with any Apple device firmware updates, but is more likely caused by the MDI simply not managing the way the i[Device] transitions between tracks correctly (whether the core issue being an Apple idiosyncrasy or otherwise).

[AdamD]

A new firmware, KW22/2011, has been released. I've installed it and (briefly) tested it on my car iPod, and it appears to have fixed the skipping problem completely.

Update KW22/2011 MDI Firmware (http://www.volkswagen-zubehoer.de/fileadmin/pdf/media_in/mdi.bin.enc)

Installation instructions (from the my-gti.com KW22/2010 page (http://www.my-gti.com/2491/volkswagen-media-device-interface-mdi-firmware-upgrade-0111-kw22-2010)):

Download the firmware
Copy the file mdi.bin.enc in the root (top) level of a USB flash drive and insert this into the USB cable.
Turn the headunit on or start the car and the update will proceed. If the MDI is selected the status will be displayed.
After around 1 minute the update will complete and the USB flash drive may be removed.

[oz_train]

Thanks AdamD,
I just installed the update. It loaded OK, but I don't have my iPod with me at work, so I'll have to wait until tonight to test it. I really hope the skipping problem is fixed - fingers crossed!

Do you happen to know whether anything else has been fixed/added with the firmware change?

regards,
John

[orkers]

I installed the update yesterday. It is certainly much better, but I did still get one or two small skips so I don't think it has completely fixed it.

Haven't noticed any other updates / fixes yet.

[edit] Actually one other thing is that I used to frequently get the display not updating with the track details - this seems to have been fixed with this release.

[AdamD]

Do you happen to know whether anything else has been fixed/added with the firmware change?

Sorry John - I haven't seen a change log.

Have a read of this thread (http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5131868-Possible-new-MDI-update!&p=70836433&viewfull=1#post70836433) for some additional info. Some people are claiming there are good interface performance improvements with the new firmware, and I've noticed that too.

[oz_train]

I installed the update yesterday. It is certainly much better, but I did still get one or two small skips so I don't think it has completely fixed it.


Hi All,
bad news - not fixed. Like orkers, it has "improved" (perhaps "changed" is a better word, because the only way to improve something which is broken is to fix it!). Most tracks now start perfectly, and then have a very brief glitch in playback. Some tracks, however, play the first second or so, and then have a long pause, of maybe 2-3 seconds, while the display sorts itself out. "Rewinding" to the start of a track usually misses the first second of the song.

Still not happy - basically paid a couple of hundred for an MDI which is useless! Oh well, maybe the next version of firmware will fix it. I'm still intrigued as to why some of us have this problem, and others don't! And I'm annoyed that a cr@ppy Pioneer unit that I dropped in my Honda works perfectly with my iPod as a USB device, and this MDI can't cope...

regards,
John

[AdamD]

Some tracks, however, play the first second or so, and then have a long pause, of maybe 2-3 seconds, while the display sorts itself out. "Rewinding" to the start of a track usually misses the first second of the song.

I've not noticed this myself as yet. I've listened for about an hour thus far, in Mix mode.


Still not happy - basically paid a couple of hundred for an MDI which is useless!

I use my MDI almost every time I drive my car, and for the majority of the journey. Yes its operation isn't 100% flawless, but for the most part it works; best of all VW is providing firmware updates (albeit sporadically), so we can look forward to issues being resolved with time.

Two years ago I paid over $500 for a Honda iPod adapter to be installed in my Accord Euro; that device had vastly fewer features, exhibited glitches too (of a different flavour, but equally frustrating for me), had no firmware update provision, and cost a lot more than the MDI.

[oz_train]

Yes its operation isn't 100% flawless, but for the most part it works; best of all VW is providing firmware updates (albeit sporadically), so we can look forward to issues being resolved with time.

Yes, good to see that VW is still looking to fix it - I'll be patient, and keep my fingers crossed! For now, though, I'll just use the AUX input for the iPod, and SDHC card(s) for when I want control via the touch screen.

Still wondering why some work, and some don't, though. I did change my RCD310 for an RCD510, as a "plug and play" swap... As I understand it, the MDI is a "stand alone" box, and the problem rests entirely with it... nothing to "set up" or code between the head unit and the MDI.

regards,
John.

[AdamD]

Still wondering why some work, and some don't, though. I did change my RCD310 for an RCD510, as a "plug and play" swap... As I understand it, the MDI is a "stand alone" box, and the problem rests entirely with it... nothing to "set up" or code between the head unit and the MDI.

Yep, AFAIK the MDI does all the work communicating with the iPod, and just provides a device-nonspecific interface to the head unit for controlling playback and receiving an audio stream. That's how I assume they'd have implemented it.

I'm guessing the real variance between user experiences relates to different iPod hardware and software revisions, and how they provide audio to the connected device (eg MDI). IIRC, the iPod connector doesn't actually provide a digital signal at all, but rather an analogue one, which the MDI passes up to the head unit for amplification.

[Banzai]

On a related note, I've noticed that the song information displayed on the headunit is often wrong. About 10 to 15% of the time it doesn't change when a new track starts. I've had this happen with 3 different iPod/iPhones.

Can't say I've had the skipping issue, at least not the way it has been described here.

Using standard Mk6 head unit and VW's optional iPod cable.

[orkers]

I used to get the incorrect track being displayed, but the recent update seems to have fixed this.

[Whitegti11]

Just did the update in my my11 adidas, seems to have fixed the skipping at the start for me... so far.

Does anyone else have an issue if they connect an iphone 4 to the mdi cable before the bluetooth connects, once the bluetooth connects no more music is played through the head unit. You have to disconnect the iphone from the cable and plug it back in to get it to work.

[orkers]

Yes I get the bluetooth/MDI connection problem all the time. It is more to do with the iPhone defaulting to the most recent audio output, so If you plug into the MDI, then bluetooth audio comes along, it will change the output to BT. You can manually change it back to MDI via the iPod software (hit the little speaker symbol in bottom right), but I just tend to wait until BT has connected and then connect the MDI.

It is still a bit of a pain though. Wish iOS had a default output option.