Car Video & Reviews

Reviews

The unit itself is pretty compact, the swivel screen is very nice for accessing from front seat when loading dvds for the kids. I bought this to replace previous player that stopped working, so some installation work was already done. Wiring was pretty straight forward, mounting was sort of tricky. My van already had some cuts in the headliner so I was able to use these to get the template in place and then screw the unit in. I don't think I could have installed it with the screws it comes with--very short #8 machine screws. I had to use longer (about an inch and a half) #8 machine screws instead. This allowed me to install without taking down headliner (I screwed template in place using the two middle holes so it would stay put and then put the unit in place only using 3 of the possible 6 screws (I would have used 4--since only 2 were being used to hold the template in place to the headliner, but I could not get the 4th to line up and so I just tightened the 3 pretty good--will see how that works.) This was my first install of this type device, so all-in-all pretty satisfied. It took me about 2-3 hours. The fm transmitter is a bit staticy, but where I live this seems to be the case with all fm transmitters I've tried, though the one in my previous flip down unit (a monster of a unit) seemed to do a better job. The built in speaker volume is really too low to be of any use on the road. The unit has audio outs for a hard wire connection, but I did not have an adapter or want to run the wire for that, so I went with fm transmitter option.

Pros: 1. very easy to install. Despite what some people say this thing installs very easy. There was complaint about there being a need to a template, but in fact the mounting bracket comes right off and you can simply trace the bracket. Very easy... 4 screws and some electrical tape and you are done! 2. Very light. My last unit was very heavy and hard to work with. This unit is very compact and light weight. 3. Built tough. It I constructed of a hard plastic and seems very durable and well built. 4. Mp2 playback is very good. 5. Plays DVD backups perfectly. 6. Radio transmitter is very strong compared to other units I have used. 7. You can turn the screen almost 180 degrees. Cons: 1. SDHC card does not work... I think this is just my unit, but it is bad out of the box. I put my card in and it does not come out. It is as though the spring that is supposed to pop it out is not there. I needed to use a needle nose player to get the card out. Not a big deal for me since I have a USB to SDHC card reader that works fine. 2. The default Divx settings for DVDfab is not supported. I had to run my backups through an MP2 converter to convert my Divx to a format that could be read. 3. On board speaker is tinny and week. 4. To start a Dixv or other USB playback is very slow. You have to select the device every time you power off, which can take up to a minute or so for very large device.

... so I had to return the item. You practically have to make a hole on your vehicle's roof to make it work correctly. I wanted to install it myself but the instructions were very vague. I also tried professional installation and everyone wanted to charge me around $150.00. The quality of the item also doesn't look or feel very durable. I don't recommend this item.

Although i did not buy this item thru Amazon.Com (I wish i had), i find the unit wonderful. It is easy to use and the picture quality is outstanding. However, the instructions are pretty much useless and if you are a novice at electronics, i would suggest that you purchase the install card. I however found the unit Easy to install myself. The biggest problem was how to mount to the ceiling. The headliner in my 2005 Kia Sedona is very rigid, so i was able to brace above the headliner and attach the mount bracket without drilling into the frame. It works well in my situation and has been for the last 6months of weekly use. Sound from the unit when moving is unhearable. The FM Modulator on the road is useless also. You MUST have wireless headphones to enjoy the unit. Be certain to purchase IR headphones with an IR Transmitter to use with this unit. You won,t be disappointed. The unit itself is very light in weight and somewhat flimsy, this however, has nothing to do with quality and i love the way the screen turns from left to right. I highly recommend this product. Emmet

The very first thing that one will see when purchasing this unit from Amazon.com is the "Frequently Bought Together" image of the GX2148 and the XO Vision IR620 headphones. I don't know why this is because the GX2148 DOES NOT OFFER IR CAPABILITIES. The emphasis is there so potential customers don't make the same mistake as I did in purchasing this unit thinking that it is IR headphone capable. It is not. After ordering it and having it installed ($225) thinking, based on the listing, that it had the capability of IR headphones (I even ordered 2 of the headphones) I was contacted by the installation people to tell me that the unit works fine, but it doesn't work with IR headphones. Once these units are installed in a vehicle, they cannot be removed without leaving major marks on the ceiling (the headliner is actually cut to install them). Just to make sure that the installers were not mistaken, I contacted the manufacturer to ask them if the unit was IR headphone capable. They confirmed that it was not and shouldn't be sold that way. As far as the unit itself is concerned, it's a sub-$200 in-car DVD player. Most in-car DVD players are above the $300 price point, with some going as high as $900+. This one is every bit of a sub-$200 unit, as are many items that are engineered and built in China. Be careful when having young children operating this unit. Unlike most units that have a motorized insert and eject system for DVDs, this unit has a push button to open the DVD, which is then pushed onto a spindle and the door is closed on top of it. Removing a DVD can be difficult for someone with very small hands. One positive note is the FM transmitter, which is very powerful. The FCC has forced many electronics manufacturers who offer products with FM transmitters to reduce the output power of the FM transmitter. This makes many of those products useless unless they are sitting right next to the vehicle's antenna. Not this unit. It broadcasts a very powerful FM signal, so if you have a habit of staying in the same geographic area and don't mind broadcasting the sound over the car's FM radio, then this is a good feature. The only problem arises when you travel to an area that has a radio station that broadcasts on the same frequency as the DVD player. You will then need to change the signal on the DVD player in order to continue listening. I ended up having to remove this unit, as IR headphones were a must, and replace it with an Audiovox unit, which was double the price. It also cost me another $100 to remove the unit, install the new one, plus another day in the shop to have this done. Cool features on the unit include SD and USB capabilities, as well as an auxiliary input for a video game. Overall this unit rates a 2 out of 5. If you're in a budget, this unit is OK. If you can spend an extra $200, go with a better unit. Always check the exchange and return policies of who you are buying it from in case that needs to be done.

Reviews

I purchased this unit on Dec. 19 to prepare for our long hour trip. My kids really had great time on the car as we carried lots of movies and music videos for them. This unit is very good. I had it installed in my new Mercedes GLK350 for the price of $150 of installation fee. The quality of picture is great. the built-in FM transmitter works perfectly fine. If you have decent sound systems in your vehicle, you will feel like you are sitting in a theater. I recommend to buy this unit over other more expensive ones because it offers you everything you need for a flip down DVD player. The only problem is the seller never respond to my email when I ask if they have other color for me to choose instead of black color. I am not sure if I want to do business with this seller again.

Reviews

This DVD player is low cost but that is at the sacrifice of quality. It installed easy enough, but mine has the letter "E" burned into the screen. I plan to contact the manufacturer on Monday to see what they can do. The only problem is if they decide to replace it the I face the 4 hour install process all over again. The IR transmitter also has a VERY limited range. I wish I had spent a little more and got something of a little better quality. Oh well, at least the kids are enjoying so far.