WITSON Aftermarket Headunit? (GPS, DVD, MP3, USB, iPod, BT etc)

Hey,

Slow to see this, sorry pal.

So mine is installed after a bit of bother. Its been 12 years since i last installed a head unit but i gave it a go anyway. Not a good idea!

After hooking it all up outside the dash it worked. After fitting it in the dash, it did not. Worse the backlight was on permanently so i that meant pulling the fuse. When i went to remove the HU and investigate it was utterly stuck. Left it 2 weeks as sooo busy - no tunes at all - horrendous.

So i got a pro in and with far higher quality tools he managed to remove it to discover that two of the wires had broken as they were very very small. Some solder and glue later and it went back in (after he discovered that i had also failed to remove the transit screws from the dvd drive).

What do i think?

Ok, so the unit looks the nuts (i will post pics but not got any with me right now) plastics match the rest of the dash and there are no gaps or anything. All the steering wheel controls work fine but there is no output to the in dash DIS (between the dials) for the stereo.
Definitely looks OEM no doubt. Backlights all red to match the rest of the dash.

Now i must say you do get a lot for your money in terms of functionality (but remember the TV is analogue so you will need an additional DVB-T tuner). But the software is pretty naff and rather slow (i suppose i am just used to a speedy smartphone these days) but it is more or less all there. Its just very 'Chinese' if i can say that without intending to cause any offence, the UI looks great but it doesnt work all that brilliantly (for example loading the contents of my SD CARD every time i switch to that function and it takes a couple of minutes). Again, you just cannot compare the experience to Android or iPhone which is i think my issue.

All in all i think its great value for money in terms of functionality. The GPS signal is superb and the bluetooth hands free functionality works a treat even with the roof down etc. I've only had it installed for a couple of days so not road tested it all that significantly yet.

There is however an issue. The output is at 2v and so far i have power in the dash tweeters but the rest of the speakers give a very low volume so the sound quality is poor. Not sure if it is how i have it setup or if i need line drivers to the doors or something. Either way it can be rectified with a bit more work and money!

Will follow up with pics/vid when i can but feel free to ask me specific question if you want

No worries. Yeh i will do a vid when i can but mad busy over past couple of days and not even been in the car! So to answer your questions as best i can today:

What type sd card? - Kingston Class 4 SD HC 8gb

DTV tuner? - Yep got one of these (the lower power one that works when stationary but not so much when moving fast). The aerial is thin piece of plastic about 10cm long and less than 1cm wide with sticky on one side and wire down to the unit. I have had it installed and i can see the menus through the Head Unit aux function but i am getting no signal whatsoever. The fitting was sort of done in two stages so i think it may be that the aerial hasnt actually been connected to the unit so i cant tell you much else. Its stuck to the inside of the very top of the windscreen on drivers side with cables hidden in A-pillar. It does cause some significant engine interference though (much more so than the radio). I understand this is a fairly common problem with aftermarket in car tv.

2v - yes this is the pre-out voltage i think (based on what fitter said). I dont have Bose but someone i spoke to who is more knoweldgable than me suggested it might be that i have the subwoofer function turned on when i shouldnt. Again not tested yet.

Purchase - i contacted them directly in China after finding it online, they gave me the details of Rob @ icebox auto in Liverpool who are their sole distributers. Good guy and helpful, he sells everything on ebay so find him there (or PM me for email). I paid £400 for unit, additional DVB-T tuner, map software and delivery. Preferred to pay a little more to use a UK based business than faff about with China, import duties etc etc. Here is the link to my exact unit : AUDI A4----ZHUHAI WITSON INDUSTRIAL CO.,LTD.---Professional Car DVD Player Manufacturer

Interestingly, i spoke to Rob today to ask some questions, one of which was why the site said the unit had RDS but when i use the radio i only see frequency. He sent me a video that shows a hidden menu with additional functions one of which was to activate the RDS!

hi2gav said:

Interestingly, i spoke to Rob today to ask some questions, one of which was why the site said the unit had RDS but when i use the radio i only see frequency. He sent me a video that shows a hidden menu with additional functions one of which was to activate the RDS!

Click to expand...

Please send this to me too...
As I mentioned to jjmurphy, the unit does have RDS, but only displays the text in the top left of the screen.
The channels are all stored by frequency, so if there is a way to show RDS text instead of frequency, that would be great

No problem. Havent been able to take the video yet as promised as car at the garage getting cambelt/water pump replaced!

I assume you have the same UI as i do (the latest one i guess). Have a look at this video from the manufacturer (ignore the bluetooth thing at the beginning and just watch for entering the secret menu from the settings/info page).

I've yet to see RDS on mine. The setting was 'on' but i am not getting it. I think the reason for this maybe that the dual-fakra to single male aerial adapter that came with the unit is a bit insufficient. I think what is really needed is one that includes amplification so i ordered this this morning.

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

I am hoping that this will boost the signal power and subsequently allow RDS. What have been your experiences with the aerial/reception? I have a Cabby by the way.

Video - https://www.dropbox.com/s/k2n34ez2iea0kwn/d9235secretmenu.mp4

Hmmm, its a different interface to mine.
On mine I already have access to all the features the videographer does...
I'll take pics for you.

BTW, that Fakra adaptor looks correct (same as the one that was supplied with my unit)

Hey guys, I'm looking at getting a Witson unit as well. After a couple of months, how are your experiences?