car audio?

[9tinyfingaz]

does anyone know which head units play mp3's off of dvd's. or should i just get a in-dash dvd player. i saw some cheap 550 dollar dvd players. ive installed a handful of head units before should i be aware of something when trying to do an install on the VX (hoping i get my VX friday)

[Ruflyf]

I think the majority of head units now play mp3's from a cd, except for maybe the real cheapies. I am almost certain that a dvd player in a head unit will play mp3's with no problem, although that could get to be soo many songs it wouldnt really be practical to surf the dvd for songs.

[nfpgasmask]

YES! I have one ;) Its totally awesome, its a JVC KD-DV5100, I bought the first JVC "GIGA MP3" player available. The exact model I have has been discontinued but this is the upgrade I think:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-ZYfEFjGynen/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=168550&I=257KDDV420

Its probably even better than mine. I will list these PROS/CONS about mine (and hopefully these CONS have been fixed/improved with the new model above)

PROS:

1) This player will play MP3s from DVD+r discs. That means you can LOAD UP over 4 GIGs of music onto one DVD+r and play it in your car!

2) Front end auxiliary input (works great with Ipods and other stuff like Satellite radio receivers)

3) The player has video out so you can hook up a LCD if you want to watch DVDs. The video out comes from the back of the unit. (This is a sure way to smash up your VX and possibly kill yourself however, so I choose to NOT watch movies in my car :) )

3) Nice display, controls and EQ

4) Basic, easy install with detachable face

5) Slim Remote control

CONS:

1) For MP3 discs, both CDr and DVDr, playback does not "resume" from the exact point in the song that was playing when you shut off your car, when you start up again, the MP3 playback with start the song from the beginning

2) For MP3 discs, both CDr and DVDr, you CANNOT seek within a song. However, this function still works fine when you are playing regular CDs.

3) With this many songs on one disc, skipping from track to track can take some time

4) DONT SCRATCH YOUR DVD+rs, scratched up DVDs tend to lock up the unit when it is trying to read the MP3s from it. So do MP3s that are encoded at low bit rates (128 or less). Corrupted files can also cause issues.

5) When dealing with so much music on one disc, your REALLY need to organize your music in a VERY standard way, otherwise you WILL pull your hair out when you are trying to find one song on a DVD. The best way is to nest folders in folders (I.E. - Skinny Puppy\Too Dark Park\Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park - 08 - Natures Revenge.mp3) The player will read the track name and the ID3 tag. You can toggle between the two views.

6) MORE DISTRACTING. Having this much music in one spot can cause you to take your focus off the road to search for tracks, change controls and views, etc while you are driving, which can be dangerous.

But, all in all, I love this player. This technology is only going to get better. I have over 35,000 MP3s and this makes music in my VX that much more enjoyable, since I do not have or really want an Ipod (until they can provide 200+ GIGs of storage) at this time. Its totally awesome when you can have Front Line Assembly's entire discography and all the various side projects contained on one disc!

Bart


does anyone know which head units play mp3's off of dvd's. or should i just get a in-dash dvd player. i saw some cheap 550 dollar dvd players. ive installed a handful of head units before should i be aware of something when trying to do an install on the VX (hoping i get my VX friday)