2012 MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS SEDAN Owners Manual

XConnect the external device with suitable
socket :, ; or =.
COMAND activates the device
automatically for sockets ; and =.
COMAND does not activate the device
automatically for socket :.
If you remove a device from sockets ; and
= , the No device connected message
appears.
i A connected iPod ®
or MP3 player should
not be simultaneously operated via the
Media Interface and the remote control
(e.g. Bluetooth ®
remote control), as this
may produce unpredictable results.
i Connecting a fully discharged iPod ®
or
MP3 player can result in an extended
initialization period.
Error messages appear while the device is
being activated if:
R COMAND does not support the device
connected.
R two devices are connected.
R the connected device consumes too much
power.
R the Media Interface connection is faulty.
i Consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center if required.
Switching to Media Interface mode
General notes
In extreme cases, starting up individual
functions can take up to several minutes –
this depends on the external device and its
content (e.g. video podcasts).
Only use the original software to save files on
iPods or MP3 players. Otherwise, some or all
functions may not be available.
Option 1
XConnect an external device ( Y page 238).
COMAND activates the device. Following
this, the basic display appears if there are
any playable files on the data carrier.
or
XSelect Audio in the main function bar by
sliding ZV and turning cVd the COMAND
controller and press W to confirm.
If you had previously selected Media
Interface mode, this will now be activated.
If another audio source is switched on, you
can now switch to Media Interface mode in
the audio menu.XSelect Audio by sliding ZV and turning
cVd the COMAND controller and press
W to confirm.
The audio menu appears.XSelect Media Interface and press W to
confirm.
Option 2
XSelect Audio by sliding ZV and turning
cVd the COMAND controller and press
W to confirm.
The audio menu appears.XSelect Media Interface and press W to
confirm.
Option 3
XIn the media list, ( Y page 228) turn cVd
the COMAND controller to select the entryAudio239COMANDZ

under the corresponding position and
press W to confirm.
COMAND activates the connected device.
You will see a message to this effect. The
basic display then appears.
If no device is connected, you will see the
Media Interface entry instead of a
device name.
Example display: iPod mode
:Data medium type;Track number=Track name?Graphic time displayATrack timeBGraphic track displayCCurrent playback settings (no symbol for
"Normal track sequence")DSound settingsEMedia listFAlbum name (if available)GCategories, playlists and/or foldersHArtist (if available)IPlayback options
Type of device : connected is indicated by
the corresponding symbol for iPod, MP3
player or USB mass storage device.
i If the device connected does not contain
any playable tracks, a message appears to
this effect.
Selecting music files
Note
COMAND displays the data stored on the
iPod ®
, MP3 player or USB mass storage
device according to the filing structure used
in the respective medium.
Selecting by skipping to a track
XTo skip forwards or back to a track: turn
cVd the COMAND controller when the
display/selection window is active.
The skip forward function skips to the next
track. The skip back function skips to the
beginning of the current track if the track
has been playing for more than eight
seconds. If the track has been playing for
less than eight seconds, it skips to the start
of the previous track. If you have selected
a playback option other than Normal
Track Sequence , the track sequence is
random.XOn the multifunction steering wheel:
switch on Media Interface mode
( Y page 238).XOn the multifunction steering wheel, press
the = or ; button to select the
Audio menu.XOn the multifunction steering wheel, press
9 or : to select a track.
Selecting using the number keypad
XTo make an entry: press the Ä button.
An input menu appears. The number of
characters available for input depends on
the number of tracks that can currently be
selected.XTo enter a track number: press a number
key, e.g. q.
The digit is entered in the first position in
the input line.
i COMAND will ignore and not display an
invalid digit.
XEnter more numbers if desired.
The selected track is played.240AudioCOMAND

Fast forward/rewindXWhile the display/selection window is
active, slide XVY and hold the COMAND
controller until the desired position has
been reached.
i On an iPod ®
, fast rewind only functions
within the current track.
Selecting a category/playlist/folder
iPod ®
and certain MP3 players
For an iPod ®
or MP3 player, you can select
tracks using categories or folders.
Depending on the device connected, the
following categories may be available, for
example:
R Current tracklist
R Playlists (e.g. All)
R Artists
R Albums
R Tracks
R Podcasts
R Genres
R Composers
R Audiobooks
i Some playback categories contain the
entry All. If this entry has been selected,
the entire content of the category selected
will be played.
USB devices
For USB mass storage devices, you can select
both folders as well as any existing playlists.
COMAND can also display the album name
and artist (metadata) during playback, if this
information has been entered into the
system.
Playlists are indicated in the display by a
special icon. When you open the playlist, the
corresponding tracks are displayed and
playback begins once a track is selected. You
can now select Category Mix instead of
Random Folder as a playback option.
For USB mass storage devices, you can
choose to display the metadata contained in
the tags of the encoded music data, or to
display the file and directory names during
playback.XTo display the album and artist name:
select Media Interface in the basic
display by sliding VÆ and turning cVd the
COMAND controller and press W to
confirm.XSelect Display Metadata and press W to
confirm.
Selecting a category and opening a folder
XPress W the COMAND controller when the
display/selection window is active.XSelect Folder by sliding VÆ and turning
cVd the COMAND controller and press
W to confirm.
You will see the available categories or the
folder content (e.g. other folders). The
display's status bar shows the selected
category or the folder name.
i The Music menu item is not available until
the device has been activated.
XSelect the category/folder by turning
cVd the COMAND controller and press
W to confirm.
You will see the content of the selected
category or selected folder.
i If the data needs to be read from the
connected device, the Please wait...
message appears.
XIf necessary, repeat this step until the
tracks in the desired folder/album appear.XSelect the track by turning cVd the
COMAND controller and press W to
confirm.
The track is played.XTo select one folder higher: select the
U icon and confirm with W.
i
The U icon is always shown at the top
of the respective folder.
Audio241COMANDZ

Playing back the contents of a category
or folderXSelect the category or folder by turning
cVd the COMAND controller.XPress W the COMAND controller for longer
than two seconds.
The content of the category or folder
selected is played in accordance with the
playback option ( Y page 242) selected.
Alphabetical track selection
iPod ®
and MP3 players
This function is available for alphabetically
sorted categories and folders. This function
is not available for albums or playlists, for
example.
XSelect a category, e.g. Artists, by turning
cVd the COMAND controller and press
W to confirm.
The available artists are displayed.XPress the corresponding number key once
or several times to select the first letter of
the artist's name (e.g. for an artist
beginning with the letter "C", press number
key l three times).
The available letters are listed at the lower
edge of the display.
After a message, the first entry in the list
which matches the letter entered is
highlighted.
i If no corresponding entry exists, the last
entry corresponding to a previous letter is
highlighted instead.
i For iPods ®
and MP3 players, the quality
of the search results is highly dependent on
the version and language variant of the
software (e.g. iTunes ®
version) used to
populate the device.
USB mass storage device
This function is available for alphabetically
sorted directories. This function is not
available for albums or playlists, for example.
XIn a directory, press the corresponding
number key once or several times to select
the first letter of the artist's name (e.g. for
an artist beginning with the letter "C", press
number key l three times).
The available letters are listed at the lower
edge of the display.
If the directory only contains folders,
COMAND searches for folders. After a
message, the first entry which matches the
letter entered is shown at the top of the list.
If no entry matches the entered letter, the
first item in the list is the last entry to
correspond to a selection.
Selecting an active partition (USB mass
storage devices only)
You can select this function for USB mass
storage devices when the storage device is
partitioned. Up to four partitions (primary or
logical; FAT format) are supported.
i The Windows formatting program
supports FAT partitioning up to 32 GB as
standard.
XSelect Media Interface in the basic
display by sliding VÆ and turning cVd the
COMAND controller and press W to
confirm.XSelect Select Active Partition and
press W to confirm.
Playback options
The following options are available:
R Normal Track Sequence
Normal track sequence: you hear the
tracks in their normal order (e.g. numerical
or alphabetical).
R Random Tracks
All the tracks on the medium are played in
random order.
R Category Mix or Random Folder (for USB
devices if Folder has been selected)
242AudioCOMAND

The tracks in the currently active category
or folder, including any subfolders, are
played in random order.
i For USB devices, the random playlists
offer a maximum of 300 tracks chosen at
random.XTo select a playback option: select
Media Interface in the basic display by
sliding VÆ and turning cVd the COMAND
controller and press W to confirm.
The options list appears. The # dot
indicates the option selected.XSelect an option and press W to confirm.
Separate USB connection
In addition to the USB connection on the
Media Interface, there is another USB
connection in the glove box. This connection
can also be used to play audio files.
Electrical consumption at this connection
must not exceed a continuous current of
500 mA. If the electrical consumption is
higher, use a separate source to provide
power for the USB device (e.g.
12 V power supply).
XTo select music from the USB port as
the audio source: select Audio by sliding
ZV and turning cVd the COMAND
controller and press W to confirm.
The audio menu appears.XSelect USB and press W to confirm.Notes on USB devices
Data formats
The following data formats are supported:
R MP3: CBR, VBR (up to 320 kbit/s)
R WMA: CBR, VBR (up to 320 kbit/s)
Notes on USB devices
R In order to keep the initialization time to a
minimum, store only music data on a USB
device.
R Approximately 10,000 tracks are
supported. Multiple partitions should be
used for larger numbers of tracks.
R Do not use USB extension leads or
adapters. They can impair functionality.
R A background search of the USB device is
performed and any playlists found are
shown in a separate category in addition to
the folders. Initialization of larger USB mass
storage devices containing a large number
of files may take several minutes.
i DRM (Digital Rights Management)
protected files are not supported by the
Media Interface.
Audio AUX mode
Notes on audio AUX mode
You can connect an external audio source
(AUX) to COMAND. The socket for this is
located in the glove box.
If COMAND is equipped with a Media
Interface, external audio sources are
connected using the corresponding cable set.
An AUX socket is not provided.
i You can find more information on the
Internet at http://www.mercedes-
benz.com/connect and in the "Media
Interface mode" section ( Y page 238).
Audio243COMANDZ

Activating audio AUX mode
When you connect an external audio source,
audio AUX is not selected automatically.
XSelect Audio in the main function bar by
sliding ZV and turning cVd the COMAND
controller and press W to confirm.XSelect AUX using cVd and press W to
confirm.
The audio AUX menu appears. The medium
in the external audio source is played, if the
source is connected and playback
selected.
Please see the respective operating
instructions for how to operate the external
audio source.
You will find details on volume ( Y page 138)
and sound ( Y page 139) settings in the "At a
glance" section.
GWARNING
External audio sources may have different
volumes, which can mean that system
messages such as traffic announcements and
navigation system announcements are much
louder. If necessary, please deactivate the
system messages or adjust their volume
manually.
Increasing the volume
In some cases, the volume of the AUX device
may be quieter or louder, or the usual
maximum possible volume cannot be
reached. On some devices, it is possible to
adjust the volume separately. In this case,
start at a medium volume and increase it
gradually. This enables you to determine
whether the system is able to play tones at
high volume without distorting them.
Video
General information
Automatic picture shutoff
If the vehicle is traveling faster than
approximately 3 mph (5 km/h) and video
DVD mode is activated, the picture is
deactivated automatically.
The video picture is only shown if the selector
lever is in the P position.
When the selector lever is moved from the P
position, the In order not to distract
the driver, the picture is faded out
while the vehicle is in motion.
message appears.
As soon as the vehicle speed falls below
approximately 3 mph (5 km/h), the picture is
reactivated.
Basic settings
Picture settings
Adjusting the brightness, contrast or
color
XPress W the COMAND controller to show
the menu.XSelect Video by sliding VÆ and turning
cVd the COMAND controller and press
W to confirm.XSelect DVD-V and press W to confirm.XSelect Brightness , Contrast or Color by
turning cVd the COMAND controller and
press W to confirm.244VideoCOMAND

Changing the picture formatXPress W the COMAND controller to show
the menu.XSelect Video by sliding VÆ and turning
cVd the COMAND controller and press
W to confirm.XSelect Video DVD and press W to confirm.XSelect DVD-V and press W to confirm.
The DVD-V menu appears. The ä dot in
front of a menu item indicates the current
setting.XSelect Auto, 16:9 optimized , 4:3 or
Widescreen and press W to confirm.XSelect a setting by turning cVd the
COMAND controller and press W to
confirm.
Video DVD mode
Safety notes
GWARNING
COMAND is classified as a Class 1 laser
product. You must not open the casing. If you
open the casing, or if the casing is faulty or
damaged, there is a risk of exposure to
invisible laser radiation. This may damage
your eyes, or those of others.
COMAND does not contain any parts that can
be serviced by the user. For safety reasons,
all maintenance work must be carried out by
qualified aftersales technicians.
GWARNING
Only when the vehicle is stationary should
you:
R load a disc
R eject a disc
There is a risk of being distracted from the
road and traffic conditions if this is done while
the vehicle is in motion.
Notes about discs
There may be playback problems when
playing copied discs. There are a large variety
of discs, DVD authoring software, writing
software and writers available. This variety
means that there is no guarantee that the
system will be able to play discs that you have
copied yourself.
! Do not affix stickers or labels to the discs,
as they could peel off and damage
COMAND. Stickers can cause the disc to
bend, which can result in read errors and
disc recognition problems.
! COMAND is designed to accommodate
discs which comply with the EN 60908
standard. You can therefore only use discs
with a maximum thickness of 1.3 mm.
If you insert thicker discs, e.g. those that
contain data on both sides (DVD on one
side and audio data on the other), they
cannot be ejected and can damage
COMAND.
Use round discs with a diameter of 12 cm.
Do not use discs with a diameter of 8 cm,
even with an adapter.
DVD playback conditions
If video DVDs do not conform to the NTSC or
PAL TV standards, they may create picture,
sound or other problems during playback.
COMAND can play back video DVDs
produced according to the following
standards:
R region code 1 or region code 0 (no region
code)
i If you insert a video DVD with a different
region code, you will see a message to this
effect.
R PAL or NTSC standard
You will generally find the relevant details
either on the DVD itself or on the DVD case.
i COMAND is set to region code 1 at the
factory. This setting can be changed at an
Video245COMANDZ

authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. This will
allow you to play video DVDs with a
different region code, provided that they
are produced in accordance with the PAL
or NTSC standard. The region code can be
changed up to five times.
Function restrictions
Depending on the DVD, it is possible that
certain functions or actions will be
temporarily blocked or may not function at all.
As soon as you try to activate these functions
or actions, you will see the K symbol in the
display.
Inserting and removing DVDs
XProceed as described in the "Inserting and
ejecting CDs and DVDs" section
( Y page 225).
Activating video DVD mode
Option 1
XInsert a video DVD.
COMAND loads the medium inserted and
starts to play it.
Option 2
XSelect Video in the main function bar by
sliding ZV and turning cVd the COMAND
controller and press W to confirm.
Video DVD mode is switched on.
Hiding/showing the navigation menu
XTo show: turn cVd or slide ZVÆ the
COMAND controller.
i This function is not available while the
DVD's own menu ( Y page 248) is being
displayed.
XTo hide: slide ZVÆ the COMAND
controller.
or
XWait for approximately eight seconds.
Navigation menu displayed
:Data medium type;Current track=Current scene?Track timeATo show the menu
Showing/hiding the menu
This function is not available while the DVD's
own menu ( Y page 248) is being displayed.
XTo show: press W the COMAND
controller.
or
XSelect Menu while the navigation menu is
shown and press W to confirm.XTo hide: slide ZV the COMAND controller
and confirm Full Screen by pressing W.
Menu shown
:Video DVD options;Pause function=Stop function?Full-screen function246VideoCOMAND