Not too bad of a hijack, but you can always just start a new thread...

1. It's a camera for drivers who want to look at the nav screen instead of out the front windshield. :confused:


Kidding aside, if you do some research, you'll find some good info on the front camera. I think it provides for a very wide angle view which gives you more side-to-side visibility. It's supposed to help you see around corners a bit. I can't imagine it's really that useful unless you find yourself having to inch out of a tight alley between two tall brick buildings 8 feet apart on to a fast road all the time. You could just stick the nose of the car out a few inches and be able to see what's coming in both directions on your nav.

2. You need a TV module or a video module to go with the camera. BMW sells a TV module so you can get TV as well as the back-up view, but you can get after market video modules for significantly less money that'll provide the path from your camera to your nav, but not give you TV. Those modules typically have 2 video inputs though, in case you want to hook up a DVD as well. We have a couple of sponsors here that can help with this stuff. EAS seems to have established some really good relationships with some folks on this board as a result of really great products/work. You may want to hook up with them and I'd bet they can set you straight... Whether you buy the camera from BMW or elsewhere, you're just buying a camera. You'll need a module as well... GL! :thumbup:

Gents...
I have OEM TV/Nav, aftermarket DVD...
If I'll buy only camera, can I fix it for backup view?
Do I need anything else, any module, software?
Anybody got the Diagramm?
We higly appreciate your support...

can someone please do the homework for me and maybe give me a price quote of how much it would be just to get an OEM rear camera with an OEM module for a 2005 X5 4.8 WITH NAVI..if not an OEM module, maybe an aftermarket one that can easily interact with the OEM camera.. the reason for going oem is cuz my car is leased.


thank you:thumbup:

X5Jay,
Your description of what the front camera does is what I thought. Then I thought my thought did not make sense. I see that for me the front camera is an indulgence that will only lead me to an accident. I will keep the back camera.

Why is there such a price difference between the BMW camera for individuals with the TV module installed versus the ones without? There is a $400 difference in the price of the cameras.

I have worked with Tom at EAS for my DICE integration and found him knowledgable and easy to work with.

Thanks for you help!

The 2 part numbers we are quoting are for the camera AND the video module...so it does include both. In my case, even thought I had the NAV system I still needed both the camera and the video module to complete the system.

I remember I paid around US$1200 to have the complete system installed...my dealer did a very good job of the install.

We can do this for much less expensive than the BMW solution, here's what you need:

Video Source Module (VSM) for BMW - Core System
http://www.europeanautosource.com/pr...roducts_id=161

Reverse "Bumblebee" Camera
http://www.europeanautosource.com/pr...roducts_id=439

This allows the reverse camera to activate automatically when the vehicle is placed in reverse and return to NAV mode when back in drive. There is ecen an additional input for other devices (DVD player, iPod, etc).

Lots of people are running this setup already, let me know if you have any further questions.