Andrew Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Hi there, for the standard uk birdview sat nav there are two discs. One is called 'Programme CD-ROM' and you install this first. The second is the 'Map Data DVD'. Does anyone know exactly what they each do/ are for? The reason i ask is, i bought an updated set off ebay but they aren't exactly for the car obviously - they are for a primera or something. The bottom line is the new 'Programme CD' wasn't recognised. So i installed the old one again. Then rather than put in the old map disc, put in the new map disc. The result? All appears well. The new countries are there e.t.c. There are roads on them so those are there!! I thought maybe i'd end up with blank maps or something. Basically, all appears well despite my 'mixing and matching'. Am i about to discover something wrong?! Is the data cd just for language or something? I don't understand why i appear to have got away with a cheap update. Cheers Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixy Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 i think you're probably right - the program disc is probably the same as yours and the map disc is just the updated roads. I've seen them on ebay for my VDO dayton sat nav - they are copies for about £20 instead of the original for about £100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 This is really quite simple and logical. Nissan do not want to spend a shed load of money creating new nav software and maps for each and every car. So they make a code base which is the basic program and maps which they can share between all the cars. Next they take the code base and expand on it, adding new features, functions and looks for specific cars. Probably sprousing it up for something like the Zed and making it more basic for say a Primera. This is why your program doesnt work, as its not desinged for your car, but the maps do as they are in a common format. You should be good to use any updated map pack as long as its for a compatible car, which it looks like you have. All the map disc has on it are a bunch of files corresponding to the data for each country. As long as you have a compatible disc, you will get the new roads. If however they change the format, then I guess it will no longer work, without the software update specific to your car. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 This is really quite simple and logical. Nissan do not want to spend a shed load of money creating new nav software and maps for each and every car. So they make a code base which is the basic program and maps which they can share between all the cars. Next they take the code base and expand on it, adding new features, functions and looks for specific cars. Probably sprousing it up for something like the Zed and making it more basic for say a Primera. This is why your program doesnt work, as its not desinged for your car, but the maps do as they are in a common format. HTH Errr.... Hi ...... WELCOME Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 This is really quite simple and logical. Nissan do not want to spend a shed load of money creating new nav software and maps for each and every car. So they make a code base which is the basic program and maps which they can share between all the cars. Next they take the code base and expand on it, adding new features, functions and looks for specific cars. Probably sprousing it up for something like the Zed and making it more basic for say a Primera. This is why your program doesnt work, as its not desinged for your car, but the maps do as they are in a common format. HTH Errr.... Hi ...... WELCOME Thanks, just new to the forum. Looking to get a Zed in the next month or so. Thought I'd share something I know about, computers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 This is really quite simple and logical. Nissan do not want to spend a shed load of money creating new nav software and maps for each and every car. So they make a code base which is the basic program and maps which they can share between all the cars. Next they take the code base and expand on it, adding new features, functions and looks for specific cars. Probably sprousing it up for something like the Zed and making it more basic for say a Primera. This is why your program doesnt work, as its not desinged for your car, but the maps do as they are in a common format. HTH Errr.... Hi ...... WELCOME Thanks, just new to the forum. Looking to get a Zed in the next month or so. Thought I'd share something I know about, computers Nice one pal Feel free to mooch about and ask as many questions as you want!!! And get some pics up of your zed once you have one........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 Thanks - makes sense to me. Someone should tell the Nissan lads though. When you call up they aren't selling map discs which are 'common across cars'. They have it packaged up very neatly so it sounds as though each map disc is only for a specific car. 2 dealers told me what i was trying just wouldn't work as the whole disc package is very specific. Then again, that isn't surprising i suppose. Now all i need is the Zed program disc to get that 'look and feel'. Now there is a real waste of money... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 Sorry - also forgot to say. I could be mistaken, but my understanding is they do create different map discs for each and every car...you only need to look on ebay. Whether the differences are significant or not i don't know. But what is said above suggests all they do is stick different labels on the discs for different cars. Is that allowed?! Or are we saying those are all identical...? i.e if you have two of the same version but one for a primera, one for an xtrail... They certainly aren't sold on that basis. The prices differ for a start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 This is where you move into a largely grey area. Nissan arent stupid, if they were to create just one set of maps for say the UK, another for Europe, and another for the US, then thats only 3 discs they can sell. Now, should they change the software just enough for it to be legally different (forgetting the maps for now), then for their higher range cars, they can charge more. Legally, this is fully allowed, its different software, and it doesnt matter if the maps just so happen to be the same format. This would mean they have 3x as many discs as cars, much more profitable. I beleive from my economics days this is called market segmentation. Typically you dont get one customer entering the other market so they are never caught out. I cant guarentee that all Nissan map discs will work with Nissan cars, they may have different formats from year to year. But from their point of view, what is the point in creating one format for say a Zed and another for a micra. Its just illogical, they'd have to keep converting the map data for each car. In a sense the Nissan guys are correct also, and dont know any better. Remember they know nothing about software engineering, so to them, they recieve different discs for each car, so they assume that each will only work for that car. IF Nissan were really clever, they could even make it that way by signing each disc for a specific car and the car could check that, and inserting the wrong map disc would cause it to give an error. But this is far too much effort Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted March 26, 2007 Author Share Posted March 26, 2007 Excellent - thanks for this very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 No probs, like to help where I can. I'll get my own back when I get my Zed and have a million and one qustions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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