[iibbmm]

here's an alternative to the flip up units we are used to. I had (just resigned, to a job MUCH closer to home) a 150mile round trip commute from MISSION VIEJO to NORTH HOLLYWOOD (anyone in socal knows what I'm talking about, and feels my pain), and wanted a dvd player for the car so I could listen to movies in the background and sneak a peak every now and then. I knew I couldn't go with a flip up unit because of the dash design, so I bought a JVC KD-AVX1. It is a single din unit with an integrated 3" screen.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-nsMcqfvh2T ... ch=jvc+dvd

My previous head unit (stolen out of the insight at a Honda dealer) was a cheap Dual unit with an integrated 2.5" screen, but no dvd player, just OVA tv, and it was terrible. I'm not much of a car audio person. I've owned 8 cars in the 7 years I've been driving, and have only replaced the stock speakers in two, and the head unit in 4. No subwoofers, none of that junk. I DO have a rather impressive home system that I've invested waaaaay too much money in, but I never got into the car audio thing, so I just buy what looks nice and seems to work.

This thing is pure bliss. The screen is plenty large enough, and you can adjust the angle. In the insight, the first angle is the best in my opinion, as you don't want it facing too far forward, and the stereo is barely below your line of sight.

The screen is gorgeous, very good quality. Everything loads fast, sounds nice, and there are plenty of ways to customize the audio/video. The included remote seems like the weak point, mainly because it's not made for a car system. The buttons are small, and all the same. it looks like a remote for a home dvd player.

All in all, it's a great alternative, and I love mine. Here's some photos for you all.

http://www.thebluepen.com/photos/insigh ... 20003s.jpg

http://www.thebluepen.com/photos/insigh ... 20005s.jpg
http://www.thebluepen.com/photos/insigh ... 20006s.jpg
http://www.thebluepen.com/photos/insigh ... 20007s.jpg
http://www.thebluepen.com/photos/insigh ... 20010s.jpg

 

[kayakwill]

installation?

Thanks for the great post - how hard was it to install?

 

[james]

Remind me not to drive in southern California. I thought people here who try to drive while talking on cell phones were bad, but watching TV?

 

[jbrasure]

Hmm, I wonder if this could be used to display a navigation screen? Do you know if it has inputs for external video? This might be the navigation solution that I've been looking for. Of course it doesn't have a touch screen, so I would have to get a navigation unit that has a remote. Sounds interesting.

 

[bfivelover]

Remind me not to drive in southern California. I thought people here who try to drive while talking on cell phones were bad, but watching TV?

He's got it for sale now, so hopefully the new owner will remove it, or he'll remove it before the sale. Until then, keep your eyes open :shock: for a weaving silver Insight. Couldn't agree more with the cell phones. It's unreal here in Northern VA. Just about everyone you see is on the phone, especially the ones turning without turn signals.

 

[james]

You know, there's a couple of things that's always puzzled me about those cell phoners: how the heck they find someone willing to listen to them talk, and how they manage to find anything to say