As mentioned in the thread about the Rosen GM1210, we have just received what looks to be a pretty fantastic replacement for that unit: the Dynavin GM2007. If you have ...

As mentioned in the thread about the Rosen GM1210, we have just received what looks to be a pretty fantastic replacement for that unit: the Dynavin GM2007. If you have questions that I don't answer here, you can call me (contact info at https://www.adcmobile.com/contact-us) or message me here on the forum. If it looks like something you would be interested in owning, MSRP is $699.95, but SS forums users can use coupon code "SSGM2007" for $50 off + free shipping here: http://www.adcmobile.com/product/dynavin-navi-for-gm-vehicles-gm2007/

We saw this unit at the SEMA show and have done some very in-depth testing on it (I installed it in my own 2011 Tahoe), and would like to share those results with everyone who may be looking for a high quality plug and play unit that, like the GM1210, replaces the factory head unit in 2007-2014 GM cars, trucks and SUV's, with either the standard audio (non-amplified) system or the Bose amplified system. It currently does not work on the Centerpoint system, but we will be working with Dynavin to try and supply the proper CAN codes to turn on the Centerpoint amplifier - stay tuned if you own that system...

This unit is not Android-based like some of the cheaper units out there, and is not designed to function like those cheaper units in many ways. This may not be the right unit for you if you are looking to get all of your favorite apps built into the radio, but it is evident that the manufacturer spent far more resources on the design and software than most Chinese Android head unit manufacturers, and since it shares the same interface with the units made for its German car counterparts, it was designed to feel at home in a Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, etc. and it feels like it.

If you are an Android user, the radio works spectacularly well using the "Android Link" feature to mirror your phone display and using that feature will also give you control of the phone from the radio. If you are an iPhone user, I can't give you a definitive rundown on how the unit interacts with iPhone yet, other than to say that it works absolutely fine using Bluetooth for audio streaming.

Here's the manufacturer's website:http://www.dynavin.com/products/n7_gm2007.php

Here's a gallery of our installed images: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JEQVRdoZZWzz6Jd-HAaAm8Nhe_ZE_t9v

Video will be coming soon - I plan on shooting a ton of stuff over the Thanksgiving weekend and posting it, so stay tuned.

Here's the unit installed:


To give everyone the best info I can on the stuff that might be the most important for you, I will break up the features into different sections and try to go as in-depth as possible in each section. Sometimes it's hard to cover everything the first time around, so if I don't cover what is important, please let me know and I'll try to dig deeper to cover your questions.

Ouf of the box experience:

The unit is packed very well and the unit comes cradled in two pieces of foam with two boxes of accessories. This is what's in the box:


The main harness has only the "X1" (power/CAN) and "X2" (speaker) connector adapters on it. If you are replacing a factory unit that has a DVD player for factory rear entertainment, you will also need to buy the "X3" (rear entertainment) adapter from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/PAC-GMRVD-Overhead-Retention-Entertainment/dp/B001EAQXTM.

The satellite harness is for the aftermarket SXV-300 satellite tuner - it DOES NOT support factory XM. Having said this, the SXV300 tuners are less than $30 now, so that isn't a huge issue, but I wish it supported the factory tuner. They did say they would investigate whether this can be supported with a different harness and a firmware update, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.

The RCA harness has 4 channel RCA's along with a sub output and amp turn-on, and the GREAT thing about this is that these are true 4 volt outputs, making this the equal of any higher-end car stereo unit out there when using aftermarket amps. This is a huge improvement over the Rosen's 2 volt output.

The USB extension is about a 3' male to female USB cable that can be used for the secondary (MEDIA) USB input. It DOES NOT adapt to the factory USB, but adapters are readily available to adapt from the factory mini-male USB to the standard USB female on the deck: https://www.amazon.com/Electop-Pack-Female-Adapter-Converter/dp/B015PGGUWA

The external mic is kind of bulky, but I mounted mine on the overhead shorty console and it works very well. Since it is a Parrot Bluetooth system, I would expect it to...

The AV output harness has L&R audio as well as TWO video output RCA's (so you can use two individual monitors - more about this later), and a "360 Birdview Active" wire that I have no clue about...

The AV input harness has AUX input L/R/Video inputs, camera input and camera power/ground wires.

The antenna adapter is kind of unconventional - this unit has a "FAKRA" connector (like the GPS antenna) for the radio antenna, so the adapter is kind of bulky, and does interfere with the install on some vehicles (more later).

The GPS antenna is a standard antenna that we normally will mount under the dashboard (I used my old Rosen GPS antenna and it works just fine).

INSTALLATION:

On my Bose-equipped Tahoe, the installation was relatively straightforward, with one notable exception. Since it is made with the standard mounting tabs that fit all GM vehicles it's designed for, the radio lines up perfectly and on non-Bose trucks, it will most likely be a piece of cake. On my Tahoe, there was an issue with the radio not sliding all the way "home" and bottoming out on the mounting surface due to the the FAKRA adapter for the radio antenna hitting the rear of the "radio box". I am working with the manufacturer to source a 90 degree adapter so hopefully this won't be an issue moving forward.

Although I could have potentially ground out a notch to clear it, I decided to just take out the upper portion of the wall at the rear of the radio box. To do this, you will remove the 7mm screw closest to the center and using a razor knife (with a new blade), score the plastic multiple times in order to weaken it so it can be removed easily. BE CAREFUL AND REMOVE ALL HARNESSES FROM THE AREA SO YOU DON'T CUT THEM! You DO NOT have to cut through the structural plastic of the dashboard (the harder plastic behind the radio box). Here's what it looks like after being trimmed:


Once the radio box was trimmed, the radio fit in nicely. All of the harnesses fit in the main hole, and because there is no outboard CAN adapter module, getting them all to fit was a breeze. I reattached the trim and this is how it looks in the dash (and the plastic actually matches the rest of the HVAC trim much better than the GM1210):


CAN INTEGRATION:

All of the replacement "OE-style" radios tie into the CANBUS of the vehicle to get their turn-on power, rear camera trigger, steering wheel controls, chimes, etc., and what sets them apart is how they accomplish these tasks. The older Advent units ran the CAN adapter in the radio while the Rosen had an outboard adapter (and chime box). The GM2007 runs the CAN adapter internally, so there are no bulky harnesses you have to make room for, which makes the install MUCH easier. There a couple MAJOR differences in how the GM2007 treats CAN data that I have never seen in other units, and they are changes for the better:

Radio Bootup: The GM2007 monitors the door lock circuit and "wakes up" when it sees the door unlock or the door open. If your truck is equipped with keyless entry, this means that you can unlock the door well before you walk out to it, which starts the bootup process. The entire sequence from startup to radio display takes a total of about 22-25 seconds, so if the radio already has a head start once the doors have been unlocked, the radio may already be completely booted up by the time you get there!

Chimes & Turn Signals: These sounds are transmitted to the factory speakers, and (THANK GOD) have a volume control slider! This means you can turn them up or down based on your preference! Finally, someone gets that those are a pain in the ass and gives us a way to turn them down!

Steering Wheel Controls: Steering wheel controls are fully supported for volume up/down, track control up/down, changing sources, and pickup and hangup of the phone, an ability that the Rosen GM1210 lacked. You can also press and hold the call button on the wheel for Siri or Google Assistant activation.

Rear Camera Lines: The GM2007 has dynamic parking lines input from the CANBUS, which are the "bendy lines" that follow the steering wheel input, along with prioritized camera activation, so the camera will come on long before the radio is all the way booted up.

Radio Power: The accessory circuit maintains the standard RAP (Retained Accessory Power) function that the factory radio has, but takes it one step further. Normally, the RAP circuit keeps the radio lit up for up to 20 minutes if you turn off the vehicle and leave the key in the ignition without opening the driver's door. This works the same way, but the difference here is that if you take the key out with the door open, the radio will shut off as normal, but all you have to do is re-insert the key to make it come on again. You do not have to turn the key in the ignition, which allows you to play the radio without having to power other circuits in the vehicle, and since you can turn off the chimes in the menu, it makes it very easy to listen to the radio with the doors open!

In addition, the radio stays powered up (with the display off) for 5 minutes after you shut off the key and close the last door, which means that when you come back to the vehicle after a short time away and start the truck, the radio is on almost immediately - kind of a cool little touch!

DISPLAY & USER INTERFACE:

One thing you notice right away is how crisp the display is on the radio - at 1024 x 600, it is still not HD, but it is VERY sharp and clear, and is the equal of any display on the market in a 7-8" size. The display has dimmer and brightness controls, along with an auto-dimmer that takes over when the ambient light in the cabin is low.

There are hard buttons vertically aligned on the left and right:

Left:
Band (AM/FM)
Menu
Mute
Nav

Right:
USB
Quick Access Button (more on this below)
iPod
SD

The buttons are lit in GM green, and it is a spot-on match. Green is the only color though, so Acadia owners still will not be able to match their red backlights... :- ( The light switch does control the button backlighting and they dim with the dash lights.

The "four square" button is a quick access button programmable to your choice between multiple functions - you can preset it to something that you want to access quickly - in my case, I have it set to Bluetooth Audio so I don't have to go into the menu to switch over to that source.

The UI "feels" very European, with all of the menus and controls being well thought out. The resolution of the screen really makes the menus very easy to work with, and because the touchscreen is capacitive and not resistive (meaning it "feels" your fingers like your cell phone does rather than feeling the "pressure" from your fingers like a normal touchscreen), moving around on the screen is very easy.

There are buttons for the following items on the main menu (and you have a choice of colors for the outlines):

1st screen:
Radio
Navigation
SD card
Phone
Media
USB

2nd Screen:
Info
Nav Path (tells it where to look for navi files)
File (file manager)
Camera (to view camera while driving - only an option of the camera is powered on ACC)
Audio
System

3rd Screen:
AV
iPod
Bluetooth Audio
TV (not available in North America - we're going to ask that they disable this source)
Android Link (more about this below)
Apple Link (for mirroring of iPhones - requires an additional adapter - not tested here)
Disc (DVD & CD)
HDD (Hard drive storage - 4GB, I believe, but I haven't played with trying to move files to that space)

The radio allows you to change the "splash screen" or bootup screen very easily, and contrary to other units, allows you to do it by simply inserting a USB stick or SD card with your preferred image (should be at least 1024 x 600 resolution) on it and hitting the icon in the bottom left corner to set the image as the splash screen - it literally could not be easier.


AUDIO SETTINGS:

I can say without any doubt that this unit sounds FAR better than any other I have installed in this vehicle. They claim a 24-bit Burr-Brown D/A converter is used, and although I can't claim to know the tech behind it, it sounds GREAT! For the Bose system, there is a switch that drops the output of the standard speaker outputs down to a much lower level to drive the factory amp, and that output is adjustable as well. In my Tahoe, the Bose system absolutely ROCKS! The subwoofer has FAR more output than ever before and goes lower, while the highs go MUCH louder before they distort. Overall, the sound quality improvement has been a breath of fresh air, because the options to improve the Bose system are slim without spending thousands.

There are separate pre-amp controls for every source, so you can fine-tune the volume level of each one so you don't get blown out of the truck when you switch between sources.

There is a three band bass-mid-treble control with subwoofer out control as well as a 9-band EQ with multiple presets that gives you much finer control of the output. What is kind of odd is that I can't find a subwoofer crossover - I'll call on that...

One of the surprising features in the audio section is the presence of time alignment. Time alignment is an advanced feature that lets you fine-tune the system in a way that only very expensive aftermarket sound processors allow you to do, by literally changing the time delay between the different speaker locations so the sound arrives at your ears the way it would be if you had headphones on. Being almost infinitely adjustable (with presets for left-hand and right-hand drive) means that you can make your ride sound as good as possible without having to resort to adding on outboard modules. This make a huge difference especially for Bose systems, since there are very few, if any options to appreciably fine-tune that system without spending far more than the cost of this radio!


BLUETOOTH:

The best decision they made was to include a Parrot chip for the Bluetooth section! For the past almost ten years, Parrot has made the best Bluetooth chips on the market for aftermarket radios, and the hands-free performance of the GM2007 is as we would expect - pretty damn good. The mic is bigger than most out there, and I wish they would have used the Rosen-type of mic for cosmetics sake, but we have done back-to-back testing between the units and it is about a toss-up in mic quality. The unit only allows two devices to be paired, so it's a little behind the times on that spec, but it allows phonebook push, favorite lists, and all the other standard Bluetooth stuff. I am using a Pixel 3 phone, and pairing was a piece of cake (and fast).

The Bluetooth interface is pretty standard, with a keyboard, pickup, hangup and cancel buttons. Caller ID is present on incoming or outgoing calls, and a nice little window showing that you are on an active call with name/phone number floats over other screens - it's a nice touch. Icons for battery level and signal strength are also displayed at the top of the screen.

One of the nice features included with the GM2007 that was not available on the Rosen is full control from the steering wheel, for pickup, hangup and voice dialing (or using Siri & Google Assistant).

Bluetooth audio is great and fast! It displays song data, but does not display album art. Track controls work from the steering wheel or radio controls. Sound quality is excellent and there is a pre-amp level adjustment if your phone outputs to high or too low a signal level.


ANDROID LINK:

If you are an Android user, in my opinion the strongest feature of the radio, by far, is Android Link. Android Link allows you to connect your Android phone and mirror the display simply by plugging it in with your standard charging cable! The phone needs to have "Developer Options" enabled (easy to do in the phone's menu), and once that is done, you are set. (NOTE: Android Link is not yet available for Android 9, but will be soon with a firmware update)

Without using anything other than your charging cord, you can do screen mirroring on any app that allows it: YouTube, Google Maps, Waze, Gmail, Calendar, etc., as well as control the apps from the touchscreen.


Although YouTube works like a champ (see below), some apps like Netflix are prohibited from outputting video via USB during screen mirroring, so unfortunately that won't work unless you get an older version of the Netflix APK that allows it.


If you install the app "Easy Connection", then you can run your favorite apps on the radio, and preset your favorites directly in the interface:


Once you have the phone plugged in and your apps chosen, running them is just a matter of touching the icon and it runs essentially natively on the radio. For instance, here's Spotify running from the "Easy Connection" interface (and it will continue to play over any other app that runs, like Google Maps):


RADIO SECTION:

Using the factory antenna in my Tahoe, FM reception is frickin' awesome. And I say this living in the toilet bowl of FM reception in the US: Seattle, WA. Having been an installer here my whole life, I can attest to the fact we have about the shi**iest reception in the country, and although this radio is not HD, it is one of the better FM tuners I have heard in a long time. I literally have not heard ANY static in the almost two weeks I have been driving it! Now of course, your mileage may vary, but I can say pretty unequivocally that if you rely on FM radio, you won't be disappointed.

FM also had RDS data, which gives you station ID, artist, song title, etc. data for every station that broadcasts it, and it is FAST compared to other tuners (notably the Rosen, that did get RDS as well, but was slow about displaying it).

There are 15 FM and 15 AM presets, and these will automatically grab the RDS data of the station you are presetting and add that text to the preset button. While cool, this means that you may have to wait until the exact phrase you want to memorize shows on the RDS display, since it will just as easily memorize a chunk of the song title currently playing as the call letters or frequency of the station. Timing is everything here.

A really cool feature allows you to add artwork to your preset buttons as well! This means that you can grab any artwork, resize to a 122x92 .jpg image, label it properly and add it to a folder on your SD card, then the preset buttons will display your artwork instead of the RDS data (the SD card must be inserted for these to display):


AM is as you would expect - it's there. I don't hear anything special about AM in my testing, but I'm not a huge AM guy.

I haven't installed a satellite tuner, so I can't comment on satellite performance or the interface yet. I will attempt to do this in the near future. I'm hoping that when the engineers visit us in Seattle we can figure out a way to make the factory XM tuner report to the unit - as far as I am concerned, this is a priority and I will HIGHLY recommend for that to happen.

IPOD:

Being an Android user, the iPod source doesn't do much for me, but Apple users will find it to be a great feature if you have a ton of music on your phone or iPod and want to get album art display. Simply plug in your phone and get the same display as the USB and SD sources, with album art and song data:
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1RHRbyIzU9cv7So0zsMLKjZv1Cik__PYs

AV INPUT

Like just about every current AV head unit, the GM2007 has one AV input with video and L/R audio RCA's. This input can be used for any outboard device, like a phone mirroring cable, front camera, media player, etc.

USB/SD CARD INPUTS:

There are two USB inputs and two SD card slots on the unit. One of the SD card slots is for the map (iGo Primo) database (bottom left of faceplate), and the other is for media playback (bottom right). Since there are two USB inputs, you can dedicate one to the factory USB port (if you have it) and one to a media drive or additional phone. The manufacturer claims to have tested capacity to 128 GB, but I have not tried using anything that large.

Both sources have buttons across the bottom for MUSIC/VIDEO/PICTURES/FOLDER/KEYBOARD & NOW PLAYING. You can browse each of the types just by pressing the buttons - the content can be in different folders, and the deck brings it all to you under the proper button - pretty basic function, but it's not real common in a car radio and is a very nice deluxe touch. The "FOLDER" button allows you to browse the folders on the card to find the content you may want. The "NOW PLAYING" button brings you back to the currently playing file.

In the MUSIC interface, you have buttons for Artists, Albums and Songs, and it does an amazing job of switching between them or scrolling up and down in the lists with no lag or glitchiness whatsoever.

A really nice feature is the inclusion of the KEYBOARD, which allows you to cut through the clutter and go right to the letter of the album, artist or song. On the Rosen unit, I was never able to listen to most of the 3,000+ song collection I have on my SD card simply because it took too long to scroll down! On the GM2007, I just bring up the keyboard and hit "S" and start playing Supertramp...


If you have album art and meta data associated with your MP3 files, this radio does a GREAT job with it. In fact, it makes me want to go back and clean up my MP3 collection and add artwork and data to all of my files. Artwork is displayed on the left of the screen and song data is displayed on the right, showing title, artist and album in that order:


Dynavin lists the following files as playable on the USB/SD section: MP3/AAC/WMA, but I have tried MP4, MKV and FLAC files on SD and I didn't have a hiccup on any of them, which is extremely impressive since the MP4 and MKV files were full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution that the radio had to down-res on its own in real time in order to play! The processor in the unit is a beast, because I couldn't find anything that would slow it down!

In addition, I was able to play the High Definition MP4 & MKV files to the "Rear Zone" outputs (for rear monitors), which for us has kind of been the Holy Grail of features, since more and more people are doing digital downloads of movies, and having a way to play those files to the rear entertainment screens has been a huge pain in the ass so far - this radio makes it easy! BTW: MP3 files do the same, so the rear seat passengers can bring in their own music to play on the SD or USB and listen to it from the rear entertainment system (while front seat passengers listen to a different source. With two video outputs, it opens up rear entertainment options immensely, since now you only need monitors in the back instead of DVD players or other media devices!

Here's an HD MP4 video file of "Coco" playing on all screens from the SD card source:


There is also a "BRAKE" setting in the menu that will tell the radio to act as though the E-brake is on, allowing for video playback in motion (for off-road use of course), so your passengers can enjoy a movie while on (or off) the road...

DVD/CD:

Nothing much new here - it plays CD's and DVD's and the manufacturer says it will pay the following formats: DVD Video, DVD Audio (2ch mix down), CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+-R/+-RW, DVD-VR / Compressed Media Playback: MPEG/ AVI /RM/ FLV/ ASF/ WMV/ MP4/ MKV/ OGM/ DivX/ MP3/ WMA/ AAC Playback. I have not tried all formats, but if your preferred method of bringing content into the car is still on disc, it looks like just about anything will play!

The disc drive will also contribute to the Rear Zone output, so you can throw in a CD or DVD for the rear seat passengers, then watch or listen to another source up front. The "BRAKE" setting also works for DVD, so your passengers can enjoy a movie while on (or off) the road...

REAR ZONE:

As I've already discussed, the radio is capable of running "Rear Zone" entertainment so the front seat passengers can watch or listen to something different than the rear seat passengers. The Rear Zone must be activated in the menu to allow different sources front and rear.

Audio and video files on the DVD, CD, USB and SD card can be sent to the rear zone, so you can bring pretty much anything with you to keep the kids happy!

The radio does come with RCA AV outputs (including TWO video output RCA's), but it does not come with the harness included to plug into the factory "X3" connector that feeds the factory rear drop-down screen. That cable is readily available on Amazon for around $22: https://www.amazon.com/PAC-GMRVD-Overhead-Retention-Entertainment/dp/B001EAQXTM

REAR CAMERA:

The rear camera input is unique in all of the OE type radios we have ever sold: it has dynamic lines which do an awesome job of tracking your trajectory in reverse. I used to think these were a nice thing to have, but not necessary. After driving with them for the past ten days, they are a life-saver! The lines are actually extremely accurate and really do a great job of taking the guesswork out of positioning you during backing maneuvers.

In addition, the camera screen has green, yellow and red warning lines that are fully adjustable for height and width, which make the warning they provide more customized to your own sense of safety:


NAVIGATION:

The unit runs iGo Primo for navigation, and while it has been out awhile, it is still a very capable and fast system, with more customization options than most other systems. I did notice that it runs a tad bit slower than it does on the GM1210, but I put that down to the fact that It runs from the SD card instead of from internal R**. However, since the card has the ability to be removed, there are a lot of tweaks and hacks that can be done to it very easily, and we will be posting those on our website as we play. :- )

There is an icon on the main map screen that hints that the unit is able to receive live traffic information, but after calling the manufacturer, I learned that is only available in Europe. I suggested that they remove the icon if we will never be able to use that feature.


Overall, the experience with this radio is extremely positive so far, and its features, speed and ease of use put it ahead of all that have come before it. While it is not perfect (doesn't have Car Play or Android Auto built-in yet), it comes very close, and adds many features that just have not been available in this type of head unit from a reputable manufacturer for quite awhile. While others from China may have more app controls built-in, there is ALWAYS a trade-off to get them, and if you are not willing to put up with the frustrations of a "pure Chinese" head unit just to get a factory look, the Dynavin GM2007 may be a great option for you...

Sounds like a great unit Walt. It seems to address several of the shortcomings I find in the GM1210 but for me, not worth swapping a perfectly capable Gm1210 right now for this.

What backup camera are you using with this unit? And are the dynamic backup lines a product of the camera or the head unit?

Thanks for the review! Sounds like pretty capable thing.

Having factory XM integration is quite essential, I think, as I'm sure there are still quite a lot of people who have not gone only Spotify etc. yet. At those of us who at one point bought a lifetime subscription. Spending 700 bucks on a head unit and still have to spend more on a separate XM tuner is a bit too much. At least for me. Hopefully that'll be resolved soon.

One thing what I liked about the GM nav unit was that you were able to split the screen between the audio source display and the nav. Not sure if something like that would be possible with this? At least Rosen doesn't allow it.

All in all, I will definitely be following the development here, so keep us posted.

esox07 wrote:Sounds like a great unit Walt. It seems to address several of the shortcomings I find in the GM1210 but for me, not worth swapping a perfectly capable Gm1210 right now for this.

What backup camera are you using with this unit? And are the dynamic backup lines a product of the camera or the head unit?

Agree with you on swapping the GM1210 - if it's still kicking, there may not be enough here to force a swap, but I still get 6-7 calls a week from guys that want the GM1210, so there's still a market... :- )

I'm using the Rostra 300-LPB, which is a small sugar-cube style camera that I have disabled the internally generated parking lines on. It's not the highest-res camera, but it's decent and cheap. Since the GM2007 allows you to customize your own lines and adds the bendy lines (both adjustable/switchable on the radio), just about any camera can be used.

The backup camera can be configured 4 ways: no lines at all, bendy lines only, warning zones only and bendy lines + warning zones. The camera view can also be reversed - don't really know why - if you find a reason for that, let me know... :- )

The warning zones are individually adjustable for distance and width. In my case, I have the red line just touching my bumper, which is actually kinda nice since I don't have to squint anymore to try and determine where the bumper is, since the GM1210's lines weren't really accurate. The yellow and green zones stack up on top of it and reach out to about 10-12 feet away.

The bendy lines are generated from the CANBUS, as opposed to some cameras we now carry that have accelerometers built into them that sense movement and superimpose those bendy lines as long as the vehicle is moving - once you stop, they straighten out.

The nice thing about these bendy lines is that they are VERY accurate! I did a test by backing into a parking space using ONLY the camera view to do it, by lining up the parking space with the tip of the bendy lines ONLY and trying to back in. I'll be damned if they didn't put me square in the spot, and I never looked up from the screen once! I'm sold on them now...

Here are the different views:

No lines:


Bendy Lines Only:


Warning Zones Only:


Warning Zones & Bendy Lines:


Bluetooth call display:


I added the last shot info will stay on top of the other screens during a Bluetooth call...

Can the unit use the GM camera? My wife's Tahoe didn't come with OEM nav and has the camera in the rearview mirror.

wottenad wrote:The backup camera can be configured 4 ways: no lines at all, bendy lines only, warning zones only and bendy lines + warning zones. The camera view can also be reversed - don't really know why - if you find a reason for that, let me know... :- )

Walt, only reason I could think is if the camera was for some reason used as a front facing camera. Other than that, I don't know either.

tsuintx wrote:Thanks for the review! Sounds like pretty capable thing.

Having factory XM integration is quite essential, I think, as I'm sure there are still quite a lot of people who have not gone only Spotify etc. yet. At those of us who at one point bought a lifetime subscription. Spending 700 bucks on a head unit and still have to spend more on a separate XM tuner is a bit too much. At least for me. Hopefully that'll be resolved soon.

One thing what I liked about the GM nav unit was that you were able to split the screen between the audio source display and the nav. Not sure if something like that would be possible with this? At least Rosen doesn't allow it.

All in all, I will definitely be following the development here, so keep us posted.

Yeah, I'm really not too jazzed about the lack of integration on XM (I would have thought they would have done the legwork to integrate it), but after a few conversations with the manufacturer, they are willing to look at developing an adapter that will allow us to use it with this radio, so stay tuned.

Having said that, the SXV300 satellite tuner that works with this deck is online for $30.49 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/SiriusXM-SXV300v1-Connect-Satellite-Streaming/dp/B00NJTO4CY, and you can get a $70 rebate for it from Sirius/XM: http://www.getsiriusxm.com/offers/2ways2save/downloads/SiriusXM-SXV300-3Months-Free-MIR.pdf, so doing the math, you actually end up MAKING $39.51 plus 3 free months of free service!

You can use the factory XM antenna by just getting an adapter: https://www.amazon.com/Eightwood-Satellite-Antenna-Adapter-Receiver/dp/B01N1Z5FO9, and the connection is super easy to access - the factory XM tuner is right behind the glovebox:


Also, to swap a lifetime subscription is just a matter of giving SXM the new radio ID, so that's really not too huge a deal either...

tsuintx wrote:Can the unit use the GM camera? My wife's Tahoe didn't come with OEM nav and has the camera in the rearview mirror.

You can use the factory camera no matter if it came in the mirror or in the factory navi.

On the mirror display, it's just a matter of wiring the factory camera down from the mirror monitor. If you look at the factory plug on the back of the mirror, the WHITE in pin6 is the video positive and the DARK BLUE in pin 7 is the video negative. We normally will pull the shorty console on the roof to access this harness and those wires. They are the only ones wrapped in foil in that harness. To connect, you just take a 12' single RCA cable, cut off the end and separate out the center conductor and the outer copper braid.

Connect the center conductor of the RCA to the white wire and the copper braid to the dark blue, then run it down to the deck along with the mic wire (I normally go down the PASSENGER side A-pillar and into the dash behind the glovebox).

If you want to kill the monitor in the mirror, you cut (or preferably, de-pin) the DARK BLUE wire in pin 9 - this will turn off the reverse trigger to the mirror. Also consider that you can swap the mirror for a regular OnStar mirror, then sell that mirror to recoup some of your money (my current cost on it is $240).

You can do the same thing on a navi-equipped vehicle - the camera wires are going to be in the BROWN "X4" connector, with the same wire colors and locations (for Chevrolet): WHITE in pin 6 and DARK BLUE in pin 7. GMC may have a PINK wire in pin 6 instead of WHITE, but the same function. You can also source an adapter for $10 to accomplish it as well: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_120BKUPCAM/Metra-BackupCam-Backup-Camera-Cable.html

The nice thing about the factory camera is that it DOES NOT come with lines built-in - those lines were always part of the display (mirror or navi screen), so the bendy lines and warning zones will work perfectly if you want to display them.

If you wanted to make the camera active while driving, we have tech support on our website that shows how to rewire the power supply for the camera.

Great info, Walt. Thanks for posting.

What would be required (other than $$$ ) to convert from a GM1210 (with back-up camera) to this new GM2007?

Sounds like maybe the GM1210 market is soon be be replenished with some used units from people upgrading to the Dynavin.