Looking for info on car video setups.

Michael Mathius · 07-25-2003, 01:09 PM

I'd like to add an overhead LCD monitor in my 4Runner. I'm thinking of using a play station instead of a stand alone dvd player since my daughter is beginning to get into video games.
I've been looking at some systems over at cardomain.com but I thought I might better help and directions here .

Thank.

Michael

Mark gas · 07-26-2003, 01:21 AM

Whats the buget and do you want something in dash or do you just want to mount a screen somewhere?

Jesse Sharrow · 07-27-2003, 09:28 AM

Ok I work at soundtrack in colorado springs. So I can help you out. What year 4runner first of all? Do you have a sunroof? Do you have a preference on screen size? Is your daughter the only one that rides in the car on long trips?

Now usually in a 4runner a 6.5" 7" screen is more than enough. The screens I would recommend would be an alpine or a pioneer. Reason why is... they have great picture quality and they also swivel... so if your daughter is sitting off to the side she can see it better. A PS2 would work fine for the dvd source. But I havnt heard wether or not the are good at not skipping.

Well good luck. Dont hesitate to email me.

Michael Mathius · 07-27-2003, 11:38 AM

Thanks Jesse

I have a $1000 budget but I thought that I could get an overhead monitor for $500 and a PS2 for $180 plus accessories. Is this realistic?

Does anyone have any experience with this product? http://www.pyramidcaraudio.com/itempage.asp?model=MV7SC

Niraj Patel · 07-27-2003, 03:33 PM

Pryamid, Pyle, Legacy, and a slew of other brands are no no's. They are serious current hogs and will greatly hamper your alternator, they are poorly built, and they will probably break within the first year or so.

Clarion makes some GREAT displays if you ask me. Pioneer is my personal favorite for any head unit, player kinda part, Alpine is a close second. Kenwood eXcelon series is also another good choice.

Just a sample one...

http://www.clarion.com/multimedia/multi08.htm

You could get that online for a ton cheaper. And $180 for a ps2 is quite reasonable. Gamecubes go for $150 + a free game at walmart.com just to give you an idea.

**HTF Ads**

Michael Mathius · 07-27-2003, 04:57 PM

Niraj:
Thanks for that heads up.

Alex-F-V · 07-28-2003, 12:29 AM

Playstations are horrible for DVD and are plagued with errors and problems. I would highly advise not getting a playstation for DVD playback. Good for games.... bad for DVD.

Aole Wright · 07-29-2003, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Pryamid, Pyle, Legacy, and a slew of other brands are no no's.

Niraj:

Can you expand on the "slew of other brands"? I was this close to buying those same pyramids, for 105 a piece, for my 2000 Passport. But now I will wait until I have more $$

So should we only stick to the major manufacturers for headrest monitors?

Wes Nance · 07-30-2003, 08:34 AM

I recently installed an entire dvd/lcd setup in my Honda Odyssey for a long cross-country trip. There is a *ton* of information over at odyclub in the video/security/navigations forum. There are literally 50 or so folks that have installed their own video systems.

The percieved main brands like Alpine, Clarion, Pioneer etc., are quite good, but you pay a huge premium in the price. Prices are starting to drop, but they are still way overpriced in my opinion, since had a strict budget.

I would also avoid Pyle, Pyramid, etc. Power Acoustik and Farenheit are OK middle level brands that are very cheap.

The current brand of choice over on Odyclub is Icon. They are a major player now, in car video, and their products are really top quality. I have the 9" dropdown widescreen monitor in my Odyssey, and it is phenominal. I went to calibrate it with my Avia Home Theater DVD, and it was dead on right out of the box. Much better display than my Sony Wega tv I use for home theater! It also has integrated IR transmitters for wireless headphones. Price is around $569 from audiooutfitters.com.

Icon also makes nice 7" monitors, and a killer 15.2" widescreen that is totally outrageous. Check out their products at ICON TV

I also use the ICON dvd100 player that is quite small and has vacuum load so it can be mounted at any angle. Make sure the dvd you get has a last position memory feature so that your dvd starts up from the last stopped position after you turn it off. The Icon will do this if you press stop or turn the dvd power off before shutting off the car.

See my install/review thread for more details:

odyclub link

Hope this helps-

Wes

Aole Wright · 07-31-2003, 08:07 AM

Is legacy considered poor quality, in the category with pyle and pyramid? I'm not trying to spend more than 200 per monitor, but I would like the largest screen size I can get with good screen quality.