Displaying Chinese characters in iDrive - BMW 3-Series Forum (F30 / F32)

CrazyLatte · 11-04-2012, 03:54 AM

I'm located in Australia and am loving the car!
I listen to a bit of chinese music every now and then and have noticed that iDrive does not display chinese! this makes selecting the right music to listen very difficult!

Does anyone know how to display chinese in iDrive?

F30AM · 11-04-2012, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyLatte

I'm located in Australia and am loving the car!
I listen to a bit of chinese music every now and then and have noticed that iDrive does not display chinese! this makes selecting the right music to listen very difficult!

Does anyone know how to display chinese in iDrive?

Should have bought it in China!

clarence · 11-04-2012, 12:32 PM

It can probably be coded to enable selection of trad chi or simp chi, but nobody seems to have done it yet.

oedipol · 11-04-2012, 01:11 PM

i have no problem with chinese characters in my car, even Japanese and korean characters are displayed correctly ! maybe cars destined to asia have the encoding?

clarence · 11-04-2012, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oedipol

i have no problem with chinese characters in my car, even Japanese and korean characters are displayed correctly ! maybe cars destined to asia have the encoding?

Yes, different coding as there are specific option codes for HK/MAC/TW/PRC/KR/JPN markets.

Dabaitu · 11-05-2012, 04:07 PM

I'd be interested in this as well, CL, let me know if your dealer's able to code it and I'll check with mine.

F30SH · 11-09-2012, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyLatte

I'm located in Australia and am loving the car!
I listen to a bit of chinese music every now and then and have noticed that iDrive does not display chinese! this makes selecting the right music to listen very difficult!

Does anyone know how to display chinese in iDrive?

i am just want to know what's kind of chinese music you listened?haha..

gtastray · 11-09-2012, 07:42 PM

Yeah i need Chinese and Japanese in mine.

bmwretrofit · 12-03-2012, 04:17 PM

Unfortunately, it is not possible to have Chinese characters displayed with North American/European iDrive. You can convert your system to Chinese/Japanese completely, but you will no longer have maps of NA/Europe. This is very sad, but this is a limitation from BMW.

also1412 · 12-05-2012, 01:43 PM

are you abs sure about that? if I were to be the architect of this (software) system, i will certainly make the language and locale as a separate module, that way, for production it will be just the same system but different language modules - rather than different builds for each of the language or geo regions.

what i am saying really is, there must be a way - if i can see the raw files in the os - to enable utf8 encoding display in the EU systems. it can't be true that EU systems and CHN/JPN systems are different in architecture.

g2g8969 · 12-05-2012, 02:39 PM

I too am interested in this feature. I asked my CA and he wasn't able to find out anything. I'm sure there must be a way to add just a language, maybe through coding?

daxtor · 12-07-2012, 04:55 AM

I haven't been able to google up a way to do this either. I don't have navigation, just normal iDrive. Apparently several companies offer navigation retrofits in earlier model cars (e.g. E90) and those units can display Chinese. There is no such offering for F30 yet. Even if there is one, I don't want to retrofit a complete navigation system just to make the Chinese characters show on iDrive. Anyway, it is quite inconvenient not able to locate the song I want to play on iDrive.

Silververtu · 12-08-2012, 01:45 PM

I have no trouble displaying Chinese

g2g8969 · 12-08-2012, 07:56 PM

Are you using new professional navigation system?

daxtor · 12-09-2012, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silververtu

I have no trouble displaying Chinese

I am interested to know how that's possible for your iDrive. Is it stock? If not, what did you do to make the Chinese characters show up?

Spikey · 12-09-2012, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daxtor

I am interested to know how that's possible for your iDrive. Is it stock? If not, what did you do to make the Chinese characters show up?

+1 ... kinda curious how the characters are getting displayed?

Silververtu · 12-10-2012, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g2g8969

Are you using new professional navigation system?

Quote:

Originally Posted by daxtor

I am interested to know how that's possible for your iDrive. Is it stock? If not, what did you do to make the Chinese characters show up?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spikey

+1 ... kinda curious how the characters are getting displayed?

It's the new professional navi system and everything is stock. You need to go to Properties > Details Tab of each song file to change the album, artist and song name into Chinese.

daxtor · 12-11-2012, 03:43 AM

Ah, good to know. If I had ordered a navigation system in my current car I'd be shooting myself in the foot for not waiting for the new system. Anyway, looks like I can look forward to retrofitting the latest navigation system to my car if I really want the song names to show up properly. This is a very costly option though...

KITT · 01-20-2013, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silververtu

Quote:

Originally Posted by g2g8969

Are you using new professional navigation system?

Quote:

Originally Posted by daxtor

I am interested to know how that's possible for your iDrive. Is it stock? If not, what did you do to make the Chinese characters show up?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spikey

+1 ... kinda curious how the characters are getting displayed?

It's the new professional navi system and everything is stock. You need to go to Properties > Details Tab of each song file to change the album, artist and song name into Chinese.

Are you referring to iTunes when you stated properties and so on?
I have tried and still is not working at all.
I have edited under Tag for the music in iTunes.
Any ideas where it go wrong ya.😊

clarence · 01-20-2013, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KITT

Are you referring to iTunes when you stated properties and so on?
I have tried and still is not working at all.
I have edited under Tag for the music in iTunes.
Any ideas where it go wrong ya.😊

U have have NBT? If it's CIC then SGP-spec won't show Asian characters.

steppyf30 · 01-21-2013, 04:49 AM

I have just taken delivery of my f30 328i in Singapore with Professional NAV.

My CIC cannot display chinese characters, even though its properly coded in my ipod.

On a separate note - does anyone here have the links to the latest GraceNote Database that decodes the names of the CDs?

I manage to figure out a way to get to the update menu - but cant seem to find the latest version of the database.

Thanks!

clarence · 01-21-2013, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steppyf30

I have just taken delivery of my f30 328i in Singapore with Professional NAV.

My CIC cannot display chinese characters, even though its properly coded in my ipod.

On a separate note - does anyone here have the links to the latest GraceNote Database that decodes the names of the CDs?

I manage to figure out a way to get to the update menu - but cant seem to find the latest version of the database.

Thanks!

When is ur date of production?

11-04-2012, 03:54 AM	#1
CrazyLatte Private First Class Drives: 328i MSport Join Date: May 2012 Location: Australia Posts: 138 iTrader: (0)	Displaying Chinese characters in iDrive I'm located in Australia and am loving the car! I listen to a bit of chinese music every now and then and have noticed that iDrive does not display chinese! this makes selecting the right music to listen very difficult! Does anyone know how to display chinese in iDrive?
	Tweet

11-09-2012, 07:42 PM	#8
gtastray Enlisted Member Drives: 2013 335i M-sport Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Hamilton, Canada Posts: 46 iTrader: (0)	Yeah i need Chinese and Japanese in mine. __________________

12-08-2012, 01:45 PM	#13
Silververtu Lieutenant Drives: 2013 550i M Sport Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: US of A Posts: 442 iTrader: (3)	I have no trouble displaying Chinese __________________ 2013 550i M Sport Gone but not forgotten: 2006 2.0T A4 Avant, 2007 Z4 Roadster 3.0si, 2006 M Roadster

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

11-04-2012, 12:32 PM	#3
clarence Lieutenant Colonel Drives: F30 328i M-Sport Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,526 iTrader: (0)	It can probably be coded to enable selection of trad chi or simp chi, but nobody seems to have done it yet.

11-04-2012, 01:11 PM	#4
oedipol Private First Class Drives: 2012 F30 328i Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: HK Posts: 105 iTrader: (0)	i have no problem with chinese characters in my car, even Japanese and korean characters are displayed correctly ! maybe cars destined to asia have the encoding?

11-05-2012, 04:07 PM	#6
Dabaitu Colonel Drives: anything given a chance Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: .au Posts: 2,561 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 BMW F30 328i S ... [5.00]	I'd be interested in this as well, CL, let me know if your dealer's able to code it and I'll check with mine.

12-03-2012, 04:17 PM	#9
bmwretrofit First Lieutenant Drives: BMW Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 354 iTrader: (0)	Unfortunately, it is not possible to have Chinese characters displayed with North American/European iDrive. You can convert your system to Chinese/Japanese completely, but you will no longer have maps of NA/Europe. This is very sad, but this is a limitation from BMW.

12-05-2012, 01:43 PM	#10
also1412 Enlisted Member Drives: F30 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: London Posts: 30 iTrader: (0)	are you abs sure about that? if I were to be the architect of this (software) system, i will certainly make the language and locale as a separate module, that way, for production it will be just the same system but different language modules - rather than different builds for each of the language or geo regions. what i am saying really is, there must be a way - if i can see the raw files in the os - to enable utf8 encoding display in the EU systems. it can't be true that EU systems and CHN/JPN systems are different in architecture.

12-05-2012, 02:39 PM	#11
g2g8969 Private Drives: bmw 328i Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Irvine, CA Posts: 53 iTrader: (0)	I too am interested in this feature. I asked my CA and he wasn't able to find out anything. I'm sure there must be a way to add just a language, maybe through coding?

12-07-2012, 04:55 AM	#12
daxtor Enlisted Member Drives: TBD Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Canada Posts: 36 iTrader: (0)	I haven't been able to google up a way to do this either. I don't have navigation, just normal iDrive. Apparently several companies offer navigation retrofits in earlier model cars (e.g. E90) and those units can display Chinese. There is no such offering for F30 yet. Even if there is one, I don't want to retrofit a complete navigation system just to make the Chinese characters show on iDrive. Anyway, it is quite inconvenient not able to locate the song I want to play on iDrive.

12-08-2012, 07:56 PM	#14
g2g8969 Private Drives: bmw 328i Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Irvine, CA Posts: 53 iTrader: (0)	Are you using new professional navigation system?

12-11-2012, 03:43 AM	#18
daxtor Enlisted Member Drives: TBD Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Canada Posts: 36 iTrader: (0)	Ah, good to know. If I had ordered a navigation system in my current car I'd be shooting myself in the foot for not waiting for the new system. Anyway, looks like I can look forward to retrofitting the latest navigation system to my car if I really want the song names to show up properly. This is a very costly option though...

01-21-2013, 04:49 AM	#21
steppyf30 New Member Drives: F30/E93 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Asia Posts: 6 iTrader: (0)	I have just taken delivery of my f30 328i in Singapore with Professional NAV. My CIC cannot display chinese characters, even though its properly coded in my ipod. On a separate note - does anyone here have the links to the latest GraceNote Database that decodes the names of the CDs? I manage to figure out a way to get to the update menu - but cant seem to find the latest version of the database. Thanks!