In-vehicle entertainment options deliver radio, films, video games
USA Today
DVD players
Like their home-based brethren, car video disc players are turning up just about everywhere — in the dash, on the ceiling, under the seat, even as multidisc changers in the trunk. Figure on spending $500-plus for a basic in-dash model, though most include AM/FM radios and all play music CDs, too.
Pricier units come with built-in, motorized liquid crystal displays that slide in and out (though they won't play movies unless the car is in park): Sony's in-dash $900 model has a 7-inch LCD that also can be used to display video games and broadcast TV (with an optional tuner). At the stratospheric end of the scale, Pioneer's $2,500 unit includes a 7-inch in-dash flat monitor and also processes Dolby Digital and DTS surround soundtracks. Clarion's $2,500 in-dash player has a touchscreen control and can be used to operate a DVD changer in the trunk or under the seat.
Though they're nowhere near as glitzy, VHS tape players can be had for far lower prices — starting around $250.
Satellite radio
Two new services, XM and Sirius, offer 100 digital radio channels beamed to Earth from satellites and promise coast-to-coast clarity. XM-ready radios start at $149 from Pioneer and others; Sirius units cost slightly more. The price doesn't include the antenna, about $100, and installation, which usually runs $75 to $150. XM's service, which went nationwide last year, costs $9.95 a month; Sirius, now available in 18 states (at $12.95 monthly) plans to be nationwide by July 1.
On road trips, satellite radio lets you "listen to music of your favorite genre, switch to talk radio or comedy or news. You have this massive choice at your fingertips and you would never run out of interesting content," said Stephen Witt of manufacturer Alpine.
Video games
Possibly the least expensive option for kiddie entertainment: Sony's PlayStation One video game system, plus a 5-inch LCD, speakers and a headphone hookup, can be had for $150, and a car power adapter costs about $40 more. If you have a bit more disposable income, have a game system of your choice custom-installed and plugged into your car video system.
Digital jukeboxes
Tired of lugging your CDs on road trips? The newest (and among the priciest) innovations are add-ons with computer-type hard drives to let you easily carry your computer's MP3 music collection with you. Kenwood's $900 Music Keg, which can be mounted in the trunk or elsewhere in the vehicle, has a 10-gigabyte removable hard disk cartridge. You can load thousands of MP3 or Windows Media music files from your PC onto the cartridge via Universal Serial Bus connections. Sony's $1,500 Hard Drive CD receiver rips up to 165 hours of songs from your CDs and lets you organize them.
Complete systems
Complete installed systems including the screen and a DVD player/tuner with connections to add video games start at about $1,800. Panasonic offers a ceiling-mounted, drop-down 6.8-inch LCD screen with a DVD player that can be installed either in the dash, in the trunk or under the seat for about $1,600. Passengers in the front and rear seats can listen to different audio sources.
A similarly equipped $1,300 Alpine DVD player — a 6.8-inch flip-down overhead screen adds $1,100 — also will handle CDs that you record at home with music files in the MP3 format, as well as receive stations from the new XM Satellite Radio system. For those who drive and live large, a higher-end Alpine system with six-disc DVD/CD changer, Dolby Digital/DTS surround sound, six speakers with a subwoofer and 7-inch overhead monitor will set you back a European vacation or two — about $8,400.
On the other end of the scale is Audiovox's Video in a Bag, which for $600 plays VHS tapes and lets you connect a video game system. It works with a car power adapter, and has built-in speakers, though kids can connect headphones. Two 5-inch screens can be detached and mounted on headrests so one passenger can play games while the other watches movies. A $500 model plays DVDs and has one detachable 5.6-inch screen.
RCA's $600 MovieMate DVD player rests in the back seat and displays movies on a 7-inch wide screen LCD. Passengers can connect two sets of headphones and video game systems.
