Is The In-Dash Car DVD Player Worth The Money?
Do you remember tape decks? Do you also remember when tape decks gave way to CD players long ago? Leap forward to today and now a mere CD isn’t enough to keep up with entertainment technology. The practice of having an in-dash car DVD player is now on the rise, with more and more people wanting these as part of their car’s equipment.
An in-dash car DVD player can be special ordered and installed by the factory if you are purchasing a brand new car. These players take the place of the regular stereo system, and include a small screen. Due to this, they typically take over the stereo system’s function as well as playing DVDs. They will also play CDs, and have ports for both mp3 players and satellite radio. The downside is that they typically provide no way to listen to standard broadcast radio. In some areas, this is no loss, but in other places, drivers may greatly miss their city’s regular radio stations.
In-dash Car DVD Player
An after-market DVD player is installed after the car has been bought by a car stereo retailer, and installing one usually means taking out the original stereo system or CD player.
Screen sizes vary quite a bit with most screens smaller than 7 inches. You can, however, find screens reaching this size but expect to pay more.
One may wonder how a person can drive with this massive video distraction going on. The answer is that people are not supposed to try to do that. A factory-installed in-dash player often has a safety system which prevents the DVD player from actually playing DVDs unless the car is in park. Some states also have laws which prohibit trying to drive while watching movies. Although in-dash player looks pretty cool, it is not very practical for a family trip if you wish to watch while traveling. Unless, you add additional monitors. Monitors can typically be added through composite video outputs.
For those who have use of a DVD player in the car while they’re not actively driving, for instance while on a camping trip, having an in-dash DVD player is a great way to be current on the latest technology and watch favorite movies which would otherwise be unavailable at the destination point.
Cool factor aside, the in-dash car DVD player is not very family friendly out of the box. As noted above, you will need to purchase extra monitors which will increase your cost but if that is of no concern then this player may be the one for you.