Some Random Observations

[shcm]

Dunno, whether these have been spotted before.

1. Looks like there *might* be the possibility of DAB and HDD (Hard Disk storage for mp3 etc?) adapters for the face lifted RAV Sat Nav. Look at the new sat nav pic:

http://km77.com/00/toyota/rav4/2009/gra/103.asp

About time. Thought Toyota were lagging a bit with this one.

2. Looks like there is maybe a possibility of a new Toyota branded combined ipod and USB adapter. Wonder if that will play mp3 etc straight from a usb stick? Again, I thought they were a bit behind with this. See the links. May be available for both 4.3 and face-lifted 4.3 from January?:

http://newata.toyota-europe.com/ata/access...mp;typeId=24618

http://newata.toyota-europe.com/ata/access...mp;typeId=24618

3. Not really RAV related, but interesting. Also from that newata site, if you select the Urban Cruiser from the options on the left:

http://newata.toyota-europe.com/ata/accessory/type/list.do

It would seem it will have the Yaris diesel (1ND-TV), which I think was expected and a 6 speed box. That's good, because every time I take our Yaris with that engine, on the Mway, I keep looking for 6th (although that might have something to do with normally driving a 4.3 RAV :D ). Sorry, if that was already common knowledge. I think the engine was expected, but I certainly wasn't sure about the gearbox.

Cheers

[Parts-King]

On the new Avensis you can get an upgraded navigation system with high spec audio hard drive and rear camera, probably the same type of unit for a RAV, but I think the price tag is about £1000 (seem to remember seeing that somewhere but cant find it now!)

Kingo

[xenodrew]

Dunno, whether these have been spotted before.

1. Looks like there *might* be the possibility of DAB and HDD (Hard Disk storage for mp3 etc?) adapters for the face lifted RAV Sat Nav. Look at the new sat nav pic:

DAB is a "failing format" I wouldn't spend the money converting. Perhaps Toyota are ahead of the game, after all the technology has been around since the 80's, is of a much lesser quality and is likely to cost more than 4 times the amount needed for the FM rollout.

The HDD and USB connectivity are a different issue though, Volvo's have had these benefits for years, so says the parts dude at my local Toyota dealer.

[shcm]

DAB is a "failing format" I wouldn't spend the money converting. Perhaps Toyota are ahead of the game, after all the technology has been around since the 80's, is of a much lesser quality and is likely to cost more than 4 times the amount needed for the FM rollout.

I wasn't intending on converting. I was meaning to point out that the new sat nav might possibly take a toyota DAB adapter. I don't believe the current 4.3 RAV Sat Nav will. I could be wrong of course.

Depends what you mean by "failing". I agree the MP2 codec isn't the most modern (wasn't the standard actually finalised in the early nineties?) and it isn't helped by the fact that they've tried to cram as many stations onto each ensemble as possible, effectively reducing the available bit rate for each station and therefore the perceived "quality". Standard broadcast WFM can sound as good or at times better because of this.

DAB+ might address this. However, unless they can find a cheap way of upgrading the codec in the receiver on the fly, a transmission standard will probably always lag behind the "state of the art" and ultimately as the codec gets more complicated, the receiver will, IMHO, eventually run out of "processing power" anyway.

There's nothing wrong with the underlying data transmission standard (OFDM) though is there? (OK maybe once they up the radiated power for TV after switch over). It used as a basis for both terrestrial digital TV and DAB, admittedly in QAM form for TV and PSK for DAB.

[Parts-King]

There's nothing wrong with the underlying data transmission standard (OFDM) though is there? (OK maybe once they up the radiated power for TV after switch over). It used as a basis for both terrestrial digital TV and DAB, admittedly in QAM form for TV and PSK for DAB.

I'm sure glad you know what your talking about shcm, that went straight over my head was it double dutch?

Kingo

[xenodrew]

Depends what you mean by "failing".

Lemmings and cliffs spring to mind . . . as for updating the codecs thats a no go too. Back to the drawing board. The whole DAB issue is a "bill of goods"

[shcm]

I'm sure glad you know what your talking about shcm, that went straight over my head was it double dutch?

Kingo

It's a technique for confusing pointy haired bosses (PHB), who wouldn't know a technical issue from a frozen Turkey. Use as many TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) as possible.

I do it a lot just to counter-act the stupid PHB management speak. It helps keep me sane(ish)

I know you don't really want to know, but I'm on a roll this afternoon.......

QAM = Quadrature Amplitude Modulation. Sort of like AM (a lot of people can understand that), but you do it with two waves 90 degrees out of phase, which cutting a long story short is quite efficient.

PSK = Phase Shift Keying. You alter the phase of the wave but not the amplitude to transmit information.

OFDM = Othogonal Frequency Division Multiplex. Sort of a lot of waves, used close together in frequency. The information on each wave is changed very slowly, but because there is a lot of them, you get a high data rate. I could go on, but I think I've cured your insomnia already......................yes I thought so

[xenodrew]

It's a technique for confusing pointy haired bosses (PHB), who wouldn't know a technical issue from a frozen Turkey. Use as many TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) as possible.

. . . YTTTF