Anyone found an Insert for DIN2?

[g_man1972]

I filled my two dins with one of these:

radio.jpg (33.84 KiB) Viewed 6291 times

Just got it recently and pretty happy with it. I was also worried about theft so I pried the cover off the stock radio, made a little surround using black cardboard and a bit of velcro on the top on the unit and the cardboard (and lots of adjustments to said cardboard and velcro) and presto, looks like I still have the stock stereo. And seeing as how I recently got broken into and the only thing stolen were my poker chips I think it worked!

[JMK]

Looks pretty good. My two thoughts on a unit like that in that location:

- Is it in a very good spot for watching video?
- Does it support DivX?

[g_man1972]

I don't think it supports divx and it wasn't something I was looking for as I don't ever use that format, maybe I'm missing something. As for watching video the captains chairs are pretty decent, especially for the kids. Should have seen their faces light up when the barnstien bears music came on and they could watch it. It's fine from the drivers seat too, as you can angle it up to 30 degrese, although I don't think I would want to watch a full movie sitting like that. Longer range plan is to add a second small screen for the back, either from the roof or on the "hump".

The only thing I don't like is that the screen gets grounded to the parking brake light, so the parking brake has to be on for the screen to work. Makes sense as, well, you probably shouldn't be watching a movie when driving, but the kids in the back should be able to (had the parking brake very lightly applied for the movie and drove slow around the neighbourhood). Also I like making DVD music discs as you can store so many tunes on it, but unless the brake is on you cant see the menus and stuff. If anyone has a work around this I would be very grateful, I was thinking of wiring it to the clock on the dash as that's always on, but I know little about electrics.

My motivation for getting it was that I am going to have this van for a long time, and I wanted to get something that would cover all the bases, CD/DVD/MP3/satallite/video out/aux in. Plus I got it for $370 which isn't a bad deal.

[glenn]

Wow, this is a surprisingly active topic. On the topic of video for kids, I have been very happy with this set up. Insignia brand dvd player with two sets of headphones and a remote - all for under $300. Not a high quality set up, you get what you pay for. The monitors strap to the back of the seats easily, and can be very easily removed. It plugs into the rear lighter socket. It's awesome, because we do a lot of very long roadtrips - and after the kids start to get really crazy, we let them watch a movie. The best part is that we can still listen to whatever we want up front. Or just feed the audio into the line in of the stereo and everyone can hear the movie.

[g_man1972]

Wow $300 for the player and two screens? That is a heck of a deal. I figured it would be a few hunderd for one of those lcd screens by it's self, perhaps my future plans are closer than I thought. And as you said you have the advantage of being able to listen to the music while they have their headphones on, cool set up! Had I not needed a new stereo anyway (was getting pretty tired of all the wires and adapters I had to use to get music with my satalite radio and ipod) I would probably be kicking myself. Where did you get the screens from?

Cheers Gary

[JMK]

I have a Satellite TV receiver that records programs to a WD Passport USB Hard Drive. Before we go away on a trip, I'll record a number of movies, etc. The native format it records in is a '.trp', file extension. That file type will play natively in Windows Media Player or in Xandros (Linux), so all I have to do is place the 17" notebook computer in the back as the "entertainment center", plug the hard drive in, and there are weeks of pre recorded entertainment there for free. When we watch a movie, I use a USB FM transmitter to transmit through the Deli's speakers for better sound, or when we're on the road I can just use it to transmit MP3's through the sound system.

THis is the same reason DivX compatability is important in a player. DivX is the main non proprietary format for media files, so if you download anything from the internet you are probably going to need to decode it in a player that supports DivX. A DivX movie typically occupies less than a gig of hard drive space as opposed to a DVD that is probably around 4GB. Another example, I can place a DivX movie on a 1 GB SD card and watch it on a pocket PC when I'm in the backcountry. That is the reason why I would not purchase any media player unless it supported DivX. Microsoft, Sony, etc., hate DivX for that very reason, as they cannot impose their copyright protection schemes on it. The first company that breaks ranks and builds an affordable car player that supports DivX should have a popular product I would think. In the meantime one could always buy an Asus eeePC for a few hundred bucks and have not only a media player with either a 7" or 10" screen, but a full blown personal computer with WiFi and Bluetooth. Add a Garmin BT GPS receiver, some software, and you'll then also have a full GPS navigation system. Anyone considering spending $300.00 on a DVD player should also look at options such as that before they plunk their money down on standards that will be fading this time next year.

[glenn]

Very good points and good advice, depending on your needs. For us, the $299 dvd player came from a best buy in southern california. We had been trying to use our laptop for our girls to watch movies, but never were able to find a good place/way to anchor it while driving. And either one girl had a good viewing angle and the other didn't, or they both had mediocre ones. I don't need video content in my van except for my kids - I have weeks worth of audio content on my ipod. So, for us, the cheap dvd player is perfect as we already have a collection of kids dvds. I know that technology is always changing, but I can't say I'm too worried about the dvd becoming obsolete before my dvd player is. But then again, maybe I have my head in the sand.

[JMK]

There is one obvious outstanding safety issue with using a laptop while operating the vehicle, anchoring it so it does not become a missile and injure the occupants in case of a MVA. I had to come up with an anchor system, the DVD that you've got is not liable to that problem so there's an advantage there. THe 17" notebook we have seems to have suitable optics to the extent that all 4 of us can watch it at one time when it's 'movie night' in Greenpoint Campground. When I'm driving and the kids are watching their programs, I give them headsets to plug into the computer so I can listen to the stereo, which you can obviously do too. My problem is I'm too cheap to rent DVD's.

[TardisDeli]

The dual screen DVD monitors system is available at canadian tire also available is a 7 inch drop down monitor for about 199.99 . In my gmc van i installed Clarions max685bt with a 14 inch rear monitor.And yes its easy to add a bypass switch to bypass the parking brake lockout feature. On our deli i installed a CB radio to fill in the empty space.One day we will post some pictures of it. Cheers Jay Tardis Deli. PM me if you have any more questions.

[g_man1972]

JMK, thanks for the description of the benifits of divx, now I see the advantages. I believe the model up from the one I got has divx capabilities, but it was around $100 more I think.

I'm not too worried about my unit becoming useless if there is a format change as it has aux in audio and video,(good selling point for me) so worse case scenario I would just have to get a new media player years from now and store it in the glove box or something. The ipod connecter has the ability to play movies stored on the ipod as well, so thats another option. Pretty sure Apple is going to keep it possible to watch movies on Ipods for a long time to come.

This seems to be becoming the official mobile theater thread, interesting stuff. How long will it be before someone creates a mobile THX surround theater with a drop down 42 inch screen and satallite dish:-).

Gary

[quadzilla]

Having 2 kids of my own, the almighty DVD never seems to become obsolete. I can't count how many times my kids have watched Cars, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, and more recently, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, etc. etc. Hours of entertainment for those long road trips. That set up Glenn has looks good to me...

As for the double din stuffer - this was my solution: http://www.delica.ca/forum/sound-systems-1374-45.html

[glenn]

by the way, best buy canada doesn't seem to carry the insignia dvd players but the US site does. However, they only have the 7" screens, not the 9" screens like I have. Having said that, the price is only $194. But do read the customer reviews and ratings - mine have been great, so far but it seems like there have been a lot of issues. I generally don't buy extended waranties, but I did this time and I think it was probably a good move. The one complaint I have is that there is no memory when you shut off your car. You have to restart the movie and find your place each time.

[mararmeisto]

J. Paul - Your suspicions are correct. This is my first prototype, and there are a few things I want to change. I'm a bit obsessive about my designs. While it's not perfect yet, the cupholders are great, as is the additional storage. Once I'm satisfied with it, I will take some photos and I will offer to make them for anyone who is interested. They won't be cheap, probably in the $300 range - I'll just have to see how much time is involved. This one just screws right into the existing holes and it reuses the original window switches. So, if your dying for an elegant solution to the lack of cup holders, stay tuned.

Glenn

How goes the centre console/cup holder piece? I haven't heard from you in a while, so I was wondering if you'd ironed out the kinks with your initial design?

[glenn]

Progress on the console is at a standstill. I'm dying to get to it, but with the Christmas season fast approaching, I've been unable to keep up with production of my existing products. I will definitely get to it soon, this is a fun project for me.

[optimus prime]

Hey Im running a Kenwood Double-din head unit with navigation and all the bells and whistles. ie, Bluetooth hands free, ipod connection as well as microphone audio jack, USB connection, dvd player, and audio video inputs. Un knowing if it will play Divx but it seems to recognize most media. Its very handy and fit perfectly into the original double-din slot. No cutting or hiding edges. It just fits and works. And looks good! But they will run you around 1300 to 1500 bucks.