TedG

Got a phone call from a Denso engineer today to discuss issues with the Denso NAV unit. Another Yellow said he would give them my number and he is a man of his word.
So here is how it went (condensed version):


XM RADIO
Q, Why is the level of the XM signal so low?
A. Standard RMS for that input is 2.0 volts. The XM voltage is 1.4. It is within spec, but should be looked at. It is a problem with the module.
Note: We discussed that the level being attenuated could be the reason for the lack of quality.
Q. Can it be fixed?
A. We will look into it.

Q. Could you look into putting an (title/artist) INFO button on the NAV screen? It is tough to have to pusH the radio button then the info then the NAV button to get info.
A Good idea, I will present that to my boss.

GENERAL
Q. When an upgrade is available is the flash updated with a CD/DVD?
A. Yes

CD CHANGER
Q. Is there a CD changer coming?
A. Yes.
Q. Who makes it?
A. Panasonic.
Q. When will it be available?
A Probably late summer.
Q. Will it play MP3?
A. No.
Note: When the player becomes available a CD will come with it to update the interface.

MP3
Q. Why doesn't the current unit have MP3 capability?
A Originally it did and it used a software decoder, but the performance of the file system was painfully slow. So it was decided to remove the capability because GM feared it may cause warranty claims (in a nutshell).

*****************EDIT !!! *******************
I was reminded by the Denso engineer about something I failed to mention (I told you I was no reporter)

A. "We are working on providing an acceptable level performance MP3 function to customers."

****************END EDIT !**********************


CHEAT/SETUP SCREENS
Q Is there any way to get to a setup screen to maybe turn off the "I ACCEPT" screen and other functions?
A. There used to be those types of functions, and the one for the Cadillac was leaked out. They removed them from all later models because of big time liability issues. To my knowledge there are no hidden shortcuts in your NAV.

BOSE VOLUME/NOISE COMPENSATION
Q. What is the deal with the Bose noise compensation being a worthless piece of junk?
A. (Laugh) That is strictly a Bose issue, you will have to take it up with them. It is an on/off situation, the microphone picks up a certain level of noise and turns on the system. (we talked about speed sensitive system for a while).

INPUTS
Q. Are there any inputs into the unit for other sources?
A. The XM and CD use the inputs, but to answer the question, there are no RCA style inputs available.

Q. Is there a protocol available that can be placed on the bus for other inputs(say replacing the XM with Sirius). So that data can be shown on the screen.
A. They use a GM protocol and to my knowledge there is nothing available.

MAPS
Q. Some people are complaining that their maps are out of date. Will we be seeing an update soon?
A. Yes.They come out once a year and you should see one available late summer.
Q. Do your maps come from a 3rd party?
A. Yes, we get them and recode them to our format.



That was it, we talked about some other stuff, the forum, where I work and what I do and went into more detail on some subjects. Very nice,straightforward, and knowledgeable guy. I believe the answers were accurate.
Remember I am no reporter, and was ill prepared, So I winged it and pulled this from memory. I am going to send him this thread and he can check for accuracy.

crazyeddie

Thanks Ted, good stuff even if I don't like some of the answers--Ed

burtonbl103

Nice info
Cant wait for the changer

1955 BelAir

Very interesting.

mpuzach

That's good news about the changer. Does anyone here have any word on what will be required in terms of wiring? I'm of the understanding that the changer will be "trunk"-mounted. I assume that a cable will need to be run. Wonder if later-production cars might be built with the cable already in place?

accidentprone

So how in the world will the CD Changer work?

jazzlove

Ted, strong work Man... Great info. I look forward to the map update...

DryHeat

Good legwork - thanks for the info.

TedG

I believe the harnees has an interface that just plugs in, my question was pointed at the availability of other aftermarket products to plug into the system via the standard RCA jacks.

crabman

Good work. Since its flash upgradeable they should be able to add a soft button on the screen that you could use to change the toggle switch to scan, scan presets, or seek when on radio or XM. This would allow you to stay on the nav but go through your presets up or down with the toggle. This is a major ommision in the design.

DebtCraft

Thank you, Crabman.

As for you Ted, great job! It is interesting to confirm that there was actually logic behind the design decisions. The 2.0 version of this product will probably get it right but it surprises me that there are so many drawbacks to the NAV stereo which are completely solved in competing products.

TedG

I am sure there were more questions I should have asked. But at least we got a few answers to nagging questions. I will be dead happy with a CD changer.

Another Yellow

Glad he called you Ted. They were very helpful to everyone. Flashed my radio and Nav with the latest software. They also gave out an updated manual for the Nav system. I'll take a look and see what changes were made.

Frank

_Nomad_

Luckily it seems the non-Nav Delco units don't have that problem. They have different problems like...not playing MP3's toward the edge of a disk.

Vette_DD

Excellent report. Thanks Ted.

TRAYC7

They did this for me too... was a great thing they did for us at the bash... I was impressed with their attention and willingness to make everything that wasnt to our standards right again.. hats off to GM

yellowscream

Close to on-topic...

Does anyone know of a way to get the XM info bar at the top of the screen to keep scrolling full time, rather than requiring a press of the info button. If there's no way to do that, seems like another big omission to me...

V Vette

Good questions, Thanks

TedG

I asked him if he could look into allowing us to just touch that area and the info would come up. I would like scrolling just as much.

Dash Culpepper

Really looking forward to the CD Changer but that is that it will not be MP3 capable.