Car Audio Blog » Car Video

How To Choose A Car Video System To Fit Your Needs

Car Audio Blogger — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:36:28 +0000

Choosing a car video system that is going to work in your car is hard enough. However, choosing one that fits your lifestyle and your needs is another thing all together. Each different video system, of course, has different things that it can do, and thus, has different reasons why people look forward to getting them put in their car. What you have to do is sit down and take a look at the reasons why you need a video system in your car, and then look at what kind of things that video system is going to have to do to work for you. Otherwise, you are going to end up with things you do not need.

Picking a video system for your car does not sound like something that would be that hard. However, it is a lot harder than you may think it would be. Making sure you get the right video system is something that a lot of people do not think about. You have to make sure that it’s going to fit in your car, and you have to think of where you are going to have it located. For example, you are not suppose to have TV screens in the front of your car. You should have nothing that is going to take the drivers eyes off the road.

So that means that you are more than likely going to need the video system in the back of your car. How many kids do you have, or how many screens are you going to want back there? If you do not have any kids, then you still may want to get two screens. That is because the only time you will be using the screens is to show off at a party and have people playing video games in the back of your car.

The next thing you have to look at is, do you want the screens to just play movies or are you looking at it to play games as well? Some of them will have different hook ups that you can use to get that kind of stuff working in your car. If you do not want to play video games, then that is something that you are not going to have to worry about doing. However, if you are wanting it to do more than just video games, then you will have to ask and make sure that it can do that kind of think. Just remember that it costs more money to have screens that can do more things. So if you do not need the screen to have a certain feature, do not buy it. This will save you a lot of money in the long run, and that is the kind of thing that we are all trying to do.

Now, when looking for places to buy this kind of thing, you may want to start your search on-line. By starting your search on-line, you will see that you can find the best deals at amazing prices. These prices are deals that you are not going to find in local stores. That has a lot to do with the fact that these stores have goals that they have to reach to make sure that they are able to pay all the bills. The on-line stores have bills too, but their bills are a lot less than what you are going to find at local stores.

Pioneer AVIC Z2 Navigation System

Car Audio Blogger — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:43:40 +0000

Pioneer AVIC-Z2X is the ultimate in HDD navigation and multimedia. Pioneer’s AVIC-Z2X is a double-DIN all-in-one system that is equipped with a 30GB HDD to deliver information, entertainment, and convenience on the road.

With the Pioneer AVIC Z2’s ultra-fast processing and the enormous Tele Atlas database offering 12 million points of interest, getting where you need to be has never been so easy. And with a built-in HDD music library, DVD playback on the large 7-inch display is easy, and iPod direct control expansion is only an adapter away.

Pioneer AVIC-Z2 ensures that you’ll be entertained every second on the road.

Point Addressing
3D Landmark Icons and Updated POI Icons
Traffic Icons and Traffic Flow Lanes
Bluetooth Voice Operation

The Pioneer AVIC-Z2X navigation receiver package combines the AVIC-Z2 DVD/navigation receiver with Pioneer’s ND-BC2 rear view camera and the ND-BT1 Bluetooth adapter. You’ll enjoy music, movies, and in-dash navigation, with the added convenience of hands-free calling and the safety bonus of a rear-view camera.

Pioneer AVIC Z2 Key Features:

In-dash DVD player/navigation system with built-in amplifier (22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels)
fits double-sized dash openings (a perfect fit for vehicles with double-sized, 4″ tall dash openings)
motorized 7″ video screen with touch-panel controls
turn-by-turn map and voice guidance
built-in 30GB HDD performs all navigation functions
stores up to 10GB of music files
voice command capability; microphone included
text-to-speech technology announces the names of most roads
smart routing algorithm takes data such as posted speed limits and number of turns into account to suggest the most efficient route possible
learning capability: remembers frequently traveled roads and suggests familiar routes
Pioneer AVIC Z2 plays DVDs, DVD+-R/RWS, CDs, CD-R/RWs, and MP3/WMA files
antenna included
nearly 12 million points of interest
Roadside Assistance display
64MB internal memory
3-band parametric EQ
18 FM/6 AM presets
XM and SIRIUS Satellite Radio-ready
compatible with Pioneer’s iPod interface adapter, Bluetooth adapter, and DVD/CD changer
audio/video input
rear-view camera input
front, rear, and subwoofer preamp outputs
3-zone capable
Supertuner IIID AM/FM tuner

Pioneer AVIC Z2X – navigation system with DVD player, LCD monitor, digital player and radio

Kenwood DDX6019 DVD Player with 6.95″ screen

Car Audio Blogger — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:21:10 +0000

Kenwood DDX6019 DVD player brings you a vivid 6.95″ video screen that sits flush in your double-sized dash opening, with touchscreen controls and easy-to-follow menus that give you total command over all the system’s functions. The screen motors down smoothly to give you easy access to the CD/DVD slot. And the screen tilts forward and back to ensure you get the best viewing angle, whatever the slope of your dash.

When you’re parked, you’ll love watching DVDs on the spacious screen. Connect a backseat video screen and some wireless headphones to keep the kids in back entertained while you drive – they can watch movies in privacy while you listen to another source, like the radio, up front.

Kenwood DDX6019 key feautures:

in-dash DVD player with built-in amplifier
fits double-sized dash openings
motorized faceplate with 6.95″ LCD video screen with adjustable display angle and touchscreen controls
Kenwood DDX6019 plays DVDs, DVD-+Rs/RWs, CDs, CD-Rs/RWs, MP3/WMA discs, JPEG, and MPEG1 and 2 files
Satellite radio-ready (tuner, antenna, and subscription required)
System E’s+ Advanced Crossover system
System Q Sound Control
compatible with Kenwood CD changer, TV tuner, HD Radio tuner, or iPod Control Interface
compatible with Kenwood’s Bluetooth adapter for hands-free calls with compatible cell phones
rear-view camera input
input for a compatible Kenwood navigation system
audio/video input (output)
dual-zone capable
front, rear, subwoofer preamp outputs
remote control
compatible with most factory steering wheel audio controls (adapter required)
designed for use with “Region 1″ coded DVDs

User Reviews:

Jay fro, Dallas

I bought Kenwood DDX6019 this week and installed it 2 days ago. The installation was very easy, but I expected the unit to completely fill my 2-din slot. Unfortunately there were some gaps on the sides so I had to modify the black filler plate that came with the unit. It was very easy to cut with a dremel tool. The large screen looks great in the 2-din slot.

Overall the unit is great. The coolest thing thus far is the use of DVDs for audio. I burned about 500 songs on a DVD-R and organized it by artist, album and song. The Kenwood’s menu allows you to easily scroll through the folder structure on the DVD. The user interface seems dated and counter-intuitive. I would imagine that I could design a better interface with with cooler wallpapers, buttons, etc. With that said, the interface wouldn’t keep me from buying this unit. It seems that most of the interfaces on these in-dash DVD units are weak.

The control over the sound levels is very good. You can adjust each range (low, mid, high) at various frequencies and you can even change the curve of the modification (Q-level). It really lets you dial in the system to your listening preferences. Unfortunately I find myself changing the settings for each band that I listen to.

Hassan from Catonsville

This was my first time buying anything from Kenwood. I bought Kenwood DDX6019 last month and returned it due to following reasons.

Pros: Plays lots of different media formats, played some of the copied DVD’s “backups” and media files that no other unit (I tried) could play. Kenwood DDX6019 is Simple to use and very easy to navigate through the menus. Loads the disk very quickly, 7″ display screen (if ВЅ inch makes you happy) The unit was very easy to install. MP3 and WMA playback is a breeze. Lets u see all the folders from the root of the disk and you can use the touch screen to click on a song to play. Excellent picture quality in the DVD playback.

Cons: Plays MPEG-1 and VCD’s in black and white. Coming from a Pioneer unit – this unit sounded extremely bad.EQ: Lack of low-bass and too much distortion in sound, mids are good (clear) but then u are bombarded with the highs again. Menus and wallpapers are terrible; I ended up keeping the background blank. Remote is very badly designed and has too many un-necessary buttons. Sound in a $1000 head unit is very important to me, if you are not the EQ type of listener then this is the unit for you. I have swapped this unit with an Eclipse

Official site: kenwoodusa.com

Dual XDVD8183 in-dash DVD Receiver

Car Audio Blogger — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:34:27 +0000

Dual XDVD8183 In-dash DVD receiver with 7″ screen Includes built-in BluetoothВ®

Dual XDVD8183 in-dash DVD receiver features a 7″ full-color LCD, touchscreen controls, a strong built-in car amplifier, and plenty of toneshaping options.

You can play DVD movies while you’re parked, or view system info on the secondary display while the LCD screen is retracted. Play your favorite music files from recordable CDs and you’ll see artist and track info on the display.

Dual XDVD8183 key feautures:

in-dash DVD Receiver with built-in car amplifier
motorized, retractable 7″ LCD video monitor with touchscreen controls
built-in Bluetooth capability
included 2-meter iPodВ® adapter cable (controls any iPod, excluding iPod Shuffle)
built-in amplifier – 17 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels

Dual XDVD8183 Audio/video features:

plays DVD, DVD-+R/RW, CD, and CD-R/RW, plus MP3/WMA files
Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic II decoding
24-bit D/A converter
10 selectable EQ curves

Dual XDVD8183 Expandability:

inputs: one set of audio/video inputs, rear-view camera input, and the A/V iPlug connector with iPod input, auxiliary input and additional audio/video inputs
outputs: two composite video outputs, 6-channel preamp outputs

The Dual XDVD8183 features a motorized 7″ TFT Active Matrix, 16:9 touchscreen display with an adjustable viewing angle. The resolution of the display is 480 x 234 for a total of 336,960 pixels with a contrast ratio of 300:1. The screen has a 120В° horizontal viewing angle, and a 90В° vertical viewing angle

Clarion MAX385VD and VRX485VD multimedia systems + SIRIUS direct connect

Car Audio Blogger — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:17:51 +0000

Clarion Corporation of America, a leading manufacturer of mobile electronics, announces that two of their key mobile multimedia source units now offer SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) direct connection.

ClarionвЂ™s MAX385VD double DIN multimedia center offers SIRIUS direct connect where no black box or adapter cable is required. Simply plug in the SIRIUS tuner (SCC1) into these Clarion source units and youвЂ™re good to go. The Clarion MAX385VD boasts a 6.5 inch monitor with touch panel control, MP3/ WMA playback, iPodВ® audio control and iPod video playback with ClarionвЂ™s USB iPod cable (CUIPOD1).

The Clarion MAX385VDвЂ™s sleek 2-DIN design also features rear AUX input and 6 channel 2 volt RCA output to round off its already awesome system capabilities.

вЂњWe are very exicted to introduce this new feature in 2008,вЂќ says Ralf Engelbrecht, Senior Vice President of Retail Sales at Clarion Corporation of America. вЂњThe new Sirius direct connect feature increases the value of our products to customers by eliminating the need for for a translator box.вЂќ

The Clarion VRX485VD 1-DIN AV Center has stylish cosmetics with intuitive user-friendly controls. It features a 7 inch flip-out monitor with touch panel control, MP3/ WMA and DivX video playback. It is iPod audio and video ready with ClarionвЂ™s CUIPOD1 cable. The SIRIUS direct connect feature is achieved by simply connecting the SIRIUS SCC1 tuner and antenna with no additional cables or translator boxes required. It is that easy.

The Clarion MAX385VD and Clarion VRX485VD are both full-featured multimedia source units with similar cosmetic styling and comparable pricing, but the determining factor is single or double DIN preference.

A February 2008 consumer launch is planned for both the Clarion MAX385VD and VRX485VD multimedia systems.

Key features:

Clarion MAX385VD (MSRP $599.99)

2DIN AV Center
6.5вЂќ Auto Sloping Motorized Touch Panel Control with Tilt Angle Adjustment
MP3/WMA Playback
SIRIUS Direct Connect
iPod Audio Control/Video Playback (Via optional CCUIPOD1)
Rear AUX Input
1-A/V Input
CCD Camera RCA Input
45w x 4 Built-In Amplifier
6ch/2V RCA Output

Clarion VRX485VD (MSRP $599.99)

1DIN AV Center
7вЂќ Flip-Out Monitor with Touch Panel Control
MP3/WMA Playback
SIRIUS Direct Connect
iPod Audio Control/Video Playback (Via optional CCUIPOD1)
Rear AUX Input
1-A/V Input
45w x 4 Built In Amplifier (TBD)
6ch/2V RCA Output

Full news: clarion.com

Sony XAV-W1 In-dash DVD/CD/MP3 Receiver

Car Audio Blogger — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 19:50:59 +0000

The Sony XAV-W1 is its first stab at the aftermarket in-car ents game and it’s a beauty, dominated by a 7in 800×480 touchscreen.

The oversized head unit is designed to slot neatly into newer double DIN bays that are twice the height of your standard car stereo вЂ“ hence the large screen.

Plays most popular music and video formats. CD, DVD, SACD, Windows Media Audio, mp3 and JPEG
Supports Dolby Digital surround sound and DTS Digital Surround Processing playback
iPod ready. Just plug it in to enjoy your personal audio collection on the road
Supports satellite radio and connects to Sony’s HD Radio tuner to deliver additional HD radio channels and rich information like artist, song name and more
Command your digital music from behind the wheel or the back seat with the supplied remote card
Customisable display and sound settings. Set your favourite photo as the background wallpaper
Delivers 52 watts across 4 channels ensuring rich, clear sound. Zone by Zone capability allows you to set separate audio zones for the front and rear seats
Camera input connects with a rear-monitor camera and displays the image on the player’s screen – makes parking a breeze!

It’ll play your DVDs, DivX movies, WMAs, MP3s and CDs, as well as your doubtless huge collection of SACDs. 5.1-channel surround sound is supported with Dolby Digital Surround and DTS Digital Surround Processing.

Naturally, you can also plug in a console or portable music spinner and hook up a rear-view camera for spotting bollards before they kiss your bumper. Um, there’s even a karaoke mode вЂ“ just perfect for those long journeys. Oh dear, look, it’s broken

Aside from its ability to play SACD audio, Sony’s XAV-W1 has the same features as many other aftermarket in-car systems, including support for a wide range of digital audio and video sources. The XAV-W1 differentiates itself, however, by its ability to present these features in a visually stunning format; by its intuitive menus and vivid touch-screen icons; and through its range of audio and visual customization options. While we found Sony’s HD Radio module to be clunky and unwieldy, the $800 XAV-W1 is an elegant all-in-one in-car media system with a competitive price tag.

More info: sony.co.uk