Options for DVD/HDD head unit and/or rear screens anyone?

[fourcircle]

I've got my dirty paws on everything required to do a double din conversion (car is a B6 A4) with a B7 concert III head unit (all stemming from a need for heated seats, which means new climate control unit... then a desire for a B7 climate control unit, which was for double din set up and so I found msyelf with double din cage etc about to install the concert III).

I now want a couple of screens in the back for the kids to watch DVDs or even better, media stored on some kind of hard drive. I could buy a standalone pair of screens but maybe I should be thinking of doing something smarter and putting in a double din head unit that plays video and linked screens on/in the headrests?

Any advice, information, general attempts at humour etc appreciated. RNS-E is the obvious OEM starting point but all that OEM gear ends up very pricey when you stick it all together. I'm not adverse to an aftermarket solution.

cheers
nj

 

[mattyboyc]

I did a kenwood install, the double din unit gives Garmin sat nav-dvd player and full ipod control,the later versions have bluetooth aswell but that is a addable box for mine along with the dvb unit, i linked it to 7" veba headrest mounted screens and grounded the dvd lead so dvd's play in the front aswell as the back when vehicle is on the move,on the kenwood system you also have zone control which basicaly means you can have the radio,sat nav or ipod on in the front playing through the fronts speakers whilst the young ones are watching a dvd in the back with the sound playing through the rear speakers, all in all the kenwood system offered far more than the rnse and the install looks ok too, ( i have seen alot worse )

 

[fourcircle]

that's a really tidy job mate. Is there a website that you found to be particularly good or did you find anywhere that did a good deal? I take that's your own headrests that you cut to fit the screens?

 

[mattyboyc]

I just went to my local car audio place and chose a unit then searched and bought one online, the headrests are Audi a4 ones but not my original ones,i keep all original parts to go back in once car goes up for sale, i have pdf's for the double din and headrest instalation if you require any just pm me you email addy and i'll foward them on, i like the kenwood unit and as said the newer ones have bt built in and also a slightly larger screen,pioneer also do a nice unit but from memory didn't have the zone control feature.

 

[fourcircle]

I've just been looking at kenwood and pioneer units around the £300 to £400 mark. Did you need to get a separate, stupidly expensive unit for satnav to work?
I'll PM you my email address so I can see what's needed for the headrest install, cheers. I was just thinking that I'd also get a pair of spare A4 headrests instead of butchering the originals (not that it will matter too much as the 2nd hand value of my RHD car in Finland could be questionable).

 

[mattyboyc]

I have the kenwood DNX 5220 which has the sat nav built in, i think i paid around the £500 mark but they are now starting to surface on the seconhand market, what i did find was a good google search revieled some huge variations in price for the same thing.

Keep an eye on this and see what it goes for Kenwood DNX 5240BT sat nav dvd car entertainment | eBay

 

[fourcircle]

yeah it looks like there are some really varied prices for quality gear and utter tat too. I have my eye on that 5240 by the way. I'm wary of second hand electronics but I'm more wary of my missus when she sees how much I've been spending on the car (even if she initiated it)
Maybe I should start selling some of the bits and bobs I have lying around to offset the new spend? nah, I prefer to hoard audi bits.