Once used almost exclusively to entertain small children during long rides, today’s car monitors come in a variety of options and capabilities to make sure no passengers are bored on any trip.
No longer are they simply small portable DVD players that can be hung over the back of the seat. Car LCD monitors now can be hooked up to gaming systems and use other digital media. Their LCD screens can be placed into the headrest, on the sun visor or even the rear view mirror. Many now come with infrared headphone transmitters for wireless hearing and come with remote controls.
Car headrest monitors can be installed by having someone cut out a portion of the back of the headrest and then installing the car LCD monitor. However, this can obviously lower the value of the car and make removal difficult if one plans on selling the vehicle. Adding rear entertainment has become much easier now that universal headrest replacements are sold that have the car video screen already installed. Some relatively minor wiring work will still have to be done. The kits are self contained and some have the DVD player located behind one of the units, while others need to be connected to a portable device. Other digital media, such as SD cards and iPods, may also be played. Replacement headrests are advantageous because they can be removed and kept or placed in another vehicle without devaluing the original. Headrest TFT car monitors start at five inches and can go up to nine inches.
Monitors that are to be installed into headrests start around $160 and go up to $200. Headrest replacement car monitors can start at $290 a pair and range up to $700 a pair. Replacement headrests can also be purchased singly, going from $140 to $200.
Another option is to mount a flip down car monitor in an ideal location, though many have a larger screen size and so are more suitable for SUVs or large automobiles. Some flip down sets come with the DVD installed directly into it, while others will need to be hooked into a player. Flip down players are available for most any vehicle, with screen sizes starting at 5.6 inches and going as much as 20 inches. The larger ones make for ideal game playing sets. A 5.6 inch flip down car monitor without a built in DVD player will run around $150, while an 8.5 inch car monitor with DVD playing capabilities will cost around $170. Going with a 15.4 inch flip down monitor that plays DVDs will cost just under $1,000.
Going quite a bit smaller, car monitors can also be installed in the area of the sun visor, though, for obvious reasons, not the driver’s. These screens come with or without DVD capabilities, but those without have an audio and video plug in. Many will have a wireless remote control included, while some will also have up to four screen modes – full, wide, cinema and zoom. Screens for sun visor monitors are between 5.8 inches and 7 inches. They can range in price from right around $100 up to $500 for sun visor replacements specifically for General Motors vehicles or even $700 for visor monitors set to match Hummers.
Smaller yet are monitors integrated into clip on rear view mirrors or replacement mirrors with monitors built into them. They can be used on virtually any vehicle either with a backup camera or video system. Units may contain touch button controls on the side, a remote control, a map light, a compass and even a home-linked garage door opener. Other options include viewing of an audio/visual input while also viewing attached car cameras, built in speakers and Bluetooth capabilities. Prices range from $140 for a one-image unit with push button controls to around $700 for one in which the monitor is completely invisible when turned off with the built in compass, map light, garage door opener and other features.
In dash car monitors are designed to replace the factory installed radio and are ideal for watching video while waiting on passengers. They will not allow viewing of a movie while the vehicle is in motion. Features on these units can include integrated DVD, remote or touch screen controls, radio controls, iPod connections for audio and video, screen retraction for security when not in use and a GPS. Prices can range from $290 up to about $700.
Whether entertaining yourself during a break in driving or keeping passengers occupied on a trip, there are a wide variety of car monitors available to suit anyone’s needs. Portable car DVD players may also be of interested to you.
