I've always wanted the capacity and entertainment capabilities of a carputer without the high price and complicated install. An in-dash DVD player would be ok, but the capacity is limited to one DVD at a time. So I came up with this...
About 6 months ago or so a co-worker turned me on to a groovy little unit, the AVOX Jukebox.
http://www.vantecusa.com/products/avox/p_avx100tx.html
http://www.bigbruin.com/reviews05/re...tecavox&file=1
Essentially it's a little device that you toss a laptop hard drive of your choice into and the box has A/V outputs and all the built in codecs you need for movies, TV shows, music and DVDs. I had kept this in mind for my new car enteratinment solution going forward and got one about a month ago. You can use the device in a 'music mode' so you don't need a monitor, but the only way to even turn it on is with the wireless remote, which is my big beef about the unit. I thought that a monitor would compliment this device well, so I got the 7" Pyle monitor seen here
http://www.oznium.com/plvs7hm. I tossed a 120GB drive in the unit that I got for cheap, that should give me more than enough storage. Installation was tricky because I still wanted to be able to take this out of my car and, say, into the house at a friend's place or something in case we wanted to watch some shows/movies (you can connect this to any entertainment system). I decided to mount the unit on the back of the monitor, then the whole thing can come with me, or be taken out of site when I leave my car for hours at a time. For those of you who crave the fiberglassed flush mount installs you won't like my install (if you can call it that).
The total cost of the device, drive, and monitor was about $350 CAD, and it plugs into the aux jack of my car's stereo. It sounds amazing watching a show in there, such a small space with the sub and 6 speakers, wowowow! I've since run all the wires properly so they're fully concealed, that was done after the pictures were taken. The spot where it sits allows it to lean back at a good angle and the weight of the Jukebox on the back of the monitor keeps it firmly in place, though I might want to add some rubber to the bottom if it starts slipping. Updating files on it is easy, just plug into a USB port on a PC and drag & drop. Works great as a mass storage device too. I could buy another drive, toss it in, back up my PC then store that drive anywhere. Sooooo, here come the pics!
Monitor and Jukebox from the front on my bed. The reason the Jukebox peaks out from behind the monitor is so the status lights can be seen and so I can use the remote with it somewhat easily. I've got an external remote receiver coming so I can mount it in a better spot for more convenient remote use.
Same thing, only the back of the unit:
In the car:
Showtime:
I know a lot of you hardcore installers could do a way better job, I'm just trying to share my ideas and let you know about a product that I find to be real top notch for this kind of application. If you want more install ideas or info there is a lot on an Acura forum, here's the link:
http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/showt...6&page=1&pp=25
http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139983
Turns out this does slide out of place if you brake or launch too hard. Some sticky velcro remedied that and positions mostly out of site. A bit ghetto but not unbearable, it'll do until I come up with something else. And it turns out I probably won't need my IR extender unless I decide to move everything around. The remote works pointed at the screen as the Avox sticks out a bit from behind it. Figures, it showed up after the install was done, and I paid a fortune on shipping and handling. What a screwjob.
Linear Mode
