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I bought gold-plated optical cables at Fry's last week. It was the cheapest option. And, yes, there really was a tiny gold-colored ferule around the fiber. I'm sure the photons are much happier and crisper now.

(Crutchfield link since Fry's doesn't have a description.)

I have a curved ultra-wide monitor, and I like the curvature -- I think it looks better than the same sized flat monitor I use at work when I look to the edges of the screen.

But sit much closer to my monitor than I do to my TV.

However, if I had a 4K TV and sat close enough to it to see an advantage in 4K (4.5 - 7 feet for a 55" TV), then maybe I'd see a similar advantage with a TV.

Yes, according to Crutchfield, your 1999 Accord is supported by 9 different Android Auto head units, plus a plethora of phones.

The cheapest one is $599:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1...

But, yes, I would replace the clutch and backer plate first, though perhaps a new car is in order?

there's aftermarket carplay head units. Crutchfield has a few, starting with this Pioneer for 500. I've been considering getting one for my old Civic (or whatever replaces it, if it continues to act like it wants to be retired).

The parent sorta has a point. I can't vouch for the ratio, but I would definitely agree that newer cars have a proprietary/integrated dash and console arrangement that don't conform to the DIN standard (ISO 7736) in comparison to older vehicles. My perception is that this is getting worse with each new model.

There is a ray of hope however. Scosche is a major brand of custom aftermarket bracket and adapters for car audio. Chances are that if it's dimensionally possible, they've already created a kit for your vehicle. For example I also own a 2009 Honda Civic; the Scosche-HA1561 Dash Kit is only 40 bucks from Crutchfield (discounted when purchased with other stuff). It also comes in three colors depending on your interior. If they didn't take the market seriously, I wouldn't have expected that as optional. For reference, here is a photo of the factory radio for a comparison.

BTW, I don't mean to come off as a shill for Crutchfield, but I'm experienced in shopping there in the past. If you know of a competitor that you recommend, by all means share. I'm always looking for reliable alternative sources that I can price cheaper. :)

2010 RAV4. Aftermarket bracket (custom molded for make/model) turns it into Double-DIN or Single-DIN (bottom half being a little for phone, billfold, or whatever). Check the link below to see stuff is available for your car including the aftermarket bracket needed. In my case, the plastic used makes it look as though it was an OEM feature. So it's not always cheesy looking.

http://www.crutchfield.com/

Which headunit did you get?

Then again, a lot of integration could have purpose:

    1. Steering wheel switches that don't have separate wiring to the stereo

    2. Speed-controlled-volume adjustment (esp for convertibles!)

I never got the "enhanced" option from the dealer because it turned out to be a $1200 adder :/

Mine does both of those.
The computer I bought hooks into the cars buss and adjusts the headunit via the remote control input on the back of the unit.

If you get one of the Kenwood units, it's just strait up compatible with Sync. Fairly sure they have to pay ford a licensing fee for that because the units are $$$
Or do what I did and get one of the computers that does the translation.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-N...

the day of putting rabbit ears on the TV are largely over

Those days never existed except for those lucky enough to live within a few miles of the transmitters. These people can still use rabbit ears and pull in quality signals. A friend of mine uses the non-amplified version of this, aimed at an inside wall of his house in the direction of the transmitters, and he pulls in the same channels I do. I'm 15 miles out, with a row of trees in the way, so I had to go to one of these, mounted on my back porch, which fortuitously happens to face the transmitters. Growing up I lived about 70 miles out, as the crow flies, and we had to use something like this, on a mast, with in-line amplifiers, and an antenna rotor.

Regarding 8VSB, current receivers can handle multi-path just fine. You're also overlooking the fact that multi-path was an issue with NTSC as well, leading to ghost images. Digital either works or it doesn't, invest in a quality receiver and proper antenna design (rabbit ears don't count) and you're very likely to end up in the "works" category.

Vacuum Tubes (valves) are the devil! While they may seem somewhat quaint, their characteristics change with age and temperature. While you're ears may adjust to the slow process of them going out of spec, the auditory reproduction is still WRONG. Have you not listed to the modern headphone amplifiers? They're compact with superb audio reproduction. And yes, some use tubes, but mainly for marketing purposes. The idea of using technology that slowly changes its characteristics over time bugs the hell out of me. I want it pure, and I want it *true*. MOSFETs delivers on that. Tubes don't.

http://www.crutchfield.com/g_348950/Headphone-Amplifiers.html

Crutchfield seems to have ok selection of external DACs. But sure. If you don't mind having a separate breakout box and the extra cost, a dedicated DAC is the way to go.

Many companies make this.

http://www.crutchfield.com/g_300/Car-Receivers.html?tp=5684&nvpair=FFUSB_Input|Front

I got a cheap bargain "Dual" brand stereo that has this. They had models under $100 with this feature.

The quality is not great, and there are some features that I would have added if I were designing the thing. But for $110 or whatever I paid, (it also included Bluetooth which I was looking for) I can't complain.

No but apparently the people sitting 6.5' from a 52" screen must be.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-btv1k8ewsdn/learn/learningcenter/home/TV_placement.html
52" 6.5-10.8 feet

Why on earth would I need a larger screen? It's big enough as it is and it looks (and sounds) great.

My point is I *CAN'T* tell a difference between 1080i and 1080p, etc.

I used to have the 7 speaker surround and it was just annoying as it required another remote and confused my mom when she came over to dog-sit.
And now I have a simple 3 speaker setup that's always on. Not even a sub-woofer any more.

You are an audio/videophile. I get it. It's okay to be an audio/videophile. To measure your vpenis by the resolution of your screen.

I've spent 9 bucks in 7 months. I'm not worried about runaway spending- but if it was WORTH $100, then $100 would be pittance to pay for it (what would that be 8000 hours of entertainment for $100?)
Tho actually, $5 bucks of that is an iphone locator. (device locator). It's cool- shows me if I left my iphone at work, home, car, friends house, bar, etc.

---

My parent post was on the "arc" you can actually see vs screen size vs distance of screen. Apparently there is a huge crowd of you who buy 55" screens and then plunk them down 8' away on the other side of the coffee table. Okay- resolution makes a difference when it's that close. You want it to feel like a movie theater I guess. I don't. Most of my friends don't. We have 50"ish screens about 10 to 13' away from the TV. TV is something we watch- not something that overwhelms us. That includes my daughter (mid 20's) who has a 46" flat screen 2" thick- and it's across the living room from her couch- so it's about ... 12' away.

From here:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-btv1k8ewsdn/learn/learningcenter/home/TV_placement.html

Apparently some people are sitting under 9' from 70" screens. Holy cow.

The TV or the couch must be in the middle of the room, or else these rooms have an incredibly tiny axis.

My living room is 15' x 12'. My friends living room is 25'x25'. His couch is in the middle of the room, with the 12' area behind it basically unused.

--

I went and measured it. My TV is 13' from my head when I'm resting on the couch. It's a foot out from the wall to get that close. That's where it is "comfortable" to me while viewing.
I've had friends who took their 50" screen back because it was "too big" and bought smaller screens.

uhhh...actually they already do . I die a little inside thinking of people that buy that stuff.

There would be an uproar heard in Congress if General Motors used their OnStar download links to remove a feature. Suppose GM did something so that third-party audio players like the iPod couldn't use the car's speakers. This isn't totally unreasonable. GM's onboard entertainment system has a port for connecting a CD changer. If you didn't buy the CD changer option, that port is unused. There are third-party non-GM adapter kits for connecting an iPod to that port. The dashboard CD changer controls then control the iPod.

GM could probably download an update to change the interface so that this would no longer work. GM would prefer that customers buy a GM audio source; they remarket XM Radio. Arguably, the iPod is a device for pirating music, and removing that capability would enhance the security of the system. It would also eliminate the possibility of unauthorized iPod software interfering with the car's networks, and perhaps the OnStar system.

So why shouldn't GM do that?

What do mean when you say that? Hmm?

'no remote 'loggers' when I spin a silver disc!'

not so fast: Wait till you upgrade to blu-ray. Don't think that it won't become mandatory to have that little baby wired as well, at which point it will be shooting data upstream also.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_305BD5000/Samsung-BD-UP5000.html?tp=171&tab=detailed_info

LAN: The rear-panel Ethernet port gives you access to internet firmware updates. In addition, by connecting the BD-UP5000 to the internet, you may be able to access and enjoy additional content from your HD-DVD disc and download control programs for improved interactivity.

Something like this? :

http://store.l-f-l.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?pg=prod&ref=DC-DC-90W

Don't know the site, but it was the first hit on Google.

BTW, this is the power supply I have:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-kAhdhm8hxvW/p_539PP600/Duracell-Powerpack-600.html

It has a cigarette lighter port so may work.. Will try.. thanks..

is your new TV Energy star 3.0? if not the only consumption category it passed was its power draw while off. Doesn't change the fact that even the new rating is more of a "relative" to similar products, so your smaller lcd can be estar, even though it likely uses similar power to the bigger samsung 61" dlp led (230 watts)

Crutchfield.

Premier automotive audiophile / general audiophile source in N.A. They've been around since the paper catalog mail order days, and have transitioned well to the internet.

Obviously, if you are a /. reader from outside N.A. you might not have heard of them.

I think Alpine had this technology in their car stereos. Check it out. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-sTHC7HVqUZ9/app/learn/article/default.aspx?pp=T&page=All&aid=639&articlegroupid=76 I never owned one of these, and am not really sure how it works, but supposedly you can feel the buttons that you press.

Is it just me or does the price seem about right?

First things first, look at the prices of stand-alone Blu-ray players. Somewhere around $300-$500, with some models much more. The PS3 offers you a Blue-ray player, an internet appliance, home media streaming AND a game console for around $540. (Less depending on the HD size and bundle you get)

Is it just me or does the price seem about right?

(Prices from http://www.crutchfield.com/)

There's no such thing as a "HD" antenna.

Really?

No aux in? Use a FM modulator. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_615TRANC/DLO-TransCast-FM.html?tp=1287
or cassette to aux input device. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_170CD330/Maxell-CD-330.html?tp=121

No aux in? Use a FM modulator. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_615TRANC/DLO-TransCast-FM.html?tp=1287
or cassette to aux input device. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_170CD330/Maxell-CD-330.html?tp=121

Then find a site that lists the operating specs and buy from them. Make sure you tell them you like that feature and that's why they got your business if it means that much to you.

Heck, a simple Google search of "KDL-32M4000 power consumption" tells me you should be shopping at:
shopping.msn, Crutchfield, or I'm sure many other locations.

There are a few cars/aftermarket car stereos that have aux-in jacks, but those are pretty unusual.

I don't think this is still true. I just went to crutchfield and easily a third of the car receivers on the first page had front auxiliary inputs.

If you can't find a car stereo for less than 200, maybe you should just turn in your license. And again, why would you need a new deck? A ~$20 USD adapter and some cheap 1 gig at a time USB sticks with an headphone/line out.

If you can't find a car stereo for less than 200, maybe you should just turn in your license. And again, why would you need a new deck? A ~$20 USD adapter and some cheap 1 gig at a time USB sticks with an headphone/line out.

I was looking for a carputer to replace my system. I found this on Crutchfield: http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=182350&i=062CPC1000&tp=144 It runs Vista!!!!

In your family's case, if I understand it right, the problem was not that they were innocent (they weren't!), but that their guilt (belonging to a certain race) was absurd.

Ah, and allowing mass proliferation of the VCR, blank tapes, and dual cassette decks with "high speed dubbing", then making the same type of copying over silicon and wires illegal is not absurd? (and don't you dare come back with that "millions of people" crap, how many millions of VCR's and Dual Cassette decks have been sold again?)

I say infinite + 1.

Well, that means nobody can ever be punished, because there is always a chance, that they are innocent. Always...

not true at all. Have you never watched an episode of forensic files? Modern forensics can provide a solid chain of evidence tying someone to a crime.

Are you suggesting, we abolish all penal institutions? Because if you don't, your view is self-inconsistent and thus automatically wrong...

clearly not.

we now have CDs and afaik they don't make car stereos without CD players any more.

Actually they do. In fact som of the bigger makers of car stereos are phasing out the Old Cd player for digital media.

http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=iDA-X001&lang=en&tab=F has no CD player, but can control a Cd changer if you really want to play those old-fashoned things.

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=300&i=020FB275BB&search=SD+card&tp=5684 is a sleek nice one at a budget price. it sounds great but is for SD cards only.

and many more are going that way. Lots of new car stereos got the clue-by-four and are putting USB plugs on them so you can play music from a USB stick.

Cd is passe in a car. Having a 80 gig usb hard drive in the glove box that the stereo can play from is where it's at.

In fact, it's a theory of mine that with improvements in dynamic image-processing technology (more than just upscaling), the picture quality from existing DVDs could be *far* improved. What I have in mind would require some fairly powerful chips doing intelligent analysis over multiple frames

Already happening. You can get DVD players with HQV processing for under $1000.

Yes, how about an iPod Touch with an SD card reader? I'm already using SD cards as camera memory, thumb drive memory, and car stereo memory. I don't want to buy new storage every time I buy a new portable thing, nor do I want to throw away storage when the portable thing gets replaced.

(If you're curious, here is my car stereo. I love having a USB port in the glove box!)

As music passages get quieter, you're using fewer of the available bits until the really quiet stuff is 4-bit bit audio which sounds like shit no matter what the sample rate. It's very gritty sounding.

Digital recording technology isn't just a fad, if it were a new one would have replaced it by now. Digital is actually better than analog in *all* aspects, if done right. If done wrong, well, does a bad analog recording sound good to you?

The weakest link in sound recording and reproduction is almost always the conversion between electrical signals to sound and vice-versa. When people "compare" digital sound to analog they are often comparing listening to an ipod with earbuds with listening to a $100k analog system. Well, try to listen to the ipod in a pair of these $5350.00 speakers and tell me again again about those "warmer, more nuanced" sounds.

I have a 30gb video. I got it for a few reasons...

a) It just works....put songs in itunes they show up on the ipod. I don't have to think about it.

b) The scroll wheel interface is very easy to use.

c) Third party support. One of my goals was to rid myself of all CDs, especially in my car. So, I also have an Alpine head unit in my car which plugs into the docking port on the ipod and allows for full control through the HU itself (not the one I have but this one is very cool). This feature alone pretty much locks me into using ipods for the foreseeable future. It also, to circle back around a), just works.

has only recently been virtually unavailable

MD isn't unavailable, virtually or actually. You can still buy new recorders and players as of right now, July '07. For instance Musician's Friend, Crutchfield, 42nd street photo, and so on. Would you want to? That's a different question. Personally, I think Sony is beating a very dead horse here.

FWIW, Crutchfield has a no-questions-asked 30-day return policy, and they pay the return shipping. I got my 61" TV there. No sales tax on $3000 makes a big difference (which is why I posted anonymously :)

Try this on for size. (Scosche FM-MOD01 Modulator, $30)
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-PA0p6u2g1Jg/cgi-bin/P rodView.asp?g=771&I=142FMMOD01
This bad boy connects to your antenna connection behind the dash, and as soon as you power it up to use it, it "disconnects" the aerial antenna, eliminating that interference.

I am buying one because I have exactly TWO usable freqencies in my area that I can use... one for the east side of town where I work, and the other on the south side where I live... And both of those still get stepped on a bit.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-yd5TEirUa9W/cgi-bin/p rodview.asp?i=142FMMOD01/

The device wires in series with your car's antenna (a male and a female plug on the device) so that it doesn't have to send the signal wirelessly. Also, when the device is turned on it blocks the antenna for a large band of frequencies around the transmission frequency so there is NO interference. I'm having some slight gain problems, but it works so much better than those wireless transmitters. You need to wire it in to your car's 12 V and ground but I just picked up a cigarette lighter plug with power switch from Radio Shack and wired it to the device. As such, I ended up having to do no hardware modifications to the car, just get behind the deck to hook up the antenna jacks.

I know, I know, this is about FM transmitters. Give them up and go spend a couple bills on one of the new low end Alpine head units.

Like this one (9883, $200) or this one (9885, $300) and then drop in their dedicated $30 ipod adapter. That's what - $230...about 40 pounds, nowadays, right? (I kid! and no, I don't know how to put the symbol in slashcode)

Best audio connection, browsing by all the ways you can browse the iPod text interface, and song info on the screen. I'm certain the UK versions are similar (Alpine shows the same adapter for Alpine-Europe). Yes, it's more money than a cheap FM transmitter , but the difference is pretty phenominal, and there's no worries about getting tramped on by a commercial station or someone else's adapter. And no looking down, fiddling with the ipod on the passenger seat (you can ignroe the road while you look at the head unit ;-)

I actually purchased the head unit first, then the ipod to go with it. For $70 I picked up an old gen 4, 20 gig ipod off ebay. Scratched, battery only takes about 1/2 a charge, but who cares - it's in the glove box with all my tunes (Thanks to foobar and Nero AAC) and powered off the head unit. Cheaper than a disc changer - and much more useful. I never really figured to get an iPod, but for the application, it turns out to be a good item at the right price.

I know, I know, this is about FM transmitters. Give them up and go spend a couple bills on one of the new low end Alpine head units.

Like this one (9883, $200) or this one (9885, $300) and then drop in their dedicated $30 ipod adapter. That's what - $230...about 40 pounds, nowadays, right? (I kid! and no, I don't know how to put the symbol in slashcode)

Best audio connection, browsing by all the ways you can browse the iPod text interface, and song info on the screen. I'm certain the UK versions are similar (Alpine shows the same adapter for Alpine-Europe). Yes, it's more money than a cheap FM transmitter , but the difference is pretty phenominal, and there's no worries about getting tramped on by a commercial station or someone else's adapter. And no looking down, fiddling with the ipod on the passenger seat (you can ignroe the road while you look at the head unit ;-)

I actually purchased the head unit first, then the ipod to go with it. For $70 I picked up an old gen 4, 20 gig ipod off ebay. Scratched, battery only takes about 1/2 a charge, but who cares - it's in the glove box with all my tunes (Thanks to foobar and Nero AAC) and powered off the head unit. Cheaper than a disc changer - and much more useful. I never really figured to get an iPod, but for the application, it turns out to be a good item at the right price.

I know, I know, this is about FM transmitters. Give them up and go spend a couple bills on one of the new low end Alpine head units.

Like this one (9883, $200) or this one (9885, $300) and then drop in their dedicated $30 ipod adapter. That's what - $230...about 40 pounds, nowadays, right? (I kid! and no, I don't know how to put the symbol in slashcode)

Best audio connection, browsing by all the ways you can browse the iPod text interface, and song info on the screen. I'm certain the UK versions are similar (Alpine shows the same adapter for Alpine-Europe). Yes, it's more money than a cheap FM transmitter , but the difference is pretty phenominal, and there's no worries about getting tramped on by a commercial station or someone else's adapter. And no looking down, fiddling with the ipod on the passenger seat (you can ignroe the road while you look at the head unit ;-)

I actually purchased the head unit first, then the ipod to go with it. For $70 I picked up an old gen 4, 20 gig ipod off ebay. Scratched, battery only takes about 1/2 a charge, but who cares - it's in the glove box with all my tunes (Thanks to foobar and Nero AAC) and powered off the head unit. Cheaper than a disc changer - and much more useful. I never really figured to get an iPod, but for the application, it turns out to be a good item at the right price.

It's not that impossible:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-QnVVu5Sdwnq/cgi-bin/P rodView.asp?g=300&I=070XC4100

it's very knobby:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-QnVVu5Sdwnq/cgi-bin/P rodView.asp?g=300&tab=morephotos&pi=2&i=070XC4100& display=XL#Tab

I bet you can get similar at whatever passes for Walmart in Canadaistan.

It's not that impossible:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-QnVVu5Sdwnq/cgi-bin/P rodView.asp?g=300&I=070XC4100

it's very knobby:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-QnVVu5Sdwnq/cgi-bin/P rodView.asp?g=300&tab=morephotos&pi=2&i=070XC4100& display=XL#Tab

I bet you can get similar at whatever passes for Walmart in Canadaistan.

Where do you get your TiVo? Is it something you bought third party? If so, how does it work with digital cable? According to the website you'd need the $800 dollar model to get HD.

I bought my Series 1, a Sony SVR-2000, from Sound Advice (a Tweeter company). Bought my Series 2 from Crutchfield. I bought the Series3 from the TiVo Community store—they had the best price at the time.

There are two CableCard slots in the back, one for each tuner. You plug your coaxial cable from the wall into the back of the unit, and stick the Cablecards in the slots. Cable company authorizes the cards, and you're good to go. My cable company (Brighthouse Central Florida) had to come out to plug the cards in and authorize them, but there was no charge, and the whole thing took about 15 minutes.

If you want HD, you need the Series3. I bought mine for $680. The TiVo Community store has 'em for $619, and you may be able to find 'em cheaper.

Think of it like Cell Phone services. You buy a phone from verizon that has verizon's "modifications" and lockouts, the phone is a lot cheaper than if you were to buy an unlocked phone and sign up with them.

Compare it this way. How much are HD Radio receivers for the car? $200-$450. How much would a similiarly functioning Sirius unit run? $50-$80 Yes HD Receivers may be newer, but XM/Sirius units were never that much even to begin with. Because they are backed by the company the subscription is with the price of the receivers are partly paid for by your subscription. HD Radio on the other hand? Well you're able to listen to any FM station willing to install the $30,000 hardware required to transmit the signal, so there's no help from the broadcaster.

Think of it like Cell Phone services. You buy a phone from verizon that has verizon's "modifications" and lockouts, the phone is a lot cheaper than if you were to buy an unlocked phone and sign up with them.

Compare it this way. How much are HD Radio receivers for the car? $200-$450. How much would a similiarly functioning Sirius unit run? $50-$80 Yes HD Receivers may be newer, but XM/Sirius units were never that much even to begin with. Because they are backed by the company the subscription is with the price of the receivers are partly paid for by your subscription. HD Radio on the other hand? Well you're able to listen to any FM station willing to install the $30,000 hardware required to transmit the signal, so there's no help from the broadcaster.

Definitely not ultimate, but for my old consoles, I have a couple of these daisy chained together:
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g= 15270&I=158SBV55A

Since I don't have a HDTV, I just have my Tivo, DVD, etc all going into them. Whichever I turn on gets auto-switched to, be it the Tivo receiver, dvd player, or gamecube. They due great for me as far as ease of use. I have an older TV and I've found that these do a better job of downgrading S-video to Composite then my DVD players' internal converter, so I feed S-Video to them where possible.

There might be options with more inputs and component support there as well:
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/ProdGroup.asp?g =15270