Does anyone knows how big of an SD card does the AVIC-Z130BT is able to take / accept? How about the speed of the card; up to which class does this unit is able to read / write? I know there are up to 128GB Class 10 cards available out there but before I invest any money on a decent SD Card, I would like to know if this Navigation System will support it. I called Pioneer Customer Service today and they are in the limbo on this issue and have no idea of what I was talking about. After spending literally 45 minutes on the phone with them, they were not able to answer the question for me. Can anyone tell me what size of SD are you using on you AVIC-Z Series? Is there a way to figure out what if this units will read and write at Class 10 speeds?

The manual only says it works with FAT 16 and FAT 32 format (the latest format is required for any HC SD Card) and that the maximum size for a video format file is up to 2GB but no other information is contained on this matter. With SD Cards coming as large as 128GB nowadays, I understand Pioneer reasoning of getting rid of the HDD on these new versions for the AVIC Z series, but I can't imagine a corporation as large as Pioneer neglecting to mention in their product specifications and manuals such crucial piece of information; unless, of course, these units have a large limitation on the SD Cards that they are able to accept / support.

I don't know the size limit, but I'm using a PNY 16GB Class 10 and it works just fine. The only reason I would not try a larger SD card is price, they climb steeply in sizes larger than 16GB.

I don't know the answer to this question, but I'd like to add that- in my opinion, a extremely large USB or SD card isn't a very good idea for several reasons.

-Maximum folders = 300

-Maximum files = 2500

-Awkward file browser / media player interface

-Unable to search for file/artist/album

-No playlist capability

-Doesn't display album artwork

-No VR capability (yes it actually works pretty well with a good mic)

I would highly recommend using an iPod for all multimedia files - it eliminates all or the above problems - and adds a very friendly user interface.

SD cards are only really usable for relatively small numbers of files. Therefore is really doesn't add much value to use a card > 8 to 16 GB. I suppose if you wanted your vehicle to be a rolling BlockBuster (oops - I mean NetFlix), you could fill up 64-128GB with hundreds of movies. But I still think the awkward UI and slow scrolling will make that a clumsy solution.

I decided to take a look at the SD standards and it looks like the max capacity would be 32GB for SDHC. Above this size is SDXC which uses exFat, not FAT16 or FAT32. Here is one of the links I looked at for this info.

@RonS: I agree with that, I think putting some movies on the SD card might be its best use. I use a DVD for a lot of music because I think it sounds better with the Sound Retriever activated which is not available for the iPod/iPhone.

yeah if SDXC cards can only use exFAT format, then the AVIC probably won't read it. Not sure if you can format it to FAT32 and still have all its capacity.

OK I have just answered my own question!

I decided to purchase one of these LEXAR PRO SDXC 133X 128GB SD Card for my new camera. I figured that if it worked on my AVIC Z130BT I would buy a second one for the Navigation and store all my movies in it.

Unfortunately, as I suspected, the SDXC format is not supported by the AVIC Z series so these monster SD cards are not compatible at all. He is a picture of the error message I am getting saying:

"This SD Card cannot be used on this device"

It might be worth noted that once you get the message, the AVIC-Z130BT will no longer give you the option to eject the SD card and you will have to open the screen by choosing the Load/Unload CD button!

what format was the SDXC? Can u format it in FAT32 and still have all its capacity?

Try this format your sd card

http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm

Has anyone tried this format yet? I dont have an sd card yet and im also wondering witch the best and largest would be

I'm not sure if anyone has tried 32GB (everyplace says 16GB is max size), but I bought and tried the 32GB and it works fine.

I know this thread is a little old but I just installed the Z140BH and am using a 32GB card with no problems. I am a little disapointed that the unit will not show the artwork but it plays just fine. I have a 64GB on the way and will reformat it to use FAT32 and will update the outcome.

UPDATE: I received my 64GB card and formatted it as FAT32 and it worked perfectly!

I had to use gparted as windows will not format anything over 32GB as FAT32.

UPDATE: I received my 64GB card and formatted it as FAT32 and it worked perfectly!

 

I had to use gparted as windows will not format anything over 32GB as FAT32.

Cool!  Nice to know a 64GB card can be used if formatted to FAT32.

Windows may not format anything over 32GB to FAT32 by default (using embedded tools); but the tool linked in post #8 can do it (in Windows).

http://avic411.com/index.php?/topic/32192-avic-avic-z-series-avic-z130bt-hc-sd-card-capacity/&do=findComment&comment=240162