Pyle PLDN70U 7-Inch Double-DIN Motorized TFT Touchscreen Receiver with DVD/VCD/CD/MP3/MP4/CD-R/USB/SD-MMC Card Slot/AM/FM Review

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(More customer reviews)My second DVD touch-screen receiver to install this year. The Pyle PLDN70U unit works as described. The screen is difficult to view with the sun to your back. The motorized screen seems strong and assures confidence. Limited audio adjustment. If you intend to drive a sub-woofer and four interior speakers this may not be the best choice. Read the owners manual before purchasing to make sure you able to configure the outputs to your design requirements. Best deal out there for less than $200.

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If you're looking for a dependable DVD receiver, the double-DIN Pyle PLDN70U is a great choice. With a 7-inch touchscreen, USB port, SD/MMC card slot, playback of MPEG4 and MP3 files, and room to grow, it's a perfect start that won't break the bank.

7-Inch Touchscreen The PLDN70U features a motorized slide down front panel that reveals a 7-inch, color TFT touchscreen.
Control everything from the brilliant LCD, with complete on-screen controls of DVD and other media.
Your video will look great thanks to the 1440 x 324 pixel resolution.
DVDs and More Enjoy playback of your favorite DVDs, CDs, and VCDs in the slot-loading DVD player.
Or play back MP3 audio or MPEG4 video from disc, USB, or SD Card.
Dial in your sound with the standard treble, bass, balance and fade controls.
AM/FM Radio Listen to your favorite radio programming with the AM/FM Radio with PLL Synthesizer Tuner.
Instantly access your favorite stations with 18 FM and 12 AM presets.
Connectivity Use the A/V Input to connect external audio and video devices, and use the SD/MMC card slot and USB port to play back your MP3 or MPEG4 files if you don't feel like burning a disc.
Room to Grow The PLDN70U packs 320 Watts (4 x 80 Watts), but if you want more you can expand your system thanks to an RCA preamp output and subwoofer output.
An A/V Output lets you connect an external monitor for the folks in back, and you can also add a rear view camera for safety and convenience.
Wireless Remote Included Control the action with a handy remote.
What's in the Box Pyle PLDN70U Receiver, Remote Control, Installation Hardware, User's Manual

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Kensington FM Transmitter/Auto Charger for iPod (White) Review

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(More customer reviews)Bottom line, unacceptable for me, although it might possibly work in your car. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I drive a Mercedes E class. I also tried this unit in a friend's Nissan Sentra with identical results to those reported here.
This unit is, in essence, a tiny FM radio station that uses the connecting wire for the unit as the FM transmission antenna. In theory, this mini station transmits from inside your car to your car's FM antenna where the signal is picked up and listened to on your car's radio like any other radio station. This unit allows you to transmit on the frequencies 88.1 MHz through 88.7 MHz inclusive and 107.1 MHz through 107.7 MHz inclusive. In my area at least half of these frequencies are "blank" which I define as tuning to the frequency and receiving only white noise and no trace of a signal from any station.
I hooked up the unit, which was easy, and leaving out a lot of experimentation, I got no meaningful reception in the 88.x MHz range. I tried the upper reaches of the band in the 107.x MHz range and got the unit to work as well as it would work at 107.5 MHz.
I distinguish between two problems: the quality of the FM transmission, and the sound quality once the signal is received by the car's radio. For my car, the FM transmission is simply unworkable. There is a constant, obtrusive, background noise which I would describe as white noise; this noise can be lessened by moving the unit around but not eliminated to the point that it is not obtrusive. The general effect was as if listening to a distant FM station where the signal is starting to fade out to the point that background noise is coming through and interfering with the sound. I tried a number of different placements of the unit all over the car. There were moments - but only moments - where the unit worked flawlessly. In a way those few moments only made the overall effect more frustrating since they seemed to indicate that this technology could work but it wasn't working for me.
The sound quality, apart from the background noise, was quite good, at least as good as an FM transmission. Fussy as I am about sound, I found the sound quality - as separate from the noisy transmission - to be perfectly fine and as good as any other in-car sound source. This is one of those really frustrating situations where we all want to buy this product if only it would work.
How do we reconcile the differing reviews of these products - some of which are downright laudatory and some, like mine, highly critical? I think the difference must relate to the individual auto's FM system. In different cars the antenna will be in different locations relative to the placement of the unit; further, the FM signal shielding provided by the car's metal frame will vary according to the car's construction and the relative location of the car's antenna. Also, specifications like noise rejection and signal strength sensitivity will vary depending on the type and quality of the radio provided in various makes of car. So, my suggestion would be: 1) reviewers state the make and year of your car to create an information resource; 2) find a way to try this thing out before you buy it: if it works in your car, and it probably won't, you will be happy.

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This Kensington FM transmitter/auto charger transmits your iPod tunes through your car stereo while simultaneously charging its battery, making it a versatile two-in-one bargain. The unit includes such features as red and green LED indicators that signal the transmitting and charging states, phase-lock-loop technology that easily connects with one of eight FM channel options, and ClearFM technology, which provides crisp highs, deep lows, and up to 50 dB of stereo separation. Adding to the topnotch sound quality is Kensington's patented Aerielle wireless technology, which ensures premium sound with far less background hiss than other FM transmitters. And even though the transmitter/charger is designed for the car, the transmitter portion also works inside the home, with a range of up to 15 feet. Compatible with any iPod with a dock connector--including the iPod nano 1G, iPod nano 2G, iPod mini, iPod 3G, iPod 4G (Click Wheel), iPod color, and iPod 5G/5.5G Video--the Kensington FM transmitter/charger is backed by a five-year warranty.
What's in the BoxFM transmitter/charger, user's manual.

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Pioneer AVH-P5200DVD In-Dash DVD Multimedia AV Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been a Pioneer "Fan Boy" for many years, and have owned a little more than a 1/2 dozen of their mobile audio head units. Each Pioneer/Primier HU I purchased got progressivly better as time went on, and each one offered more and more features.
The AVH-5200DVD, so far, has been my favorite Aftermarket HU to date - but my very first video capable unit. I'll break this review down into a few sections.
SELECTION / DIY INSTALLATION: I chose this unit for its single-din design, and motorized screen. This allowed for what I considered a "lower profile" install, and helped keep folks in the parking lot from being too impressed with the stereo to consider breaking into my SUV. I own a 2007 Jeep Commander Sport (no OE Boston Acoustics amplifier for you Commander owners out there), and am pretty protective of my possessions as I'm sometimes not in the nicest of areas.
Installation was a breeze, especially having installed several in the past. As always, you'll want to look up/purchase the single din conversion kit for your particular vehicle. I'm using a Metra branded kit, mostly b/c it was the only option. I also recommend a wiring harness.
Something a little unusual about this unit over previous models is the inclusion of an "external" radio receiver. Its pretty much a small 1"x3"x4" box that contains all the guts for the AM/FM radio. My assumption is that since the screen retracts into the body of the unit, they had to sacrifice some space internally and the radio got the boot. The HU and the radio box simply connect together with a proprietary cable that is included in the packaging.
Something else "new" for me was the inclusion of the parking brake wire. You're supposed to ground this on your parking break to allow you to watch video while parked. Aparantly its not recommended to drive with video playing in the front seat. There are ways to "hack" this - but you'll have to do your own Google search on that.
***NOTE: Make sure you boot up the unit BEFORE you put the dash back together. The screen screen slides out and into a pre-determined angle and distance from the dash - there are controls in the set-up menu that allows you to chose a "pitch" and 2 distances from the face of the dash. I pitched mine back a few clicks for a better viewing angle, and set it up to extend out a little further due to a lip/overhang on the top of my dashboard.FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Once I had the unit installed, I "oooooh'd" and "aaaaaaah'd" over the glossy finish, the smooth action of the screen sliding out and into position. The unit should be fully booted up by the time the screen locks into position.
There are tactile buttons on the exterior that made sense to me. Track Skip/Advance and Reverse, Source, Menu, Mode (for switching from possible GPS mode, regular mode, rear camera, and rear seat video), and of course Eject and Screen "Hide/Open". Since the unit is a touch screen, I feel a little better about using the "physical" buttons to advance songs, rather than having to look away from the road to change tracks.
When the car is shut off, the unit waits a few seconds, beeps to remind you take the removeable anti-theft faceplate with you, and quietly retracts the screen. The anti-theft face is sort of a joke, I'm not sure if it's keyed into this specific unit, and its removal doesn't radically alter the appearance of the unit - so a thief might not know the faceplate is missing until they've smashed their way into the car. INTERFACE: The interface is a little confusing to learn at first, with some items not being labeled. You'll want to play with it a bit before cruising around and trying to operate it. Keep your manual handy in the glove box if you ever get confused. Its quick and easy to pick-up though, and I mastered it within a few short days.
The 7" screen, animations, and graphics are great - fonts and displays are easy to understand a read - even while driving. The unit is a show-stopper, and will impress your passengers the moment the screen slides out and blazes to life.
The touch screen controls are intuitive, though the sliding motion will be a little awkward to you iPhone and BlackBerry Storm users out there as the pages don't "glide" after you've lifted your finger. Very little pressure is needed to activate something on the screen. Just a VERY light tap. You can calibrate the screen too if you need - but mine operates flawlessly out of the box.
The screen is a matte texture (very smart) - which guts down on glare from other light sources like the sure and reduces finger prints/smudges.
You can also change the colors of the external lighting - and the interface colors to match your car's esisting lighting. The ability to make your own custom wallpapers is amazing as well.AUDIO PERFORMANCE: The MOSFET powered amplifier built into the unit pumps crisp clean highs and punchy powerful lows from the Commander's 6 speaker factory speakers (haven't replaced them yet). It currently pushs two 3.5" mid/high speakers, two 6x9" woofers in the front doors, and two 6.5" mid-rangers in the rear doors. The sound fills the cabin of this fairly large SUV nicely with minimal distortion at fairly loud volumes.
I'll be upgrading to a 5-channel amp shortly, using all 3 of the RCA inputs on the reverse of the unit for front, rear, and sub componants.
The menu gives you a great EQ options with 8 bands, bass boost control, 3 "loudness levels", Front/Rear/Sub crossovers, and much much more. Pretty much everything you need to build an audiophile set up.
iPod integration works well. I was a little disappointed that they put the USB input on the front, and not the back as I'm unable to hide the cables for a clean install. It's nice though, for people that want to play files off of a USB flash drive, etc...
I'm using an iPod Classic 160gb loaded down to about 80% capacity. Songs read clear, with song ID tags loading promptly with just a slight delay. There is also a delay when using the SongLink feature - which allows you to search for songs/genre/album/artist based on what is currently playing. In some cases it took several minutes to load up some results. I'm ASSUMING that this is because of the sheer number of songs I have loaded onto the Classic, and the fact that it is a hard drive based player. My wifes flash memory-based iPod loads song data instantly, and has a much faster SongLink retrieval time. So this is probably iPod technology-based, not Pioneer Hu software-based.
I organize all oy my music by genre - so tearing through the organization tree is fast and efficient. The "Alphabet Search" is fantastic too. You slide your finger along the alphabet for the first letter in your search, and a LARGE magnification of that letter appears in the middle of the screen, making it easier and safer to see while driving.
Album art loads a few seconds after the song begins to play and looks pretty sharp - it even animates a little when it loads - making for a flashy display. VIDEO PERFORMANCE: DVD's play just as they're supposed to - like any normal DVD player. Menu items are selected by simply touching the option with your finger. The unit supports several aspect ratios - most of my movie collection is in 16:9 widescreen format - so it fits perfectly. The 16:10 stuff looks great too.
I watched the original Star Wars trilogy (not the new CGI garbage Lucas put out recently) in its entirety on my way too and from Gatlinburg with nary a hiccough or hang up.
It is capable of reading video from an iPod as well. I'm having issues with it reading video from my Classic 160gb, but my wifes flash-based iPod Nano reads perfectly. My issue with the Classic is probably the encoding method I chose to convert the music videos to that I had intended to watch.EXPANDABILITY!!! I, personally, am happy that Pioneer decided to make this unit one of their more "expandable" head units - giving the consumer a boatload of technology to add onto their unit at their leisure and in small increments as your personal cash flow allows.
Just a few of these "upgrades" include:
Bluetooth (if you didn't buy the unit with BT built in - the AVH-5200BT)
HD Radio - I don't personally listen to the radio, unless its a little conservative talk radio, and thats mostly on the AM bands
Sirius/XM Satillite
Rear View Camera
and - most notably - GPS Navigation
You can also add rear seat video monitors utilizing the rear video output on the unit,Now on to some of my gripes about this unit:
No remote control - every single Pioneer HU I've ever purchased came with a remote. This one, for whatever reason - did not. At $500 for a HU, I'd think a remote might not be too much to ask.
Expansion module price - I'm also a little disappointed in the price of the expandsion modules. Dropping $500 on a HU, then another $400 on a GPS unit might seem a little insane - but if you look at the prices of head units that INCLUDE GPS, the price comes out on par, or cheaper, than an "all inclusive" option.
The SOMETIMES slow crawling speed of the iPod library search - even though this is probably iPod related - a 15minute long search for a tune is more than little rediculous. The integrated search on the iPod itself would only take a dozen or so seconds - MAX. Of course - 100-160gb of music/movie files could be a little overwhelming. Perhaps Jobs will offer a little support and help Pioneer find a way to speed up this process.

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Get your media on the road with Pioneer's AVH-P5200DVD, an in-dash single-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver featuring a motorized seven-inch widescreen display. With versatile music and video playback, modern features like USB Direct Control and DivX support, a built-in MOSFET 50 W x 4 amplifier, and plenty of expansion options, it's the perfect way to turn your vehicle into a mobile entertainment center.


AVH-P5200DVD Features
Motorized Seven-Inch Touchscreen Display The AVH-P5200DVD boasts a seven-inch TFT LCD touchscreen display with 1440 x 240 pixel resolution. Navigating your media and system settings from the touchscreen is a breeze thanks to intuitive touch controls and customizable menus. Tap, Swipe or Drag--exactly the way you expect a touchscreen device to work.
When not in use, the screen tucks away safely in the unit. The viewing angle is also adjustable, from 50 to 110 degrees.
Versatile Multimedia Playback Enjoy your favorite DVDs while parked with the full-featured DVD player, or add a back seat screen for your passengers to watch as you drive. The AVH-P5200DVD will play DVDs, DVD-Rs, Video CDs and even DivX files burnt to CD or DVD (or from a USB device). You can also use the rear A/V input to attach external devices like video game systems.
As for music, you can enjoy your favorite CDs, or listen to MP3/WMA/AAC files from either CD/DVD data discs or a USB device.
USB Input / SD Memory Card Slot Connect USB thumb drives or other devices and enjoy playback of your digital audio files or DivX video. Ditto for SD memory cards. This makes it a breeze to quickly grab some media from your computer before a big road trip, and enjoy hours of entertainment on the road.
iPod Direct Control (CD-IU50V required) Connect your iPod directly and experience exceptional sound quality while easily navigating through music, videos and album art on the AVH-P5200DVD's screen. Say goodbye to the annoying static of FM transmitters and other iPod half-solutions.
Advanced Sound Retriever Hear the detail, warmth and clarity, the way the artist intended it, from all of your highly compressed MP3, WMA and AAC files stored on USB memory device, iPod and portable digital players. By restoring data (especially higher frequencies) that tend to get lost in the digital compression process, Pioneer's Advanced Sound Retriever technology enhances audio reproduction nearly all the way up to 20 kHz frequencies.
Supertuner IIID AM/FM Tuner Pioneer's legendary Supertuner IIID combines the best of digital and analog tuner technologies to reduce distortion to bring you exceptional FM and AM performance. If you live in an area where reception is weak, you'll hear a big improvement in signal strength. And when you're near tall buildings, Supertuner IIID reduces the effect of multi-path noise, which occurs when the signal is reflecting off of the buildings.
Always have your favorite stations at hand with 18 FM and 6 AM user presets. And when you're somewhere new, let the tuner do the work for you by activating the Best Stations Memory (BSM) function. The tuner will seek out the 6 strongest stations in the area and set them into the tuner presets.
Dial in Your Sound Use and customize EQ curves, adjust the eight-band parametric equalizer, or change loudness and bass boost settings to get the perfect sound.
AUX-In Connection Use the built-in AUX input for connecting any digital portable player and other external auxiliary devices. For extra-convenient access, the AVH-P5200DVD has this A/V input on the front panel.
MOSFET 50W x4 Amplifier for the Power Hungry Compared to conventional power supplies, the MOSFET amplification circuit is smaller and more efficient, delivering power with less distortion and absolutely zero on/off switching noise. And that doesn't just mean a boost in volume: it means that your music will be cleaner at higher volumes because you're not pushing the limits of the amplification circuit. Clean, efficient power that will rock your vehicle.
For those who'd like a bit more power, three 4V RCA preamp outputs are also included for system expansion (front/rear/sub).
Available Bluetooth Wireless Technology Use the available CD-BTB200 Bluetooth Adapter and Bluetooth-enabled cellular phones for easy, safe, and hands-free operation, including talking via the headunit's microphone and your vehicle's speaker system. The system automatically mutes any other audio during incoming or outgoing calls.
Add the Power of Navigation This receiver is ready to take direction with the optional AVIC-U220 navigation module, a sleek navigation unit that supports AVIC feeds, enabling you to create custom trips, as well as your own points of interest. The plug and play AVIC-U220 puts Pioneer's legendary AVIC navigation at your fingertips.
Rear View Camera Capability Keep an eye on your backside using the optional Rear View Camera (ND-BC2 or ND-BC20PA): while you're in reverse the rear-view camera can be in full screen.An unit equipped with the optional rear-view camera adds a level of safety and assurance you can rely on.In addition to keeping you and your family safe, this feature also makes maneuvering in tight spaces easier.
Ready to Expand The AVH-P5200DVD is also compatible with Pioneer's XM and Sirius satellite radio tuners, HD radio tuner, TV tuner, CD/DVD changers and more.
AVH-P5200DVD Basic Specs

What's in the Box Pioneer AVH-P5200DVD Receiver, Wiring Harness, Installation Hardware, Owner's Manual

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Maxell CD-AUTO Automobile CD Lens Cleaner Review

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(More customer reviews)These brush cleaner CD's do work, believe it or not. Perhaps not quite the same as having your system professionally serviced, but why waste more money than you may have to. This is a worthy investment to look into first - because these do work most of the time (and it's always a good idea to have one for continued preventative maintenance anyway). If you're getting play errors or severe skipping of your CD's, you might be amazed at how much one of these can help.
But here's a few tips for those of you making audio CD's on their home computers and having trouble playing them on some machines... It may not be a defective or dirty player at all.
First, it may be best to turn off any other programs you may have running in the background. This will give your CD burner full resources to do its burning job. Also, make sure your screensaver is turned off. If it starts up in the middle of a job, the laser burn may be interrupted and cause errors. So shut down all other programs and the screensaver too.
Second, it may do you well to defrag your hard drive before starting a burn. If you have a pretty fast PC, this may not be a big problem, but it may adversely affect the read data process if your computer has to search all over the hard drive to find pieces of the media files before burning them on the disk. I personally have an auto defrag program installed on my computer that runs constantly keeping my system running at its optimum.
Third, I recommend NOT copying CD's "on the fly" (in other words, directly from disk to disk). Copy the audio files to your hard drive first. Most CD burning software have a "create image" option - use that and then burn the image to a blank CD. If your using Nero, just turn off the "on the fly" option and the music files will copy to the hard disk first and then to the CD automatically. By-the-way, you may want to read my review on Amazon about Nero. It is, in my opinion, the best burning software available! Since I started using Nero, I do not know the meaning of the word "coaster" or "frisbee."
Fourth, ALWAYS burn CD's in DAO mode (Disc At Once). This will insure there is no gap between songs(TAO - Track At Once - usually leaves a 2 second gap between songs and causes the laser to have to stop burning momentarily between songs), but more importantly, using DAO will insure that the laser continues to burn constantly throughout the whole CD copying process.
Finally, and most importantly (in my opinion), make sure you don't burn CD's at anything faster than 12x! In fact, if you're playing CD's on an older system, burn the CD at 8x or even slower. If you still have trouble, take the speed all the way down to 1 or 2x. It can make a big difference. Yes, I know it means you won't be using the full potential of your zippy 52x burner, but you just have to figure out what is more important - fast burning or being able to actually listen to what your burning?
Most newer CD players have very little or no problem at all playing CD's burned on a computer at the highest speed; however, this is not often the case with much older units. As a general rule it is always better to burn audio disks slower.
You may also want to make sure you're using Audio CD certified media. That may help a little bit too. The brand of media may be a factor also. Sometimes the cheaper CD's may have a higher failure rate. I've heard this from some people. Personally, I have not had too much trouble with cheaper CD's... Usually, if the steps I have already mentioned are followed, cheap media will work fine. That has been my experience anyway. But different burners may be a factor as well and you may want to try some different brands of media until you find one that seems to work best for you. Using quality name brand media is probably a safe bet and may be your best course of action.
Good luck! :)

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Jensen VM9512 7-Inch Motorized Touch-Screen Multimedia Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)First, let me say this - if you actually pay the $899.99 MSRP you'll be wasting a LOT of money. If you've gone through the effort to look for reviews of this product, then do some dedicated searching and you'll find online stores selling this product for around $420 (as of March of 2008.)
At $420, this unit is a decent value. I bought this stereo because I took a new position that forces me to live away from home and travel 10-hours round trip on the weekends. I wanted something that would allow me to play MP3's from a memory drive instead of messing with CD's. This stereo has an SD card input and a remote unit which can be mounted under your dash or elsewhere (within about 3 feet of the headunit) which provides a USB slot among other inputs. The SC card drive seems to have its issues. Jensen claims it can read up to a 4GB card, but it won't read mine. I read in an online forum that you have to have a particular brand of SD card, but I cannot confirm that. In my opinion, a 4GB card should be a 4GB card and it shouldn't matter who made it. However, if I plug the 4GB card into a USB adapter and plug it into the USB slot, it works just fine.
My issues come with the user interface. MP3 titles (of which I use almost exclusively) only present the first 15-or-so characters of each title on the screen. This means you can either see the track title, or the artists name, but not both. I have had to create clever file-titling tricks so that I can find the song I want. (For those interested, I rename each MP3 with the artists's first initial, a dash, the song title, a space-dash-space, and the full artist name. Ex: M-Push - Matchbox 20") This of course forced me to rename 200 mp3's... As Kevin James once put it, "A lot of work for nooooot that much fun..." In addition, you cannot use the up/down buttons on the unit or remote to scroll through songs WHILE a song is playing. Instead you have to press tiny buttons on the touch-screen to scroll, which often results in scrolling too far, accidentally selecting a song instead of pressing the button, or hitting the stop button, which is very close to the down-arrow. This is not to say that the Touch screen is innacurate - it is in fact just the opposite. Some of the buttons however are just a little too small.
A few other annoying attributes - there is no "randomize" button on the unit. The unit will randomly scan through your MP3's, but you have to select "Random" from your remote control. I cannot fathom why they didn't give that option on the unit's face or screen. Sometimes the unit cannot decide whether to open its screen when you turn the car on - sometimes it will, sometimes it won't. The "autodim" feature seems completely inoperable. This forces you to change the brightness of the screen every day and night. The DVD player often seems to get confused, and sometimes will show disc errors or take at least a solid minute before beginning playback. This will cause you to insert a disc and forget that you did so by the time it starts playing. This especially seems to be an issue when the unit has gotten hot after extended use. The bluetooth interface with phones is easy to set up and use, but very limited in it's usage. I would like it to notify me when I receive text messages, and I have read (though not experienced) that if you have the volume low or muted, you will not hear when a phone call comes in.
Many users have complained about the screen being washed out by sunlight, but I say "What do you expect?" It's a screen. Take your TV or monitor outside in bright sunlight and tell me how well you can see it. Turn the brightness all the way up and tilt the screen down and you can usually see it well enough.
So why four stars? Well, this unit pretty much does everything it says it will do, and it does it pretty easily, without much fussing, and does it all at a reasonable price (again, read the first paragraph.) It has already provided plenty of entertainment during 20+ hours of driving and quite frankly, I still think it's "pretty cool." Find a product that does everything "just right" and you'll pay this unit's MSRP plus a lot more.
Do note that any desire to drive recklessly on the highway because you're watching "KITT" engage the Super Pursuit Mode on an episode of Knight Rider is not the fault of Jensen, myself, or David Hasselhoff.

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Kenwood Excelon DNX8120 - Navigation system with DVD player, LCD monitor, digital player and radio Review

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(More customer reviews)I researched the best Double DIN units for a couple of weeks. There isn't much on the web about this unit and where there is there is 1 review that says it's great to 1 review that says it's horrible. This unit was more available for me to get my hands on locally then any other. I played with the pioneer a bit and was fairly satisfied with it's interface. The clarion's review on the web was terrible so i don't even bother. So basically it was either the pioneer (forget the model but it's the one with all the bells and whistles that compare to this unit) or this kenwood.
The pioneer installer actually told me that they wouldn't/couldn't install the unit in my '07 vette. Said it was just too difficult and couldn't be done. These people have installed all my alarms/radios/speakers etc for 15 years now and i trust their opinion. However, i read a couple step by step forum posts that showed it be done. Instead of arguing and trying to talk them into it i went to another installer.
The second installer had the kenwood (8120 and 7120) with some other cheaper non-options for me (Dual and some other manufacturer). The kenwood had the built in bluetooth which was a huge plus for me. I'm very very skeptical of bluetooth units in any car. I have had many and have yet to find one that was sufficient to replace me having to hold the phone to my ear. The fact that this was built in gave me hope as all others are add-ons.
Many reviews said the kenwood interface is bad. I don't see why. It is plainly laid out and functional. I think it just has so many options (bells and whistles) that there are many nav keys to get into them it confuses people. It seems pretty good IMO. Could be flashier but i haven't gotten into all the custom skins etc that can be added so maybe it is.
I added the IPOD and Sirius accessories. They work great. The sirius has a better connection then my sirius handheld stiletto which isn't saying much but worth noting. The IPOD connection works good and clean sound. The interface is kind of bulky but when you're used to the iphone's simple interface what isn't going to be bulky compared to it? (Bulky = boring/simple not alot of features)
So everything works great except for the one thing that i knew probably wouldn't before i ever purchased it. The bluetooth phone. Everybody i've talked to on the other end said it sounded choppy and/or had static. I could hear them just fine and the voice dial seems to work ok. However, none of that matters if the other person can't hear you :P I will prob keep the phone to my ear.
Oh, the NAV works great. I've used several nav systems on phones and in rental cars and OEM version's and this is wonderful. It auto updates the routes instantly and doesn't yell at me for not following it's orders. It adapts rather than freaking out. So far so good.
Bottom line -- I would look at the pioneer a little harder if i went back through the purchase process but i doubt it's BT is any better and i don't like it's nav maps. However, for me, if the BT is better i'd swap in a heartbeat. The BT is very important to me though.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Kenwood Excelon DNX8120 - Navigation system with DVD player, LCD monitor, digital player and radio

Click here for more information about Kenwood Excelon DNX8120 - Navigation system with DVD player, LCD monitor, digital player and radio

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SIRIUS Sportster 4 Satellite Radio Receiver with Car Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Long story short - Nice radio and programming with horrible FM modulation. Don't buy this unless you're going to wire it directly to your car's antenna or radio.
I bought this device last October to listen to college football games during long road trips. It is my first introduction to satellite radio. I've got mixed feelings about the product.
First of all, the unit was fairly easy to get working. I plugged the power and satellite antenna, turned it on, and selected an open FM station in the unit's setup menu. It's pre-tuned to a test station (national weather). I got a clear signal from the satellite just leaving the antenna resting on the dashboard. I activated it online after a couple of tries (didn't have the unit powered up the first attempt).
However, the FM transmission from the unit to my car stereo was awful, borderline un-useable. Even after choosing a completely clear FM station, turning off the car, waving the unit around until I found a sweet-spot, and crossing my fingers, there was always noticeable and very disruptive static interference. Based on what I've read, apparently the FM transmission strength for this unit way below previous models. I'm told the SP-TK2 model has a much stronger signal. I've not been able to determine whether or not that had anything to do with FCC regulations.
For my vehicle, I've overcame the FM transmitter shortcomings by connecting the unit directly to the Ai-net/Changer input on my Alpine radio and using the AUX function. This step eliminated all of the outside static interference and bypassed FM modulation completely. However, part of my attraction to this unit was the plug and play function. My friends and I have taken several road trips this year and I brought the Sirius unit with me. The cars we used did not have A/V inputs, so we had to make due with the lousy FM transmitter. We were able to fight through the static for the sports and talk radio stations, but music was un-listenable.
The unit itself is ok. It's easy to use and the screen has a lot of info. It keeps track of all the scores in sporting events, show and host for talk stations, and song/artist for music stations.It's awkward to mount though, because all of the wires plug into the back of the dock, not the bottom. You need clearance between the back of the unit and the mounting surface for these wires. My two options were to use an air conditioning vent clip or the windshield suction cup. I chose the vent because I didn't want the unit in the sunlight. At night, the unit is very bright. You can turn down the brightness of the screen, but the buttons are backlit with a piercing blue light that can't be adjusted. The rotary knob is especially bright. It looks like I have a big blue glow stick in my car at night.
The programming is pretty good. Sirius carries every NFL game, and nearly all the college football games, which is exactly what I was looking for. They also play a lot of the NBA and NHL games, but I've not paid much attention to them. They have three comedy stations, and several talk/news (including the BBC) radio and sports radio stations. On the other hand, all of their music stations do not meet my sound quality expectations. I have a decent aftermarket stereo, and the music stations sound worse than local FM. They're not terrible, but the difference between listening to a song on Sirius and on a CD is jarring. That said, they have a fair amount of genres represented. You'll hear songs on Sirius that you'll never hear on your local radio.
I've had limited customer service interaction, but it's been all bad. I chose the three month program to start off with. Sirius doesn't give you a very detailed invoice on the billing screen. It simply shows Subscription charge, Activation Fee, and Taxes. The Subscription charge on the invoice did not match what plan stated it should be, it was about $1 more. The Activation Fee was what I expected. However, Taxes came out to the 15% of the sum of Subscription plus Activation. There's not a state in the US that has a 15% sales tax rate. I called them to find out why it was so high. The lady on the phone had no idea what I was talking about. First she tried to explain why there was a charge for activation. It took quite a few minutes to get it across that my question was about the taxes, not the activation fee. Next, she tried to tell me that the tax rate was based on the Houston rate where she was located. The sales tax in Houston is 8.25%, not 15%. And besides, you are supposed to be taxed based on your local rates, not the location of the service center. After trying to get this point across (another 5 minutes) she went to speak to a manager. She came back and offered me a $15 dollar credit for the activation fee, without ever answering my question. I was tired of the conversation, so I took the credit and hung up. I'll try again to get an answer out of them when my three months are up.
All in all, the unit has sort of worked out for me. It works fine in my car, but travels poorly. I can listen to all the sports I want, but the music sound quality leaves much to be desired. It was easy to hook up, but looks silly just clipped onto my air-vent. If all of the short-comings I've described were addressed I'd be very happy with it.
**Update 12/19/2006**
Warning: The unit is dying on me less than three months after I purchased it. Sometime after around 10 minutes of use, the receiver will become locked into "acquiring signal" mode regardless of actual signal strength. Turning the unit off and then on again fixes it, sometimes. I've researched this issue online and apparently it's becoming a common problem. The recommended fix from Sirius is to either re-activate the receiver on-line or return it for a new unit. If I could, I'd knock another star off this review.
**Second Update** I eventually got SIRIUS to send me a replacement head-unit, free of charge. The second radio works just fine. However, I had to ship the original radio back to the manufacturer. A word of warning: if you ship something to Sirius, keep your tracking number. They tried to tell me that they never received my original radio and charged me for the second. I got on the phone and used the UPS website to tell them who in their warehouse signed for the package. The charge was later reversed.

Click Here to see more reviews about: SIRIUS Sportster 4 Satellite Radio Receiver with Car Kit

Get in the game with the plug-and-play Sirius Sportster 4 satellite radioreceiver, which sports a new slim profile while still maintaining the same great featuresfor which the Sportster series is known. Just like other Sirius-compatible receivers, theSportster 4 offers a large, easy-to-read display, a rotary tuning knob, and accessiblebuttons, but now moves seamlessly into your car, home, or boombox. More significantly,the Sportster 4 maximizes the listening experience of Sirius radio's broad sports lineup,with the ability to decode the incoming Sirius digital-quality signal from more than 120music, news, and sports channels. It's also easily transportable, and thanks to thebundled car kit, lets you listen to your favorite satellite radio programs while driving.
An easy-to-read, six-line display tells you the channel name and number, category, artistname, song title, and time simultaneously. The receiver also lets you program up to 30presets of your favorite streams, as well as search by stream, artist name, song title, orcategory. And with a quick press of the One-Touch Jump button, you can instantlyswitch between the traffic and weather reports for your city or any of the other music,news, or entertainment channels. Other programming details include an S-Seek functionthat stores your favorite artists and songs and alerts you when one is playing on any ofthe music channels, direct station tuning via the numeric buttons, and a channel lockoption. Time functions, meanwhile, include an onscreen clock, alarm, and sleep timer, aswell as a program alert that allows the unit to switch to a preprogrammed stream at aselected time.
The Sportster 4 really earns its stripes, however, with its variety of enhanced featuresdesigned specifically for sports lovers. The Game Alert feature prompts you when yourfavorite NFL or other sports teams are playing on Sirius. The Game Zone lists all of yourfavorite teams in one virtual category and lets you select a different team from each ofthe various sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, and college sports. And whatsports fan could do without the Sportster's instant replay function, which lets you pause,rewind, and replay 44 minutes of live radio? As soon as you tune to a channel, thereceiver automatically begins storing the audio for later playback.
The Sportster 4 also includes a built-in FM transmitter that sends Sirius radioprogramming to your vehicle's FM tuner, so you don't have to make a direct connectionto enjoy the full array of channels. Simply set an empty FM frequency on your radio andtune the Sportster 4 to the same frequency. This function also works with other FMtuners, such as the one on your home stereo, but is easily paired with the car thanks tothe bundled vehicle kit, which includes everything you need for listening to Sirius whiledriving. Components include a vehicle docking station, a suction cup mount, a ventmount, a DC power supply that plugs into your car's cigarette lighter, a roof-mountantenna, and mounting hardware.
Sirius satellite radio is a subscription service that provides more than 120 channels ofprogramming, from digital-quality music to news, talk, and sports. It is available only inthe lower 48 states--not in Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories. The Sportster 4, whichmeasures 4.5 by 2.9 by 0.6 inches (W x H x D), is backed by a one-year warranty.
What's in the Box Sportster 4 satellite radio receiver, wireless remote control, lithium battery, vehicledocking station, roof-mount antenna, suction cup mount, vent mount, cigarette lighterpower adapter, mounting hardware, installation guide, Sirius channel information card,user's manual.

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SIRIUS Sportster 5 Satellite Radio Receiver with Vehicle Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)OK.
So after all of the hype surrounding satellite radio I decided to "pimp out" my Sebring by adding SIRIUS to it. In order not to look ghetto as well as match my existing deck I decided to pick one of these up and subscribe.
First, I'll review the device. Then, I'll review the service. Basically, good news then bad news.
The device itself has a very small form factor which I found very appealing. It comes with a mini dock which essentially powers the device and routes its audio and antenna signal. Know that you'll be doing quite a bit of wiring if you do this yourself - I would recommend professional installation unless you're comfortable doing your own car installation stuff. There are 3, possibly 4, wires that you'll be dealing with:
- The CLA (cigarette lighter adapter)
- The satellite antenna
- The FM antenna extender (only needed if you choose that option)
- The line out (only needed if you choose that option)
Now, if all of these ports were in the back of the dock next to each other this wouldn't be so bad, but instead they're on either side. That's a lot of cables to have hanging out, which is why I recommend professional install if you're not comfortable. I decided to do it myself and, to get set up with the "basic" quality which is wireless FM (it's decent, but nothing to write home about) with neat wiring took me about 45 minutes, give or take. That's including mounting (which I'll get to in a moment).
SIRIUS recommends using line out/line in if at all possible. Newer decks have this jack, but some older pre-2004 likely do not, or if they do, it's a proprietary connector that might not work with the Sportster 5. I have the Kenwood MP735U and it works just fine. I found the cable at Circuit City ($24!!!) and it worked like a charm. Took some doing and even more neat wiring, but I did get it to work. I will admit, using the line out spanks the smoke out of the wireless FM or FM modulation options; it's near CD quality, especially on the Jazz and Classical stations. Again, you can use wireless FM and it will sound "okay", but line out will give you the absolute best quality possible; you just have to do another cable.
Mounting the unit has a number of options as well - one of which is not available depending on what state you're in. California, for example, has Draconian laws about vehicles; you can't have anything stuck to the front windshield. Ironically this is the easiest way to mount the device, as the suction cup works extremely well, and you just attach the device to the metal arm and adjust. If you have this option and don't mind the device up in the window, I recommend doing this. I have an old Chrysler CD changer indash not being used; a trip to Home Depot for a $.49 angle bracket did the trick - attached it to the dock with a single screw, then slipped the other end into the CD slot and like magic, it's solid and looks great right underneath the deck. I suppose I could have hard installed it with another screw or two, but I'd rather not.
All said and done the initial hardware investment came to roughly $200. Keep in mind that SIRIUS has cheaper devices that don't look nearly as good. The downside to the devices is the cigarette lighter adapter. In fact the documentation explicitly forbids a direct power tap. This is so disheartening I can't even describe it. I have to keep unplugging it when I turn the car off so it doesn't suck the battery dry. Why can't you have the option of tapping it into the player's alternate power line so it turns on with the player? I'm absolutely mystified at this oversight.
Now, the service. Oh, this will be fun.
The quality of the audio? Stellar. Never heard anything like it except on digital TV's music channels.
The quality of everything else? Horrid. Where do I begin...
- The activation/customer service phone # has extremely long wait times. it took me a total of 5 hours across 10 different phone calls to reach someone who could help me. Do the math.
- Activation/CS reps are clearly stressed over something. I talked to two who were just blatantly rude; one who had no idea what she was talking about, the other a guy who claimed he'd been "...working at SIRIUS for over 3 years and" knew what he was talking about. Funny - since he had no idea that you can't activate with invoice billing on the website (more on that later).
- SIRIUS and Circuit City have some type of conglomeration going on to force you to call to activate. CC offers a "prepaid subscription card" which is supposed to offset the initial charges (more on that later) to get service. Well that's all good and everything except the card cannot be used on the website even though the website acknowledges the card and its value. It says "cannot be redeemed". An Asst. Manager at CC informed me that calling was the only way to redeem the card. Had I known that, I wouldn't have bought that particular card, but a regular gift card that I could use on the web. Because of the aforementioned long hold times, it was a nightmare to do this simple task. The girl even told me "you should be able to use it on the web" - the other idiot claimed "you're just doing something wrong".
- Too much personal information required to sign up. Why do you care what type of car I have? All that should be needed is a credit card (if you choose that payment method) and my address/name. If it's for purposes of theft recovery, that's up to me, the buyer, to deal with that. Which I do - in my auto insurance plan.
- Website will authorize your credit card without activating an account for you. That's money you can't touch until they feel like releasing it - which could be 2 weeks.
- Inability to just sign up for an account without giving billing information and/or buying a device. Why can't I just establish the account and then pay for it? Why force me to buy the deck in order to get service established? If I wanted DirecTV and didn't have it, I call them and activate, and then the hardware comes...not the other way around.
- Website forces you to put in a credit card. You can't do invoice billing as an option. Why not? Because they know every customer would just do that and then they would be getting free service for that month grace.
- Website does not allow you to select month-to-month billing as an option, and by default it hides the quarterly and 6-month options (which would obviously be the more popular for newbies like myself).
- Telephone IVR can't hear properly. I tried to activate through the automated system and it just couldn't understand the letters "D", "I", "O", "N". That's it, and I don't know how many times the chick said "sorry?"
- No trial offered (I'm talking about in-car installation). Why can't I just buy a unit from a store that offers returns, activate a 14-day trial period with a credit card, and then return and cancel if I hate it? Because then they'd have high turnover due to buyers remorse (which I had at one point due to the above issues)
- $15 activation fee which is not disclosed on the hardware documentation. You don't find out about this until you go to the website or you talk to an agent. It should be clearly disclosed on the packaging of the device since you'd be forced to pay that fee by activating the device - not at the very last minute when you're putting in your credit card. On top of that, it's blatantly mob-ish of them to charge: an activation fee, a monthly fee, fee for the hardware, etc etc etc. They already get money from the subscription - remove the activation fee already or annualize it across the subscription.So class, in summary: The customer service is screwed up, and in order to activate properly and get the best billing options, you need to call customer service (which did I mention is screwed up?). DO NOT activate over the web if you're using a gift card. I guarantee you, you will get frustrated.
The quality of the product is top notch. The ability to see who's playing before you select the station is excellent, and the high resolution of this screen makes navigating stations quick and easy. The audio sounds upper class if you're using the line out jack, and setup is not that difficult if you know what you're doing. Once you get past activations you should be smooth. It's just that phase that causes headaches.

Click Here to see more reviews about: SIRIUS Sportster 5 Satellite Radio Receiver with Vehicle Kit

With a stylish new gun-metal grey finish, the Sportster 5 satellite radio receiver sports a new slim profile while still maintaining the same great features for which the Sportster series is known. Highlights include a large, multicolor, easy-to-read 6-line display, plus a rotary tuning knob for added convenience. The Sportster 5, conveniently transportable between home and car, is easy to use and features Sirius' universal dock for simple installation. Optional universal accessory docking kits and audio systems conveniently allow for use in the home, boat, office, and multiple vehicles.
An easy-to-read, six-line, 2.7-inch multi-color display helps keep tabs on the channel name and number, category, artist name, song title, and time simultaneously. The receiver also lets you program up to 30 presets of your favorite streams, as well as search by stream, artist name, song title, or category. And with a quick press of the one-touch jump button, you can instantly switch between traffic and weather reports for your city and any of your preset music, news, or entertainment channels. Other programming details include an S-Seek function that stores your favorite artists and songs and alerts you when one is playing on any of the music channels, direct station tuning via the numeric buttons, and a channel lock option. Time functions include an onscreen clock, alarm, and sleep timer, as well as a program alert that allows the unit to switch to a preprogrammed stream at a selected time.
The Sportster 5 really earns its stripes, however, with its variety of enhanced features designed specifically for sports lovers. The Game Alert feature prompts you when your favorite NFL or other sports teams are playing on Sirius. The Game Zone lists all of your favorite teams in one virtual category and lets you select a different team from each of the various sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, and college sports. And what sports fan could do without the Sportster's instant replay function, which lets you pause, rewind, and replay 60 minutes of live radio? As soon as you tune to a channel, the receiver automatically begins storing the audio for later playback.
The Sportster 5 also includes a built-in FM transmitter that sends Sirius radio programming to your vehicle's FM tuner, so you don't have to make a direct connection to enjoy the full array of channels. Simply set an empty FM frequency on your radio and tune the Sportster 5 to the same frequency. This function also works with other FM tuners, such as the one on your home stereo, but is easily paired with the car thanks to the bundled vehicle kit, which includes everything you need for listening to Sirius while driving. Parents also have control over channels and channel lockout. Measuring just 9.5 x 7.5 x 3 inches, the Sportster 5 weighs a mere 3.7 ounces.
About Sirius Sirius Satellite Radio delivers more than 130 channels of music and programming via crystal clear direct satellite feed. In addition to 69 channels of commercial free music listening, Sirius also delivers 65 channels of sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic, and weather forecasts. Sirius--the official satellite radio partner of the NFL, NASCAR, and NBA--broadcasts live play-by-play games of the NFL and NBA, as well as live NASCAR races. All Sirius programming is available for a monthly subscription fee.
What's in the Box Sportster 5 satellite radio receiver, remote control, vehicle docking cradle, vehicle power adapter, vehicle antenna, suction cup and vent mounts, FM extender antenna, getting started guide, installation/user's guide, accessory brochure, and programming guide.

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Cables To Go 40413 M/M Stereo Audio Cable (6 Feet, Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There weren't much reviews when I came across this item, but I decided to bite the bullet and now I'm glad I did buy it. I mainly bought it to connect my HDTV to my macbook so I can use VLC player, and so far it works like a charm! This is my second time buying from the Cables to Go brand and their stuff is not bad. This cable plugged snuggly to the back of my HDTV and to the headphone jack on my macbook. I didn't experience any looseness of the plug when connected to a jack as was mentioned in other 3.5mm stereo audio cable product reviews. Overall, if you need sound coming out of your TV from your computer, this is the cable to get.

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Alpine CDE-103BT - Radio / CD / MP3 player / USB flash player - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)UPDATE: Crutchfield had Alpine provide me with another unit with updated firmware (Version 310, I think) and I haven't had a problem since. Crutchfield told me they were having Alpine replace all the units they had in stock with the updated version.
I love the unit and recommend you' get it from Crutchfield so you get the updated firmware.
ORIGINAL: I'm having the same issue as Buyer Beware, the internal amp often shuts off when the ignition is turned off as well as the Bluetooth.
But I like the unit so much I still give it 4 stars.
If Alpine would issue a software update and resolve the issue I would give it 5 stars.
I have documented the bug on youtube, just search for CDE-103BT Software Bug.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Alpine CDE-103BT - Radio / CD / MP3 player / USB flash player - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4

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Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT 7-Inch Flagship In-Dash Navigation A/V Receiver with DVD Playback and Bluetooth Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm glad I didn't read the review here before I bought this unit, or I'd have missed out on what is for me a great unit. Let me address the previous review line by line with the differences I see.
- no support for cd changers but many feel that because of usb drives and ipods, changers are legacy...whatever!
What's a CD? Does anybody use them anymore? :)
- touch screen has a sweet spot that is small and off-center so it's easy to make the wrong selection and have to waste time on a redo...
Haven't noticed it yet. There is a calibration for the screen that needs/can be done so maybe that would fix your issue.
- no IR functionality which means wireless remotes cannot be used and this unit really needs one...
I never liked remotes in a car. I've had three head units that had remotes, including the one I just took out. Never put a battery in them. The head unit is arms length away, the remote is under the seat, stuck to a french fry, whatever. What is the remote for? I know some people like them, I just never have.
- xm works great BUT xm traffic is not supported, only msn direct...
Yeah, XM traffic would be better. MSN is a no go. Per their website they are shutting down the service. However, all the online reviews of this unit say getting the MSN is a no brainer, that it's data in invaluable. Go figure.
- no exterior mute button....
Hold down the voice prompt button and it mutes. I luckily noticed this in the manual when I was perusing it during the install.
- installing the hd radio module disables regular am/fm functionality...
Hmm, that's odd. I asked about it and wasn't told this was an issue. I didn't get HD radio so I cannot comment.
- route guidance has no introductory statement to start your route, you just start driving and eventually it begins giving directions...
Good. The less it talks the better. I have people in the car, the telephone going, stuff to remember to do. Just tell me where to turn already, skip the rest.
- route guidance audio does not identify by exit number, street or exit name, just take next and you must look at screen for what next is...
Hmm, good point. I didn't think about this before. I guess refer to the point above for me. Just keep me from blasting by the turn. I'll handle the rest. The road, distance, and direction of turn are on screen.
- last unit i had gave me my vehicle speed as well as the current posted speed limit, this unit gives neither...
Agreed! Sorta. I love having the GPS speed on screen for some strange reason. The GPS speed is available on a setup/calibration screen, but not on the main screen to my knowledge. I guess I can get my GPS calculated speed fix there. As for the speed limit on the GPS, I think I'll trust the handy dandy signs that were happily stuck in the ground for my personal amusement along the side of the road.
- adding a route is real work. to start a route you must type each and every complete word exactly, it does not help you complete words with suggested common choices nor is it flexible when searching...
Type in part of the word and hit enter, it'll show the most likely matches. The route seemed perfectly easy to enter to me, and thank God, the keyboard layout is a QWERTY so you know where the letter is without singing the alphabet song.
- when recalculating a route, it says nothing and starts the process very slowly.
Again, thank God. Say less, do more. I hate it when you are going off route manually and you don't want to key in your change. "Recalculating route....Recalculating route...etc, etc until you give in and either cancel the route or get through your detour."
- there is a search by address voice function, but it's slow and awkward, using it is a real struggle...
All voice commands are slow and awkward to me. I've been amazed at how accurate this thing has been so far.
- no voice commands for basics such as "go home", "cancel route", etc. so you must touch screen through several menu layers for them...
I haven't tried this yet. Go home should be a voice command. I agree. Good points. I did take the time to setup my custome home screen. It has icons for cancel route and go home so they are right there on the home screen. Nice.
POI TRULY SUCKS...
I already tried some POIs. They were not in there as often as I'd like so I agree. But, via the SD card you can load POIs so I'll give it a pass. If it's something I need I'll load it. If not, oh well. I can always look up the address. I did take the time to load some POIs just to see how this worked. I now have every Hooters in the US on my GPS. Sorta overkill as I really don't like chicken wings that much but considering how easy it was to add thousands of esoteric POI waypoints, I think it would be hard to knock what they have built in.
So far, this unit has been pretty much everything I wanted. I pulled out and replaced a Clarion 675 VXD with this Pioneer. It's so much better than the Clarion it's hard to imagine. Everything works as it's supposed to on the Pioneer. Not so on the Clarion. And Pioneer is using Parrott's bluetooth technology. I love Parrott.
I do have a couple of squawks that aren't mentioned previously. The unit, like everything in this country today, has a legal warning. Of course, somebody lost a lawsuit somewhere along the way and not only do we have to agree not to be stupid once, we now have to agree every time the unit boots. I've sort of resigned myself to this fact of life, however, there is a quirk with the Pioneer. Until you ok the legal screen, some of the functionality doesn't work. The iPod voice recognition it does at every boot up doesn't start until you have clicked ok and if you have just updated your iPod this VR load can take several minutes. If you are on the audio screen, as I often am, the warning screen doesn't appear. It's a navigation warning screen, so audio is playing from your last song but the unit is effectively nerfed until you click ok, no VR load, no audio commands, etc. The backup camera does work and it does immediately, which is good. It can be frustrating to jump in the car, fire up and want to start a phone conversation right away but the voice commands won't work till the VR load finishes, the VR load won't start till you click ok, and none of that will start till you click ok on the nav screen which probably isn't up and running. It would be nice if after 30 seconds you haven't clicked ok, it just times out and starts it's normal process or if the warning screen would pop up over navigation and audio so you can click ok. (Update to this note.) Turns out the issue above is actually a quirk of my installation. We may have accidentally performed a work around to eliminate the speed sensing ability of the Pioneer, which would enable the use of the navigation system, and video playback, while the vehicle is in motion. The issue I noted above is a side effect of this work around. Out of the box, this issue apparently does not exist, but you cannot use the navigation system above 10mph, which is in itself annoying in my opinion.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT 7-Inch Flagship In-Dash Navigation A/V Receiver with DVD Playback and Bluetooth

The AVIC-Z110BT is Pioneer's flagship in-dash navigation system, and comes with the works. Simultaneously access mapping and route guidance information; enjoy various forms of audio and video entertainment; control an Apple iPod/iPhone and a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone with natural voice commands; and receive updated traffic, weather and local event information via an optional MSN Direct tuner. The AVIC-Z110BT navigation system features a large motorized 7-inch touch panel display, CD/DVD Video playback, built-in Bluetooth and a customizable touch screen interface for quick access to frequently used features.

Key reasons to upgrade from AVIC-X910BT:
Powerful processor with video accelerator
New Customizable Shortcut Menu
Larger 7" display (WVGA high-resolution)
Motorized Display with Automatic Display Positioning (5 settings)
High-Volt Preouts x3 (4 Volt) for clean, powerful signal to optional amplifiers
7-Band Graphic Equalizer provides more precise audio tuning control
Bluetooth Audio Streaming (A2DP and AVRCP)
Navigation destination entry by Voice Control (Address Search, POI selection by category or brand name)
Background processing of Voice Recognition (VR) Cataloging
City Map display
5 Simultaneous route calculation
Road Preference routing and Intelligent Re-Route
Brand Icon POI's
Optional Mexico Map (CNSD-OMM013)
Fuel Cost Routing & Report
Dual Zone Audio/Video
Advanced A/V Codec with additional formats (WMV and H.264) for USB/SD Card playback


The Last Word in Navigation The line of AVIC-Z products have long been considered the last word in navigation, and this year, the AVIC-Z110BT stays true to its Pioneer heritage with its high performance features. Out of the box, this system comes with 12 million points of interest and a massive map database to help you find the nearest destination. The built-in Text-to-Speech engine clearly pronounces turn-by-turn direction and street names to ensure smooth travels.
The AVIC-Z110BT also offers a wide variety of map views tailored to different driving experiences. For example, "Rear View" allows you to watch your cargo in tow with your optional back-up camera while simultaneously being able to view the map. High-resolution 2D and 3D maps provide renderings of nearby landmarks and terrain to help you navigate the world around you. The Z's high-powered graphics processor and precision-guided GPS sensor deliver stunningly detailed mapping with amazing accuracy.
Pioneer's AVIC-Z110BT takes convenience to the next level with voice-activated navigation. You can simply input an address by voice or find a place to re-fuel by saying, "Find the nearest gas station" or "Find the nearest McDonalds".

AVIC FEEDS for iPhone now available Unleash the power of your Pioneer navigation system with the AVIC FEEDS for iPhone application. Find a destination, then transfer it to your Pioneer navigation system for turn-by-turn routing.
Bridge the Gap Start Planning your route before you even step into your car with the free AVIC FEEDS app. Now you can seamlessly use your iPhone with your Pioneer navigation receiver. Simply find your destination with the built-in Google Maps interface and transfer it via Bluetooth for easy, turn-by-turn directions.
Picture Yourself There The AVIC FEEDS app also allows you to use the geo-tag data in your photos to be routed directly to places you've visited. The built-in GPS feature of iPhone 3G and 3GS has the ability to embed geo-tag information in the photos you take with its camera. AVIC FEEDS allows you to save destinations by reading these geo-tags. You can also use AVIC FEEDS to create destinations from geo-tagged photos that are sent to your iPhone.

Your iPod (and iPhone) Will Thank You On top of being an exceptional navigator, the AVIC-Z series delivers an iPod experience that blows away FM transmitters or cassette adaptors. Even at the first glance, you will fall in love with the easy-to-use touch screen controls for your music and brilliant 7-inch display for your videos. Album art is also beautifully displayed.
With the optional cable (CD-IU50V) connected to your iPod, you will notice how easily you can find songs, videos, artists, or playlists with a few simple taps of your finger. Pioneer has also created powerful searching tools such as Link Play and Alphabet Search to help you find content faster.
The AVIC-Z110BT also features voice-activated control of your iPod. Simply say the name of an artist, album, playlist, or genre to bring up the next song.

Ditch the Headset with Built-in Bluetooth Take incoming calls through the AVIC-Z110BT, and be heard clearly without a headset courtesy of Bluetooth technology. Connecting your compatible phone is easy and gives you instant touch screen access to your contacts. You can also dial a contact with the sound of your voice by simply saying "Call Jack Smith."

Customize and Colorize This all-new AVIC-Z110BT features a revolutionary touch screen interface that let's you build your own home screen with the navigation, multi-media and Bluetooth functions that your use most. Simply drag and drop a function's icon in the menu to create up to 15 shortcuts within your home screen.
You can further customize the navigation receiver by adjusting button illumination color to match the interior of your car, or by uploading your own boot-up screen photo.

Get Connected with MSN Direct With the optional tuner (ND-MDT10), access up-to-date information from MSN Direct on your AVIC-Z110BT. MSN Direct is the ultimate in-car convenience, offering news, traffic, stock quotes, weather, movie times, and gas prices. Because MSN Direct can work seamlessly with system's navigation, you can be routed directly to a theater after finding the right show time, or have traffic flow overlayed on your route.
Enjoy MSN Direct free for the first three months when you add Pioneer's optional tuner (ND-MDT10) to the AVIC-Z110BT.

The Freedom of Speech Navigation functions, iPod audio control and hands-free Bluetooth calling can all be controlled with the sound of your voice. Voice-activated control over your navigation system not only performs in-car tasks with greater speed, but helps you keep your eyes (and attention) on the road ahead.

Media Mogul Built to navigate, but born to entertain, the AVIC-Z110BT offers audio and video playback from the most popular formats. Whether you're watching DivX files on DVD, H.264 video on SD card or iTunes AAC files on CD, there are dozens of playback options for your favorite media. You will also appreciate the Z's ability to simultaneously entertain your front and back seat passengers with two different audio and video sources using Dual Zone functionality.

Audiophile-grade Sound Architecture Just because the AVIC-Z110BT features one of the most robust navigation platforms in the industry, doesn't mean it holds back on high-end sound quality. With 3 sets of hi-volt (4V) pre-outs, custom designed power supply capacitors and a 7-band graphic equalizer, you can build a massive system worthy of hi-fi listening.

Expanded Listening The AVIC-Z110BT gives you plenty of room to expand your broadcast options. With optional tuners, experience the vast channel selection of XM Sirius Satellite Radio and HD Radio.
What's in the Box AVIC-Z110BT main unit, Power cord, Connector Extension lead (for reverse signal), Extension lead (for speed signal), GPS antenna, RCA connector, USB connector, Microphone

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Lanzar SDBT73N 7-Inch Single-DIN In-Dash Motorized Touchscreen TFT/LCD Monitor with DVD/CD/MP3/MPEG4/USB/SD/AM/FM/RDS Receiver Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had this for a week and installed for a few days now. Installation was very straightforward, cables were all labeled both with the appropriate color wire and paper tags. Mounted well and worked well from the get-go. Sounds great, much better than my stock radio (Ford Taurus 01).
Can not comment on durability over time but it is as advertised and installed/working well.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Lanzar SDBT73N 7-Inch Single-DIN In-Dash Motorized Touchscreen TFT/LCD Monitor with DVD/CD/MP3/MPEG4/USB/SD/AM/FM/RDS Receiver


The SDBT73N from Lanzar gives you a massive, motorized 7-inch touchscreen to enjoy your video and navigate its features. The package is complete with support for several disc and file formats, SD and USB convenience, and 4 x 80 watts of power. When you're ready to add on, Lanzar provides preamp/subwoofer outputs, video output, and a rearview camera input.

Motorized 7-Inch Touchscreen The SDBT73N features a brilliant 7-inch touchscreen display, which folds up into the unit when not in use. With a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and 1440 x 234 pixel resolution, it delivers great-looking video and makes navigating the receiver's features a breeze. The unit's front panel may be detached as well, when the screen is stowed away, for added security.

Enjoy Your Media This receiver will play back a variety of disc media formats: DVD, VCD, CD, and CD-R/RW. An anti-shock mechanism prevents skipping while you're on the road.

USB and SD/MMC Convenience Of course, some prefer the convenience of MP3s. The SDBT73N has you covered, thanks to a USB port and SD/MMC card slot. Fill up a thumb drive or a few SD cards, and you'll have hours of music at your disposal.

AM/FM Radio Enjoy your favorite radio programming with a PLL synthesizer tuner. Eighteen FM and 12 AM station presets let you store your favorite stations, and features like auto store or preset scan help you dial in stations when you're in a new locale.

320 Watts and Room to Grow The SDBT73N delivers 4 x 80 watts of power, for a respectable 320 watts max. If that's just not enough, RCA preamp and subwoofer outputs let you expand your system.

A/V and Camera Connections Connect an external A/V device, such as a video game system or video camera, using the A/V input, or add a monitor in the backseat using the A/V output.

A rearview camera input allows you to connect third-party cameras for safety and convenience when backing up, parking, etc.

Remote Included A wireless remote control is included.

What's in the Box SDBT73N receiver, case for faceplate, remote control, wiring harness/installation hardware, and user's manual.

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Boss BV9996B In-Dash 7" DVD/MP3/CD Widescreen Receiver with USB, SD Card, Bluetooth and Front Panel AUX Input (Detachable Front Panel) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have lived with this unit for about 6 months or so now. and all I can say is avoid Boss like a plague! The touchscreen gets washed out by any sunlight (yes even with tinted windows). The display has many gremlins, sometimes when you first cut on the car you get a blue and white lines across the whole screen that can only be cured by cutting the car off and then back on, no just cutting off the radio or closing and reopening the screen wont work. Then when it does work just drive down the road on a hot day, then the screen turns orange or red, all you see are numbers but no words.
Ok, now the remote! big and thin with buttons that are all spaced apart the same. You cant reference any point on the remote so that you can use it without looking at it. You have to look first before you take off and then keep your finger at your reference point which for me was the volume, from there you could go up for forwarding the cd to the next track. The remote by itself will make you wish you had looked and thought about this purchase more.
The Sound, well I was able to get the music to sound good, but ReeeeeeeeReeeeeer to the beat of the excellerator had me digging for problems for the whole time I had the unit installed. The unit is just plain cheap with terrible noise filters, I finally solved the problem with a new deck from a more reputable company (ends with wood). Oh and dont let me forget when you turned off the cd player you could hear crosstalk from the radio, when you turned it all the way down you could hear the radio along with the whining screeeeeereeeeee noises.
Outputs, well the sub only had one RCA output that caused problems with my multi amp setup. i had to make one output lead over to 2 amps, by the time the signal split 4 ways there was nothing left but low out put, high noise. it sounded like trash. The front and rear had seperate left and right outputs so they where ok.
The interface, using this monstrosity on a daily basis wasnt that bad not a deal breaker but the fact that most cd controls are done on the touchscreen that didnt light up properly made it impossible to use on most days.
Bottom line is that if you dont have money for better now then blowing a couple of hundred on this thing is only gonna set you back further from a real radio! Don't waste you time or your money. My lower cost non dvd unit from a better brand (ends with wood), blew this away within one minute of install. The unit from the reputable company didn't have the noise, did have the dual sub out puts that let my amps get what they needed to vibrate my car agian. Now I can turn down the volume all the way and guess what I get? nothing! no noise, no radio talk show, no reeeeee!
Dont do Boss!
I've been installing my own gear since 1977, I have one four channel amp running front and rear, two 2 channel amps running one sub each. With this radio I had to add a cross over since they didnt build one into the deck. I have 5600 peak watts conservatively speaking i would call it 110 rms to the fronts and rears and about 500 rms from each sub amp bridged. yesterday with the boss i was ashamed to show my friends, tomorrow with the wood I'll be ridin down on'em HARD!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Boss BV9996B In-Dash 7" DVD/MP3/CD Widescreen Receiver with USB, SD Card, Bluetooth and Front Panel AUX Input (Detachable Front Panel)

The Boss Audio BV9996B is a single-DIN multimedia receiver offering Bluetooth connectivity and playback of DVDs, CDs and plenty more, including digital MP3/MP4/WMA files. This receiver features touchscreen operation on its motorized, flip-out 7-inch widescreen display, an auxiliary input, USB port, and SD Card slot. With 85 Watts through four channels, it offers plenty of power, but front/rear and sub preamp outputs offer room for further growth.

Bluetooth-Enabled Pair with your mobile phone for hands-free calling and other Bluetooth features.
7-Inch Touchscreen The BV9996B features a motorized, slide-down front panel with 7-inch widescreen display. Touchscreen controls make navigation of receiver features a breeze, and the brilliant monitor features a 1440 x 234 resolution and 600 NIT brightness--your video will look great.
Enjoy Your Media The BV9996B will play back your DVDs/SDVDs, SVCDs/VCDs, CDs, CD-R/Ws, and WMA/MP4/MP3 files. The ESP anti-skip mechanism ensures your music or video isn't interrupted by any bumps in the road, and playback features such as a mute function, intro scan, and last position memory are all included.
When listening to digital files, enjoy full ID3 tag display of artist/track info.
Dial in the sound with separate bass and treble EQ controls, along with balance/fader.
USB and SD Connectivity The BV9996B features a USB port and SD Card jack, so you can instantly switch out USB thumb drives or SD cards with a fresh batch of MP3 tunes/podcasts/etc.
AM/FM Radio Enjoy your favorite radio programming with the PLL-synthesized tuner, featuring 30 station presets for instant access to your preferred stations, and switchable USA/Europe radio frequencies.
Auxiliary Input The convenient front-panel auxiliary input (3.5mm mini jack) is a great way to enjoy audio from external devices such as MP3 players.
Power and Expandability The BV9996B provides 85 Watts through four channels to start, and if you'd like to expand your system, use the front/rear and subwoofer preamp outputs to add external amplifiers.
Rear View Camera Input Add a rear view camera for safety and convenience when your vehicle is in reverse.
Remote Included A wireless remote control is included for convenient control of the system.
What's in the Box BV9996B Receiver, Wireless Remote, Mounting Hardware, User's Manual

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Pioneer AVIC-F700BT In-Dash Navigation Audio Receiver with CD Playback and Advanced Voice Controls Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pioneer has acknowledged that the first release of this system had issues ... freezing up, parking break warning for no reason, lack of proper brightness, etc. But they issued an upgrade in July of 2008. THIS UPDATE FIXES EVERYTHING.
I have this unit, I used it before the update (lots of problems -- all clearly explained in multiple posts all over the internet). But I downloaded the firmware, installed it, and now it works AWESOME. I truly have to give it to Pioneer for acknowledging their error and spending time to listen to owners and fix it.
I love this unit. I hook up my Iphone 3G and watch podcasts, listen to music, and everything. I have SM radio for it and I use the GPS all the time. I use the bluetooth with my iphone and the call clarity is fantastic.
I'm serious when I say this is a great value and much better than the D3 unit it replaced, but you have to install the firmware. Do that and I'll love it.

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The Pioneer AVIC-F700BT car stereo marries solid entertainment capabilities with advanced navigation. Its flash-based GPS system comes pre-loaded TeleAtlas maps of the US and Canada, featuring more than 12 million points of interest and robust user routing options.
Built-in Bluetooth allows you to make hands-free calls on compatible devices, and Pioneer's voice-recognition software lets you use voice commands to control your phone or iPod (with separate iPod adapter). Hugely expandable, with options for iPod connectivity, MSN Direct, HD radio, XM and SIRIUS Satellite Radio, and more, the AVIC-F700BT also includes a USB interface for quick connection to iPod music players, portable media players and USB memory device. Additionally, SD memory card support means you can insert cards filled with additional Points of Interest or compressed audio and video for your use and enjoyment. Link all your devices together into one seamless experience.
5.8-inch Widescreen LCD The AVIC-F700BT features a 5.8-inch widescreen color LCD with WVGA (800 x 480) resolution, perfect for navigation via GPS, or simply navigating your audio files.
A New Class of Navigation No more hassling with map discs. Now you don't have to worry about discs being misplaced, damaged, lost, or stolen because we've done away with them for the F-Series navigation line. Pioneer has taken the entire TeleAtlas Database that was previously on the two-DVD set, compressed it down, and stored it internally on flash memory.
Touch panel key operation--It is possible to operate the navigation and audio functions by using the touch panel key.
2D and 3D map view modes--Various types of screen displays can be selected for navigation guidance
A variety of Points of Interest (POI) information--More than 100 types of POI categories are included in the database. You also can create your own customized POIs and categories.
Auto reroute function--If you deviate from the set route, the system will re-calculate the route from that point so that you remain on track to the destination.

Freedom of Speech The AVIC-F700BT offers a new generation of voice recognition capability for controlling iPod playback and making calls hands-free via connected Bluetooth-enabled cell phones. The technology accepts and recognizes conversational phrases and language, filters out superfluous sounds and phrases, and if the user doesn't give enough information in the command, the unit will ask additional questions to clarify the request.
In Touch, Hands-Free The AVIC-F700BT comes with built-in Bluetooth. Now you never need to miss a call, even if your tunes are cranked up or your phone is buried in your bag.
Mobile Media Pioneer has created a line of Navigation systems that make it easy to play various digital and audio formats like: CD-R/RW discs, Portable Media Players like iPod, USB memory devices, and SD Cards. The AVIC-F700BT can play a wide range of files types as well, such as MP3, WMA, iTunes AAC, and MPEG-4 video files.
Make it Personal Personalize your drive. AVIC FEEDS freeware contains POI Creator, Driving Report, and Picture Editor Applications. You never know where the road will take you, but our POI Creator can help you get started on the right path.
Blending In Like its predecessor, the AVIC-D3, the new AVIC-F700BT allows you to change the illumination color to match your car. Select from among 32,768 different colors to match car interior and dashboard lighting.
Seeing Is Believing The old WQVGA displays that most Navigation units use are 480 x 234 pixels. However, the WVGA display is much higher quality at 800 x 480 pixels. Images become sharper and more defined, just like our maps and menus on these units. The display's enhanced GUI (Graphic User Interface) has also advanced, making system control and management effortless.
iPod Control Made Simple With the new CD-IU230V cable, you can directly control your music and videos from your iPod. Fast and easy control through USB, the AVIC-F700BT also features iPod Album Art display, Alphabetical Speed Search, and much more.
AM/FM Radio Always have your favorite stations at hand with 18 FM and 6 AM user presets.

Best Stations Memory Setting your radio presets can be a real pain while you're driving--especially if you're in an unfamiliar area. So, let the tuner do the work for you by activating the Best Stations Memory (BSM) function. The tuner will seek out the six strongest stations in the area and set them into the tuner presets.
Adding Another Set of Eyes For safer parking, try using the ND-BC2 or ND-BC20PA backup cameras. The system automatically displays images shot from a connected camera as the vehicle shifts into reverse.

AUX-In Connection Use the built-in AUX input for connecting any portable digital player or other external auxiliary devices. For extra-convenient access, the AVIC-F700BT has this input on the front panel.
What's in the Box Pioneer AVIC-F700BT, wiring harness, installation hardware, operation manual, installation guide, warranty sheet

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