BMW Connected Drive and audio streaming service Deezer enables drivers to listen to music and spoken content from their vehicle, even without a smartphone. The vehicle’s built-in SIM card allows for an independent connection to Deezer. In use Online Entertainment, the BMW must be equipped with ConnectedDrive Services and the Navigation system Professional.
The first time that Online Entertainment is used, a user account is automatically created when the email address is entered. The user can also log in with an existing Deezer account, to access all their playlists. There is no limit on either the number of tracks selected or the data volume required. .
The instant a piece of music is selected via Online Entertainment, the download starts to the Navigation system Professional’s hard drive in the vehicle – in the case of albums, the following tracks are also stored directly on the hard drive. The result is non-stop listening pleasure. At the same time, the music archive on the hard drive grows as well. Once all the music have been stored, tracks can be played offline at any time without the need for a connection to the music service – for instance when travelling in a country where the service is not available.
Deezer is one of the major music providers with over 35 million tracks in its library and is available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Users can search for music by artist, album or title. Deezer’s philosophy centers on discovering new music, and the recommendations from its editorial teams are intended to stimulate the desire to listen to music. Users can call up suggested tracks for a particular genre, for instance, create their own playlists or select from the public playlists of other listeners. Listeners can simply add any tracks they especially like to their favourite songs playlist.
Through the connection to music partners, Online Entertainment does more than just open up an enormous music library. The innovative Connected Music function further increases the enjoyment of music, while helping users discover new artists. Anyone listening to music samples via Online Entertainment, for instance, will be offered other tracks or albums by the same artist. If desired, Connected Music can also suggest more music of a similar style. It can also browse the music services for albums or other music by the same artist for songs playing on DAB or FM radio and come up with suggestions to match the genre. This particular function is currently only available in the new BMW 7 Series, although it will gradually be extended to other models too.
Online Entertainment is controlled by means of the easy-to-use iDrive system and the Control Display, and can be found in the main menu under Multimedia. And drivers can still have their favorite music at their fingertips even when they’re not in the car: with Online Entertainment, the booked music flat rate can also be used on devices such as smartphones, tablets or PCs.