kip1

The rear entertainment systems seem to be outdated and suck in all marques. Honestly who plays dvds in this day and age, I have had blurays only for 10 years. I have solved this by just buying ipads with a harness for the ipad and share my phones internet. You will always have the latest machines if you want it, and the cost is way less than an OEM system.

larryV

Totally agree. DVDs are so 10+ years ago. I think the optical media age is over and streaming content is here to stay. And even for those that prefer local media storage, there's SD cards, local flash storage, as in the case of our crappy RSE III.

Perhaps if your kids are older or just getting into the teenage years then DVDs might still be relevant. But I think most newer parents like myself with very young kids (2-6yo) may not care about DVDs as much, and maybe Audi knows this and forcing DVD obsolescence along on their own. Aside from blu-rays of my own favorite movies to play in the home theater, I don't think I've purchased an DVD/optical disc in ages. All of the stuff my kids watch were either purchased on iTunes or Google play or streamed from subscription services like HBO Go or Netflix. Their favorites are saved in either the iPad's built-in flash storage or an android device's microSD card. We have absolutely no need for DVD players in the car or even at home to be honest.

alex904

One solution for controlling video playback on another device is to use a screen sharing or remote playback apps. Not sure if there's such for iOS, but on Android there are few solutions. Since MMI already has wifi router in the car, setting it up won't be difficult. Don't take this as T-Mobile ad, but in T-Mobile US does not count Netflix, Hulu, Sling, HBO, Showtime and many other VOD services against your data plan. Sadly, Youtube is an exception.
I agree that Audi could do better job at making Entertainment system easier to use and more integrated with MMI, Android and iOS ecosystems. Especially taking in account that Audi is a big Google partner.

DirkM

That's why I wanted to my personal data SIM to work, Plex Media Server for the movies, no data usage on Netflix or Apple Music (besides lots of others). Given, we poor A4 guys don't even get the RSE prep, but my two iPad with a Plex Media Server connected to the car's WiFi and getting Internet via t-mobile are pretty good for now. All I want is a iOS app that connects to the MMI and shows the map to avoid those "are we there yet" questions. (and for the "cool" factor).

Cadx6

Short of a full blown media server like AudiA4B6US devised (cool) - something like this, plugged in & tucked away somewhere in the car might be an option to make a variety of movies, music, etc. available. Of course you'd have to teach the urchins how to use the app & how to select what they want to watch. One nice feature is you can connect it to the wi-fi hotspot in the car or on your phone & when they connect their device to it, it will act as a pass thru so you can stream media from it & also connect to the internet.

DirkM

One thing is for certain, they will teach you how to use all the stuff after a few seconds of using it...

baltfan

That is the current one

bigwig

So I also discovered the same on audi.de when configuring the Q7 on their site. I called Audi USA and they were hopeless trying to explain why the Germans receive this slick tablet and we get a sub-standard product. I was told we will contact you back within 3 days with a response. I called 3 other dealers in the US and they also did not know. I then called a dealer in London and they confirmed that the new tablet option exists in certain territories as build to order only and it cannot be easily purchased or installed post deliver. Apparently its not plug nd play like the RSEIII. The new tablet is not available in the UK either at this point so it seems like a build to order option for Germany only at this stage I'm guessing.

Going back to the RSEIII. I'm still shocked at how crippled this product is spec wise. It's running Android 4.4 (and cannot be upgraded to 5.x), screen is a lowly 1200 x 800, no NFC. The RSE app for iOS is also a joke. I don't really care about the whole "I can't play my DVDs" argument as I ditched all physical media ages ago, nor do I have a requirement for both screens to sync. As much as I'm disappointed by this thing, I'm going to keep it. It's still the only solution that is nicely integrated into the car, feels really solid, and frankly once its in I'm not going to take it out as I use iPads at home. If I need to watch content, I'll either stream it or load files onto the SD card.

DirkM

One reason could be that Audi is not ready to offer the new tablets with deeper integration into the MMI in the US. All the features like map display, sending destinations to the MMI and all the other stuff seems to be disabled in the US even if the RSE is factory installed. Wouldn't be the first time that we don't get stuff that everybody else (or at least many other regions) gets.

ven7782

How can Audi charge $1800 for a substandard Tablet? I think you should return this tablet and get a full refund for this horrible RSE option.