BMW X5 3.0Si 2008 E70 Owner's Manual
Page 171 of 292
Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
 169Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
4.Select "Store" and press the controller.
5.Turn the controller until the desired mem-
ory position is selected.
The number of the memory position 
appears beside the name or frequency of 
the station.
6.Press the controller.
The station is stored.
RDS Radio Data System
In the FM frequency range, additional informa-
tion is transmitted via RDS. If the reception con-
ditions are good, the station names are shown 
on the Control Display. If the reception is weak 
or disrupted, it can take some time before the 
station names are displayed.
Switching RDS on/off*
1.Select "FM" and press the controller.
"Set" is selected.
2.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
3.Select "RDS" and press the controller.
 RDS is activated.The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
High Definition Radio*
Many stations transmit both analog and digital 
signals. You can receive these stations digitally 
and with improved sound quality.
A digital radio network must be available in 
order to receive digital stations.
Activating/deactivating digital radio 
reception
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Turn the controller until "Settings" is 
selected and press the controller.
4.Select "Audio" and press the controller.
5.Change to upper field. Turn the controller 
until "HD radio" is selected and press the 
controller.
6.Select "Off" and press the controller.
 The reception of digital stations is activated.
 This symbol is displayed when a station is 
being received digitally. 
Page 172 of 292
Radio
170 With some stations the digital signals are not 
transmitted simultaneously with the analog sig-
nals. If you are in an area in which the selected 
station is not continuously received digitally, 
playback changes between analog and digital 
reception. This can result in repetitions or inter-
ruptions. In this case it may be advisable to 
deactivate digital radio reception.
Selecting programs of a digital station*
Some stations transmit several programs on 
one frequency. To select one of these pro-
grams:
1.Select "FM" or "AM" and press the control-
ler.
2.Select "Manual" and press the controller.
3.Select a station that is received digitally.
 This symbol is displayed when a station 
is being received digitally.
4.Switch to the next program of the digital 
station with the   buttons on the radio 
or the steering wheel.
You can store a station, refer to page168.
Updating stations offering digital 
reception
If you are on a longer journey and leave the 
transmission range of the stations originally set, 
you can update the list of stations with the best 
reception.
1.Select "FM" or "AM" and press the control-
ler.
2.Change into the second field from the top.
3.Select "Autostore" and press the controller.
4.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
5.Select "Autostore  " and press the con-
troller.
The display of the stations offering digital 
reception is updated. This can take up to 2 min-
utes. 
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Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
 171Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
Displaying additional information
With the digital stations, additional information 
on the current track is displayed, e.g. the name 
of the artist.
1.Select a station and press the controller.
2.Select "Details" and press the controller.
 The information is displayed.
If a digital station is received again when the 
station is changed, the additional information 
will be displayed again following a brief interrup-
tion.
Weather news flashes*
Weather Radio is a service of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 
of the US Department of Trade. Weather news 
flashes are repeated every four to six minutes 
and are routinely updated at intervals of one to 
three hours, and more often when necessary. 
Most stations operate 24 hours a day. In case of 
a storm, the National Weather Service inter-
rupts the routine weather news and transmits 
special warning messages instead. If you have a 
question about NOAA Weather Radio, please 
contact the nearest office of the National Weather Service. Details are also provided on 
the Internet at www.nws.noaa.gov.
Calling up weather news flashes
1.Select "WB" and press the controller.
2.Select a station.
The station for weather news flashes may be 
unavailable in some regions. 
Page 174 of 292
Satellite radio
172
Satellite radio
You can receive over 100 different channels 
with high sound quality.
The channels are offered to you in predefined 
packages. To receive the channels of your 
choice, you must have this package enabled.
With this new technology the signal may 
fail, causing interruptions in reception.<
Enabling or disabling 
channels
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller backwards to open 
"Entertainment".
3.Select "SAT".
4.Press the controller.
The channels are displayed.
 These channels are enabled.
Enabling
1.Select a channel that has not yet been 
enabled and press the controller.
A telephone number and the electronic 
serial number, ESN, are displayed.
The electronic serial number is 
required for enabling or disabling.<
2.To enable the channels:
Dial the phone number.
Disabling
1.Select an enabled channel and press the 
controller.
2.Select "ESN" and press the controller. 
The electronic serial number, ESN, is dis-
played.
The electronic serial number is 
required for disabling.<
3.To disable the channels:
Dial the phone number.
* 
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Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
 173Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
Selecting and storing channel
1.Select "SAT" and press the controller.
Channels or categories appear in the Con-
trol Display.
2.Select a menu item:
>"Presets":
Up to twelve channels you have stored 
previously.
>"All channels":
All channels are displayed.
>"Categories": 
All channels, sorted by categories, e. g. 
news, jazz.
3.Press the controller.
4.If "Categories" has been selected:
Select the desired category and press the 
controller.The channels of this category are displayed.
5. Select a channel marked with this sym-
bol.
6.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
7.Select "Play" and press the controller.
Additional information
The name of the channel and additional infor-
mation on the current track are displayed, e. g. 
the name of the artist.
1Artist
2Track 
Page 176 of 292
Satellite radio
174
Storing channel
1.Select desired channel.
2.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
3.Select "Store" and press the controller.
"Presets" is displayed.
4.Turn the controller to select a memory loca-
tion and press the controller.
The channel is stored. The channels of the last 
selection criterion are displayed once again 
after a short time.
Changing channel with buttons on 
CD player
Press the   button for the corresponding 
direction.
The system switches to the next enabled chan-
nel.
Notes
If no signal can be received for more than four 
seconds, a message is displayed on the Control 
Display.
Reception may not be possible for certain 
reasons, e.g. environmental influences or 
topographical conditions. The satellite radio 
has no influence on this.
The signal may not be available in tunnels or 
underground garages, next to tall buildings, 
near trees, mountains or other sources of radio 
interference.
Reception is usually possible again as soon as 
the signal is available again.< 
Page 177 of 292
Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
 175Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
CD player and CD changer
Listening to CDs
When equipped with two drives:
The upper drive is for audio CDs.
Compressed audio files
CDs with compressed audio files, i.e. MP3, can 
be played by the CD player and CD changer.
Starting CD player
Inserting CD
Insert the CD into the drive with the labeled side 
up. 
The CD is automatically pulled in. Playback 
starts automatically if the sound output is on. 
For CDs with compressed audio files, it can take 
up to approx. 1 minute to read in the data 
depending on the directory structure.
Via iDrive
Starting playback when there is already a CD in 
the drive:
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller backwards to open 
"Entertainment".3.Change to upper field if necessary. Select 
"CD" and press the controller.
4.Change to the second field from the top if 
necessary. On vehicles with a CD changer, 
select "CD" and press the controller to start 
the CD player.
Playback starts automatically if the sound out-
put is switched on.
With programmable memory/
direct selection buttons
You can store the function CD player on the 
programmable memory/direct selection but-
tons to start the CD player, refer to page21.
Starting CD changer
Filling CD changer, refer to page179.
Via iDrive
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller backwards to open 
"Entertainment".
* 
Page 178 of 292
CD player and CD changer
176 3.Change to upper field if necessary. Select 
"CD" and press the controller.
4.Change to the second field from the top if 
necessary. Select the desired CD and press 
the controller.
At the end of the last track, the next CD will be 
selected.
With programmable memory/
direct selection buttons
You can store a CD compartment of the CD 
changer on the programmable memory/direct 
selection buttons to start the CD changer, refer 
to page21.
Selecting a track
Buttons on CD player
Press the  button for the corresponding 
direction repeatedly until you reach the desired 
track.
The track is displayed on the Control Display. 
You can also change tracks using the buttons 
on the steering wheel, refer to page11.
Via iDrive
Select a track by turning the controller.
Compressed audio files
1.Select the directory if necessary and press 
the controller.
2.Select the track and press the controller.
To change the directory:
Select the directory and press the controller.
To exit from the menu:
 Select the arrow and press the controller.
For equipment with two drives, you can store a 
certain track on the programmable memory/
direct selection buttons, refer to page21. 
Page 179 of 292
Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
 177Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
Displaying information on track
With compressed audio files, you can display 
any information stored on the current track, e.g. 
the name of the artist.
1.Press the controller.
2.Select "Details" and press the controller.
The information for the current track are dis-
played.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Sampling tracks, scan
The system automatically plays a brief sample 
from each of the tracks on the current CD.
1.Select "Set" and press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
2.Select "Scan" and press the controller.
To end sampling:
1.Press the controller.
2.Select "Scan" and press the controller.
This cancels sampling of the tracks, and the 
player remains on the current track.
Compressed audio files
1.Select the current track and press the con-
troller.
2.Select the desired menu item:
>To sample all tracks of the current direc-
tory, select "Scan directory" and press 
the controller.
>To sample all tracks of the CD, select 
"Scan all" and press the controller.
To end sampling:
1.Press the controller.
2.Select "Scan directory" or "Scan all" and 
press the controller.
This cancels sampling, and the player remains 
on the current track.
Repeating a track
1.Select "Set" and press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed. 
Page 180 of 292
CD player and CD changer
178 2.Select "Repeat" and press the controller.
The current track on the CD is repeated.
To stop repeating:
1.Press the controller again.
2.Select "Repeat" and press the controller.
Compressed audio files
1.Select the current track and press the con-
troller.
2.Select the desired menu item:
>To repeat the selected track, select 
"Repeat track" and press the controller.
>To repeat all tracks of the current direc-
tory, select "Repeat directory" and press 
the controller.
To stop repeating:
1.Press the controller.
2.Select "Repeat track" or "Repeat directory" 
and press the controller.
Random play sequence
In this mode, the tracks on the current CD are 
played once in a random sequence.
1.Select "Set" and press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
2.Select "Random" and press the controller.
To stop random function:
1.Press the controller.
2.Select "Random" and press the controller.
Compressed audio files
1.Select the current track and press the con-
troller.
2.Select the desired menu item:
>To pla y all tracks of the current directory 
in random order, select "Random direc-
tory" and press the controller.
>To play all tracks of the CD in random 
order, select "Random all" and press the 
controller.
To stop random function:
1.Press the controller.
2.Select "Random directory" or "Random all" 
and press the controller.
Fast forward/reverse
Buttons on CD player:
Press and hold the   button for the corre-
sponding direction.
The tracks can be listened to with some distor-
tion.