Just sold my 1992 Gen1 Dakota, and I'm thinking about applying part of the proceeds toward a myGIG (RER) NAV + Sirius system for the 2005 that I just recently acquired.

My question pertains to the "iPod enabled" bit. Here's what I *think* I understand; please correct me if I'm mistaken anywhere:

The "iPod enabled" models have a special connection cord that plugs into the bottom of the iPod (stowed safely in the glovebox). Music is stored on the iPod and its internal drive, NOT on the hard drive contained in the myGIG unit. Music and playlists, etc., can be managed as usual with iTunes on my computer of choice, and albums/artists/genres/playlists can be selected from the myGIG touchscreen.

Where I get confused is with regard to the NAV + Sirius myGIG systems that are NOT "iPod enabled". I understand that I can STILL copy music files to the myGIG internal hard drive, and that the myGIG unit *itself* acts rather like an MP3 player in its own right. True?

How are playlists managed in this case? Do they exist at all? Or do I just have a great big "bucket" of 12,000 songs on a hard drive? Does software exist for constructing playlists at the computer in the comfort of my home? Or will I be sitting in my driveway tapping on a touchscreen? Essentially doubling/duplicating the playlist management work that I already do in iTunes? Does the database software in the "NON-iPod-enabled" myGIG allow selection by artist? by album? by genre? random shuffle?

The "iPod enabled" feature adds about $100 to the cost of the unit I'm looking at. I think I understand how it will work if I *do* opt for it; I'm trying to wrap my head around the user interface if I *don't* spend the extra C-note.

Thanks in advance. Any help in understanding this is most appreciated.

 

I have a REN non-navigation myGIG without the ipod kit. When you upload music to the myGIGs hard drive from a usb drive you have to have song files in a folder and it has you pick the folder (no folders inside folders, it doesn't like that). This is also what creates a playlist in the unit. For example if I make a folder on a USB drive named "Fast Driving" and put 20 different songs in it then upload that on the myGIG I will have a new playlist named "Fast Driving" that has those songs in it. You can also find the songs by artist or genre through the menus assuming they're tagged correctly. It uses the ID3 tags on the song file to get that info. It's not perfect but it's been quite workable for me.

 

I see.

I'm going to repeat back what I think I just heard:

The myGIG unit essentially treats ALL uploaded files as a single playlist. You manage your lists by uploading JUST the current/desired group of songs.

You can load from a USB flash/thumb drive, a USB hard drive, or from a CD or DVD.

Is that an accurate summary?

How fast are these uploads? Say, for example, I want to upload 60 songs of 3-4 minutes apiece, 3-4 hours of audio in all. Any sense of how long such an upload might take?

And THANK YOU for sharing. It's a big help.

 

One more thing, if I might.

My wife has an XM subscription in her Hyundai Sonata. I'm told that XM and Sirius are now one? And that a second/supplemental subscription on the same account is cheaper than signing up from scratch?

So, will I be able to subscribe to XM, even though the hardware is Sirius?