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The car is a fun environment in which to watch car video .
It’s great to be able to watch your favorite movies in the backseat
when the vehicle’s in motion. And it’s just as enjoyable to pop
a DVD in an in-dash receiver, park the car, and start the show. If you go
with a comprehensive setup, you can even get true 5.1 home-theater-style sound,
which sounds spectacular in the cozy environment of the car.
The Wild Cards. Mobile video systems drastically expand the number of entertainment
options you can have in your vehicle. Movies, video games, local television,
even satellite television (we’re not kidding) are all available for
use in your car, truck, van, or SUV. And mobile car video
system technology just keeps getting better all the time.
Backseat video systems, like the headrest monitor shown here, can help keep
your passengers (especially kids) entertained on trips of any length.
What do I need?
We’ll discuss individual mobile car video components in the pages that
follow. Basically, a mobile video setup requires three things: A video monitor
for displaying the images
A media player, such as a DVD player or VCR
An audio component, such as wireless headphones
Some systems contain all the components you need in one package; others require
you to assemble and connect a series of components. Which you need depends
largely on where you’re installing your system, and what you intend
to do with it.
Practically speaking, mobile car video system can
be divided between front-seat and backseat systems (although, there’s
plenty of crossover applications, as we’ll see later). Most often, front-seat
systems consist primarily of in-dash receivers with monitors. These receivers
fit in a standard-sized dash opening, and usually have a monitor that’s
motorized and capable of retracting into the receiver’s chassis for
storage.
Backseat systems usually involve monitors that can be installed in various
locations, such as in the headrests or on the ceiling, separate DVD or videocassette
players, and audio components (such as wireless headphones). Complete packages
that include everything you need for a basic system are also readily available.
Each type of system has its inherent advantages, as we’ll learn in the
following pages. Which type is the right one for you depends entirely on what
you’d like to get out of your system.