TIMM'S BMW E38
USING THE REAR AUDIO/VIDEO SOCKETS

Some E38's have Rear A/V Sockets - Here's all you need to know about them:

You can use a 1/8" (3.2mm) jack that has either 3 or 4 contact rings. Here's the usual 4-ring lead that can be bought from Maplins, RS etc:



If using a 3-ring jack then the pin-outs are (starting from tip):

Audio
Video
Ground

The Audio is Mono only just like the TV. You can input a standard PAL signal using the 'IN' jack:



I'm using a little PVR (Personal Video Recorder) to test both the IN and the OUT sockets. It can receive video/audio and can also produce video/audio:



The 'TV' button loops through the TV channels, select 'AV' (you can do this from the TV as well). The TV can also be set to accept NTSC signals from the monitor controls......it accepts both PAL and NTSC:



You can now play your favourite video through the TV and speakers, how about me and my mates blapping through the countryside on Quads filmed using a head-mounted camera.....I'd buy it:

You can also get the video/audio OUT from the TV. Connect the same lead to the OUT socket and you will be able to receive the TV picture and sound:



If you want, you can switch the front TV off (or use it for other stuff like SAT-NAV), the device connected to the rear sockets will still receive the TV picture and sound and you can change channels with the 'TV' button: