Retrofit TV Option

[carsonr6]

Is it possible to retrofit the tv option on the E70 LCI, is it just a case of getting a digital tuner and aerials etc?

[X5Sport]

There is a retrofit kit listed for the E70, but only up to 07/2009. Part Code: 65 50 2 147 814. 4.5 hours labour according to BMW.

And it's not just aerials!! The kit includes fibre optic cables, video module, aerials, cabling, brackets etc. Quite a bit of work needed, including coding of the car by a dealer/expert and you must have the Professional Nav fitted already.

If you go to this site at Bimmerretrofit it includes the instructions (in pdf) - but you have to register to download them.

[Chompers]

[quote=""carsonr6""]Is it possible to retrofit the tv option on the E70 LCI, is it just a case of getting a digital tuner and aerials etc?[/quote]

Why would you bother? reception is next to useless, even with digital tuner. Had it on my previous 'X' and can count on 1 hand the number of times it was used. Save your money and use an iPad, other tablets also available

[X5Sport]

I have to admit to feeling the same, except the TV is useful when stuck in traffic, or when tother half is shopping.......

Using a fruity tablet ( ) works if you have an all you can eat data package, or get free tethering. The fruity mobile network wants to charge me an extra £10 a month for that privilege, and it's not as if 3G can provide decent sustained data rates anyway!

What I've done is bought a copy of Air Video which sits on both the tablet and home server (along with Bonjour) and then I can rip (for personal use only!) films I have and converted (using AnyDVD HD) them to tablet format and copied them to the tablet. Of course, if you buy them from iTunes anyway, that's an unnecessary step. Works on a home PC too, but you do need some CPU horsepower as a BluRay conversion takes 4 hours even with an i7 and 8GB of RAM for it to play with!

Great for long haul flights and holidays too - as long as you have enough memory to store them on......

Cheaper than a TV retro which at a guess is going to be at least £1,500!

[shadrack]

[quote=""Chompers""][quote=""carsonr6""]Is it possible to retrofit the tv option on the E70 LCI, is it just a case of getting a digital tuner and aerials etc?[/quote]

Why would you bother? reception is next to useless, even with digital tuner. Had it on my previous 'X' and can count on 1 hand the number of times it was used. Save your money and use an iPad, other tablets also available [/quote]
i would totally agree mine has digital tv, and parked it barely works half the time or it does but only a few channels, than as soon as you start to move its useless!!

[carsonr6]

I had it in my last M3 and it was handy when I was waiting for the wee fella to come out from school and stuff. I wouldn't pay £1500 for it though.

[shadrack]

[quote=""carsonr6""]I had it in my last M3 and it was handy when I was waiting for the wee fella to come out from school and stuff. I wouldn't pay £1500 for it though.[/quote]
yeh i do use mine from time to time but it came with the car i would never in a milion years pay £1500, in fact for how few times i use it i doubt id even pay £500 for it!

[carsonr6]

I didn't realise that was the price of it

[X5Sport]

Even at build the TV Function is £800, so approx double it for a retrofit (using an OEM Dealer towbar retrofit as a basis) especially one requiring cables routed from front to back. You could buy a portable TV for a lot less, or even a 'not so portable' one at that price.

[5wany]

[quote=""Chompers"]...Why would you bother? reception is next to useless, even with digital tuner...[/quote]

Wrong imo

Have on my LCI e70 with TV in motion works 95% time when moving, wife loves it, great for keeping up with sport action ect when on move. Only loses signil temporarlly if you go under bridge, or enclosed by very high building structures.

Prob the best option I had added at the order stage. though agree expensive retrofit via dealer

[Chompers]

£800 to watch tv in a car!!!! Surely the kit can't cost any more than £50 + that would buy a very nice large plasma for the house and provide a much better viewing experience. Sorry just makes no sence in a car and watching while driving :O that's just wrong on all fronts

[5wany]

[quote=""Chompers""]£800 to watch tv in a car!!!! Surely the kit can't cost any more than £50 + that would buy a very nice large plasma for the house and provide a much better viewing experience. Sorry just makes no sence in a car and watching while driving :O that's just wrong on all fronts [/quote]


As they say.....don't knock it till you've tried it.

[Chompers]

[quote=""5wany""][quote=""Chompers""]£800 to watch tv in a car!!!! Surely the kit can't cost any more than £50 + that would buy a very nice large plasma for the house and provide a much better viewing experience. Sorry just makes no sence in a car and watching while driving :O that's just wrong on all fronts [/quote]


As they say.....don't knock it till you've tried it.[/quote]

I have and it was $hite on my e53 and have also seen it on an e70 and was not a whole lot better!!!! infact I have seen it on most recent BMW's where it is an option and non have work very well. If it was as per the Range Rover set up i.e. passenger could see the TV/Driver the sat nav, then that would make sence and would be much safer.

Clearly this is my opinion but as said before £800 is a joke and utter waste of money

[Sanj]

I remember X5Sport mentioned an increase in the signal strength (think it was him) on the digital front. It's getting better!

[X5Sport]

Indeed it is.........but I'm getting seriously pee'd off with all the channel changes! Every couple of days it seems we get the 'New channels found, please retune your TV' flag. Must be the London switchover affecting us rural types.

All our channels have gone from quality 8 to quality 10 in the last few days.