Hey Guys

I've got an in dash DVD unit that I didn't think I'd use as much as I do for the kids.

I'd like to listen to the radio while I'm driving and they can watch their movies. Right now I can't do that.

How do you guys run your DVD players? I was looking at a roof mounted one, but I have rear heat/ac controls, that I'd rather not loose.

When the headrest mounted units are going, are they loud for the driver or copilot?

I'm also thinking about adding a switch for the rear speakers, then add a small amp for just the rear speakers. Have the audio feed from the DVD unit go to the amp and power the speakers.... Kind of complicated, but not terrible.

or... add another head unit where the rear radio controls are supposed to be...

or...

I have ideas... but I want to know what you guys do!

Thanks!

 

No one has DVD units in the back?

 

I don't have one yet but hopefully I will this year......sorry I can't help.

 

At this point, I would not mount anything. Get them all handheld units. More versatile and no risk of installed unit getting out of date.

 

We have a rear DVD monitor. DVD's play in the head unit and send video to the rear. Sound comes out all of the car speakers so yes, it is loud for the driver and co-pilot. I have not figured out how to change that yet. We just bought wireless headphones as our rear screen has infrared but it didn't work.

I unscrewed the rear monitor from the roof and looked up in there because our middle row a/c doesn't blow. I was sure it was because of the entertainment system figuring it was loose ducts or something disconnected because it blows just fine in the 3rd row. Once I had the unit hanging down I looked up in there and it doesn't look like it had anything to do with the air. Air ducts were completely sealed off from where the unit was inserted by a thick molded material.

Stopped in audio shop today and they said I would need to have a dual zone head unit to make it work the way I want. My pioneer manual is about 3 inches thick but so far I don't see "dual zone" anywhere in it. I'm wondering about the stock entertainment system and how it worked with wireless headphones.

My kids have Kindle Fires but they don't play dvd's. The only way to get videos would be to stream from a hotspot on our phones and that would get pricey! Not sure if I'd want a bunch of portable dvd players. Plus they would have to be looking down and some kids get carsick unless there is a way to strap in onto the headrests. Seems like a pain and more work than just having one unit on the roof.

 

The stock entertainment system is dual zone... At least the 02's were anyway...

 

So are the 03's, you can listen to the radio while the kids watch their dvd,s and listen thru headphones. When in this mode, the rear speakers turn off.

 

I have an XLT that has what I imagine was a dealer added rear DVD system on the roof. The rear HVAC controls work just fine with it. I like it because it has the wireless IR headphones and the kids movie doesn't bother me.

 

We just did an install on my friend's Excursion a few weeks ago. There's a lot of room under the driver's seat, so we mounted an Amazon special (no name) DVD unit under there. Ran cables up the seat covers (arm rest sides) for both front seats to DVD screens (also no name brands) in the headrests. While it was a little unnerving hacking into the seat backs, quintuple measuring with a template worked just fine. Then it was down to scooping (more like knifing) 1/4" filets of foam out of the seat until the screens sat flush. Only issues we ran into is the screens are a bit short on tilt adjustment and they are maxed out for proper viewing angle. The other issue was getting the screens to stay in their damn holes. I'm convinced a little less foam removal and some more finagling to get them into a tighter placement would have helped. In the end we sliced up and down in the foam, stuck a sheet of thin rigid cardboard in and then used silicone adhesive on the mounting frame for the screens to glue them in place.

Headphones plug directly into the screens, so the whole setup runs standalone from the main vehicle system.

It kept wiring to a minimum, power to screens and DVD come from empty key-on locations in the fuse panel. Running wired headphones kept things cheap and let his kids run whatever headset they prefer to use.

So far over the holiday travels there's been no issues. I'm not at home as I'm away for the holidays myself, but when I get back I'll check over the unfortunately few pictures we took and see if there's anything helpful.

A lot of this can be done for pennies compared to a dedicated install shop. There's a ton of tutorials and DIY instructions online since I.C.E. has been around for well over a decade now.

 

Well... I guess when I make my "move" I'll let you guys know what I do. Right now I'm planning and plotting things out, and saving some $ to aquire what all I think I'll need.

I'll do a build thread when I get it all done.

thanks for the input guys!

 

My kids have Kindle Fires but they don't play dvd's. The only way to get videos would be to stream from a hotspot on our phones and that would get pricey!

Another option with the kindle fire is a wireless external hard drive. I'm thinking about this for the house, since a few of the fires don't have memory expansion.

 

Y'all ought to interact with your kids instead of force feeding them another Frozen/Little Mermaid/Aladdin Disney/Pixar video.

Play the license plate game or have a conversation...

You know back in the day....

 

That's the plan once they're older for us. Right now this is a preventative measure to keep them quiet

 

Wow...Don't know if you have kids or how long it's been since they were little but for several hour long drives that doesn't hold their attention the whole time. Of course we do that stuff.

 

Notice the emoticons? It was in jest.




One time we hooked up a DVD player in the back for a 10 hour drive and they each had their own headphones so we could listen to an audio book.