How to convert from analogue to digital tv.

[vwpassat]

Hi I have tv option in my audi a8. It's 2005 facelift. What do I need to get the tv working? Any links from where I could buy the equipment?

Thank you

[snapdragon]

There was an afterthought unit that piggybacked onto the analogue unit and was not integrated into the MMI, it had it's own remote.
The analogue unit was eventually replaced (2007/2008?) with an MMI-integrated DTT (Freeview) unit.
Both are silly prices used, You can buy a new LG razor frame 50" plazma for £389 but these MMI digital tuners are more than that used!

The more realistic option would be to get the AUX in adaptor cable and buy a cheap £30-60 tuner from dx.com or ebay and then get some suitable FAKRA cables for the 4 antenna. We have diversity aerial so you would need a car tuner with 4 antenna inputs - I have seen them online. You may get away with using one with 2 now analogue transmissions have ceased and the digital broadcast wattage has been massively boosted.

Also consider using the AUX input and some sort of media player which plays USB / SD card videos. You would have to stuck it in the boot and extend the remote control eye on a pair of wires onto the parcel shelf so that the remote works.

[vwpassat]

Thanks for your help mate

[EG-4.0TDI]

This is a complicated topic as I've been through this and it took a lot of digging!

First up, Snapdragon is right, doing this 'properly' (as in OEM, fully integrated, Audi parts etc) is an expensive business so you may want to get creative with the solution and go aftermarket.

If you're interested in going OEM read on...

Firstly you need to know which MMI version you have. At 2005, I would expect it to be MMI 2G High, but somewhere down the line things changed to MMI 3G. The basic principles of what follows are identical, but the part numbers are different for 3G. Note that 2G kit won't work in a 3G car and 3G kit won't work in a 2G car so you need to get this bit right.

For an MMI 2G there are three possible 'official' tuners: the analogue one, a digital piggy back to the analogue tuner, and a hybrid. The analogue is obviously useless and the piggy back is clumsy which means you really need the hybrid to have a fully integrated solution.

I assume from your having a 'TV option' that the car actually has an analogue tuner currently installed. This is really important because without an analogue TV being factory installed the MMI head unit controller behind the glove box won't have a video input on it which means you'd need to upgrade that as well which adds considerably to the expense. (Note there is one exception to this rule that you need an existing tuner: if you have the factory reversing camera option your MMI head controller will have a video input).

Provided you have an analogue tuner already installed, life is a whole lot simpler. The digital hybrid tuner is plug and play for all connections (power, aerials, and video out). The only slight drama is getting access to the somewhat pretentiously named 'media rack' on the near side rear of the boot in order to physically install it, but once in it is just a case of swapping boxes.

For a MMI 2G High car, the hybrid tuner has part number 4E0 919 148. These come up on ebay fairly regularly and you just have to watch the prices. To give you a feel: new from Audi they're about £1200, quite a few float around the £600-800 mark for buy it now. And occasionally you can negotiate. I ended up around £300 from ebay and an hour for my long suffering and ever helpful Audi dealer to install it.

Picture quality is excellent (assuming you have a digital signal) although unless you get creative with the coding, you have to be stationery to watch it - annoying in stop start traffic as it keeps cutting in and out for 'safety reasons'.

[dragondownsouth]

Hi,

I bought a RF Digital tuner from Aldi two years ago for about £30 which came with it's own remote. I would have thought it would be worth a punt and putting one inline between the antennas and the existing tuner. Mine came with an additional IR input line in which means you could put the module in the boot and have a small sensor inside the cabin.

[Micha_elD]

I have a handful of digital tuners, they cost about £12.50 from ebay, but the reception is so poor they are a waste of time, unless you live next to the broadcast antenna, or fit a proper freeview aeriel on your roof, and keep the car at the right angle to keep the aerial aligned with the transmitter. Works with a house, but useless on a car.

The OEM system has 4 aerials, one behind each corner of the bumpers, and at least three tuners, and it constantly hunts for the one with the best signal, but even with that level of sophistication, the signal is a bit hit and miss.

If you have a 2005 car, then you'll have the analogue receiver, and 2G MMI, Audi went for a hybrid analog/digital receiver in 2006, and 3G in about 2008, so do an ebay search for 'Audi A8 TV', make sure its hybrid, and that its for 2G, and do a europe search, not just UK. You will see a few for around £350. You need to swap your unit out for the new one, may need to do something with VCDS, and you're done.