delete

Unbranded Headrest 7″ LCD Car Monitors:Cheap Gaming DVD Headrests for the Car

Our Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

You may have seen unbranded headrest dvd player models in auto shops across the nation, they are unbranded but our friends at Sparco recommended them since they have been selling like hotcakes in their store recently. A quick look at Ebay shows that there are scores of these items going for good prices. We borrowed a set for the day to find out what they are like.

Pair of TAN Headrest 7It’s possible that other manufacturers use this product to base their models on; opening the box gives no clear indication of any model or company. It is almost as if no one wants you to find out what these items are or who they are made by.

One thing is clear however – they are from China. You can tell this by the hilarious instructions that come with the product, which are written in vague broken English. Aside from the instructions the package also comes with dual channel headphones, game controllers, and remote controls for each unit.

Installation

Installation was simple enough despite the poorly written instructions, with the headrest arms being easily adjusted; they could be fitted into just about any make of car seat. The wires were not ran under the seat since I had to give it back later that day but that would just be a tidy-up operation.

The built in games, although branded as 32-bit, are nothing like modern games – think 1980’s or 1990’s videogames and you would be imagining the games on this system. A little novelty for the kids that may keep them silent for an additional hour or two, perhaps.

The picture quality on the model was surprisingly good, which was unexpected from an unbranded player. The manual claims that it runs Divx and other formats, and these run ok but the system struggled with more modern formats such as H.264. I ran a few different DVD’s on the system and they worked perfectly.The sound quality is also pretty good, with clear reproduction with enough bass to represent the action scenes properly.

Overall, this is a decent enough system, and for the price you cannot really have any complaints. If you are looking for a headrest DVD system that is good enough then these unbranded players are more than adequate. At the end of the day are your kids going to need fancy extras? Probably not, and you could do a lot worse than invest in a set of these if money is tight.

 


Read More
delete

Power Acoustik HDVD-9BK 8.8 Headrest DVD Bundle: Perhaps One of the Best Headrest DVD Bundles Available?

Our Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

The HDVD-9 definitely screams quality and features

This Power Acoustik bundle is for those of you who deserve more from your in-car entertainment system. Arriving in a beefy box, this packages not only contains two headrests complete with widescreens and remote controls for each unit, but it also comes with wireless headphone to supplement you or your kids audio-visual experience.

Power Acoustik HDVD-9GR 8.8-Inch Pre-Loaded Universal Headrest Monitors with Twin DVD Combo and Headphones (Gray)These models have to go one better than almost every other model on the market. They say “no” to having 7 inch TFT screens, and “yes!” to 8.4 inch hi-res displays instead. One thing that is immediately apparent from firing the units up is that the resolution on these items is far superior than the majority of other models. Checking the box and manual, I was surprised at just how hi-res they actually are – an impressive 1440 x 234 resolution makes up the screen, and you can really see the difference the number of pixels make. The picture is large and crisp.

The arms adjust much in the same way as other models, and it was a cinch to set them up and install them. Of course, depending on your model of car, the installation may be more or less difficult. Some models, such as BMW’s, are known to be a right pain in the backside to install a headrest DVD in, while other models can be very simple. Hey – you were going to get a professional to install it anyway , right? One thing that must be mentioned is that the warranty on these and similar items will be longer if you get them professionally fitted, sometimes by up to a year. These particular models demand that the power cables are ran through the headrest holes down the back of the seat – they then plug into a standard 12v plug. They are very easy to install if you plan to do it yourself, and if you run into problems you can always call the Power Acoustic technical support line. My contacts at Sparco say the support from PA is very good and helpful.

Features

Anyway, enough with the warranty advice, I’m sure you want more details about this multimedia car headrest player, right? If the screen was not already impressive enough, it is also a touch screen so that back seat viewers can manipulate the interface without the need for the remote control. One downside that seem to be present in other models is that the remote control tends to not register whenever you try to change the channels from the front seats, but I guess they are not designed to do this, but is a minor annoyance nonetheless.

Additional features that really push this model to being a great products are the little extras that might initially go unnoticed. There are video inputs on each of the screens so you can plug your Wii or game system into them if you want to, something that will keep your kids amused at least for another couple of hours. The headrest play has a built in FM transmitter so you can broadcast the sound to your car stereo, and unlike other models the sound is very clear with very little interference.

Overall, a great product, and one that should not be overlooked if you are looking for a quality DVD headrest for passengers in the back seat.

 

Power Acoustik HDVD-9GR 8.8-Inch Pre-Loaded Universal Headrest Monitors with Twin DVD Combo and Headphones (Gray)
List Price: $1,999.99
Sale Price: $523.27
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days



Read More

Next Entries »