Stive2699

Well I can eiather upgrade my system (get better subs) but then I will probly have to get better speakers then stock...which all in all would be ALOT of money. Im wondering if a IN-dash tv is a waste of money or not. I know a TONE of people are gonna say its a huge waste of money because you cant watch it ever and stuff like that... but does anyone actually have a in-dash tv that can give me some true answers on this. I would be spending alittle over 800$ plus i would probably get a used playstation to play dvd's. Anyways I hope for some good responses because im really seriouse about getting one or not.

Thanx

Jboy

If you are living in your vehicle then yes. If not then I see it as a total waste, unless you are rich and have money to burn.

96LtdYota

I have done a 7 inch screen install on my 96'. I removed the cigarette lighter and the ash tray(smoking kills). My screen fits in this spot very snug and looks very professional. also it is at an agle that is good for viewing. Total I spent $250 for the screen and did all of the work myself. PM me if you want further details

Bob_98SR5

Charles,

How about a pic?

Bob

Stive2699

im gonna get one that is moterized...i could get one verycheap like that one.. but i dunno.. just want one moterized more.. anyone else have any input???

PoBoy

I had a Kenwood touchscreen and a Pioneer non-touch indash in my old 4Runner. Loved em. I used them all the time since I traveled constantly and had navigation which rocks. Jason Demello will back me up when I say if you have the navigation you will use it constantly. It really is awesome...

Look to buy on eBay...the savings you can get are awesome. I priced a Kenwood Touchscreen TV/Dual DVD Player/Navigation for just over $2k on there.

I spent a lot of time with a guy on 4x4wire helping him pick out a Navigation setup. My TV/DVD thoughts and recommendations are listed there as well: http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showfl...t=1&PHPSESSID=

96LtdYota

Bob,
Check back here tomorrow, and I will have Pics of it all......

Krash

I'm interested where you got the stuff from if you don't mind throwing that up too.

Mystickal

It depends on what you plan on using it for as to if it's a waste of money or not. It is not legal in most places for an in-dash TV to be operating while driving, so unless you're using it for navigation, you won't use it at all while you're driving.

On the other hand, if you have to wait in your truck a lot, it can be a godsend. It gives you something to do while waiting to pick up your wife from her doctor's appt, waiting for your kid to finish with karate class, or while you're waiting for your buddy to finish taking care of stuff at the bank.

So, if you have to sit around in your truck a lot, it can be quite useful. Otherwise, unless you're using Nav, it's pretty much a waste.

~Bill

PoBoy

I watched movies all the time and started burning music video VCDs...It got plenty of non-nav usage. Plus, your radio is that screen...so it display's all sorts of cool stuff. I didnt get a NAV for a year after my first indash TV - I used it so much I needed the nav to complete it. Anyway, like it was mentioned above...it is illegal to play MOVIES from the front seat while you drive...but do what I did and just play them with the screen in. It's sooo much better than popping in CDs on a road trip or trying to find a radio station. Put in a movie you know and its even better because you know what's going on.

Or just leave it open since you cant see it from ouside the truck since it's so low on the dash...drive safely please.

bbeast

I got a 7" Alpine in dash monitor (fully motorized) with an sweet Alpine deck and a slim Panasonic DVD stashed discreetly in the comparment between the front seats. Viewing is prime for even back seat passengers and the screen I have swivels so you can tilt it away from the driver which is key.

As for use, you can buy live concert DVD's or music videos and, let me tell you, on a long trip I'd take that any day over straight-up CD's or the radio (XM or otherwise). Movies are fun to watch too, but as PoBoy said, get the classics that you've seen a hundred times, cause you don't want to have to concentrate on what's going on. I will say this though - I don't power up the screen every time I drive - once the initial novelty wears off, it becomes an every now and then kind of thing (long trips and the occasional need to be stylin in your rig). However, that's the way I wanted it. If you get a touch screen like someone else had mentioned, you will be more reliant on the screen for your everyday stereo use - more wear and tear on the unit and they ain't cheap to fix. Just not my cup of tea, plus I wanted to fill both stereo slots for a cleaner look, hence the straight monitor and separate headunit. Anyway that's my $.02.

X-AWDriver

Go on long trips? Got kids? There's a couple reasons I'd put a TV/DVD in my Runner but no kids yet but when camping (not much for roughing it) I wouldn't mind settling down to a movie after a day of hiking or such.

PoBoy

Just an FYI, the touch screens come with remotes and have buttons on the units themselves so they can work w/ the screen put away. But they do not have a display other than the screen. So if the screen is in...no display. I put an EQ in my extra din...Jason Demello (current owner of my 4Runner) put the Navigation indash w/ the TV. Also, the old kenwood touchscreen I had is now 4 years old and is as good as new...built to last.

I like the separate monitor and headunit idea though. Having that external display would have been nice for those short trips or when I was just listening to radio. Im just not too keen on having so many units...and I like my center console.

Ohh...not sure what year 4Runner you have, but your A/C controls will be blocked and possibbly prevent the screen from opening fully depending on the make/model you go with. I had to take the knobs off my controls...then it was fine. I guess that if you have a 98+ you may not run into the troubles because of the new controls.

EToy

Here's a picture of my setup. I spend 60 miles a day in my truck so my biggest want was a large selection of music. So what I basically have is a computer with 25GB of music on it to choose from. The dash also has a DVD player integrated so that the passengers can watch movies on long trips. Soon I'm going to integrate GPS so that I can have live TOPO maps for wheeling etc. Further down the road I might even hook up a OBDII scanner and run software on the computer so that I can see engine statistics real time (Alright, I admit I'm a bit of a techno geek!)

It cost almost $1000 when it was all said and done, but it was one of the best investments I've made. Most of that cost was for the touchscreen that folds into the dash, so you could do it cheaper if you wanted too.

muddy_feet

If I got a playstation to play dvd's and a screen could I use it as a dvd player. My head unit will run it I think?? What else would I need??

PoBoy

If you have an AUX in on your head unit, it's simple. Otherwise you just need an FM transmitter or something of the sort. Video out on PS to Video in on screen. Audio out on PS to AUX in on headunit.

You'll need a power source for the playstation...power inverters are cheap solution.

96LtdYota

The playstations works as a great dvd player. To run the playstation, you will need a dc-ac power converter, and you will need to ground it to a common ground or else you might get noise in the speakers... also, the playstation fits almost perfectly under the passenger seat on 3rd generations....



... and for those who wanted pics, check this around 8 pm and I will have those pics up for ya....

muddy_feet

Thanks guys for the input. I have a 2nd gen. The head unit I have does have an AUX. I'm thinking of dropping the head unit to where the ash tray is and mounting a screen in the double din location. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm....time to spend more money.

EToy

When I did my project I learned a lot from the forums at http://www.mp3car.com

Pretty much any info you need can be found there, including how to use a playstation.

E

Krash

Did you get an overlay for the 701 or did it come with one? How hard was it to install if you put it in yourself?