Kenwood Car Stereo

Kenwood Car Stereo Lets You Listen To The Future Of Car Audio.

This brand is a household name for every car audio enthusiast. Mention the name Kenwood car stereo and they will know what you’re talking about.

Kenwood car stereos have produced high quality consumer electronics, test equipment and communication equipment since 1946. Kenwood car stereos primarily specialize in the design, engineering and manufacture of wireless communication infrastructure but are also renowned in the production consumer mobile and home entertainment systems. Kenwood car stereos are also committed to creating the finest quality components with state of the art technologies that has earned them a huge following in the audio products scene.

At present, Kenwood car stereos have a very impressive product lineup that would make anyone drool over, whether he is an audio enthusiast or not. For the regular Joe who isn’t really into technical stuff, and is just looking for something nice to put into his ride, Kenwood car stereos offer sleek designs that will surely satisfy anyone’s craving for aesthetic. Tech-freaks and geeks will also be impressed with the specs a Kenwood car stereo has.


A lot of Kenwood car stereo units nowadays include popup LCD panels for watching VCD/DVD movies. The Kenwood KVT-717DVD 7.0” Wide, Fully Motorized In-dash Monitor DVD/WMA/MP3 Receiver is a good candidate for any situation.

• 7.0 inch Wide Color TFT Active Matrix Display
• Full-automatic Open/Close with slide and angle adjustments
• Interactive Touchscreen Control with OSD
• Audio Easy Control Mode while Playing Visual Source
• Selectable Wall Paper (6 Patterns)
• Installer/Backup Memory of Audio/Video Setup
• Maximum Output Power : 50W x 4 (MOSFET Power IC)
• 3 Preouts with 5V Pre-out Level
• 2 RCA AV Inputs / 1 RCA AV Output
• Video Input for Rear View Camera
• RGB Input for Navigation System
• System Q/ System E's+
• DVD Menu Direct Touch screen Control
• MPEG 1/2 Video files (.mpg) and JPEG files (.jpg) Playback
• Dual Zone Source & Volume Control
• DVD±R/RW Compatible
• External Media Control — iPod Ready
• Optional TV Tuner

For those who might not get what the hell all of these means, just imagine this: a really thin monitor panel that smoothly retracts and extends at the push of a remote, crystal clear movie and picture playback, all encased in a beautiful black matte finish polymer casing done with a space age design.

If all you want is a just a regular car stereo for playing CDs’, listening to mp3s or the radio, Kenwood car stereo have a lot to choose from. A good head unit would be the KDC-MP928 AAC/WMA/MP3/ CD Receiver with External Media Control.

• Auto-Slide Detachable Faceplate
• Rotary Encoder & Jog Control Knob for Easy Operation
• 4096 Color OEL Display
• Display Customize Function
• Maximum Output Power : 50W x 4 (MOSFET Power IC)
• ACDrive (Advanced Codec Drive)
• AAC/WMA/MP3 Playback
• G-Analyzer (Graphic Motion Analyzer)
• Built-in DSP : DTA/System Q(4band P-EQ)/Digital E's/SRS
WOW Digital Effect
• O.D.D. (Offset Dual Differential) D/A System for Sound Quality
• Installer/User/Backup Memory of Audio Setup
• SIRIUS Satellite Radio Ready
• HD Radio Ready
• External Media Control — iPod Ready
• Dual Zone Source & Volume Control
• AUX Input
• Gold Plated 3 Preouts with 5V Pre-output Level

The Kenwood car stereo auto slide detachable faceplate allows you to take the faceplate (one which has all the buttons) in order to prevent theft by taking away the functionality of the unit left in the car.

Car Stereo!

Duh, It’s A Car Stereo!

Pretty self-explanatory isn’t it? It’s a stereo system in a car, you say. Whoa, hold your horses, it’s not that simple. Although some people like to put home stereos in their cars and vans (out of dire need for some sounds), sometimes it just doesn’t work. Yeah, maybe before it could have worked just fine, all you needed was radio and a cassette player (or 8 tracks, for the inner dinosaur in you) so sure, lug those big box speakers into the back seat and you’ll be blaring down the highway. But nowadays there are things like cd players and mp3 players and your pop-up LCD panels and all that techie knickknack you’d think they’d like to build a home theater system right smack on the console of your van. If you don’t know anything about these things but would like to have some sounds in your car anyway, here are some things to know about a car stereo.

As mentioned above, at first units and speakers from home audio systems and professional markets were just simply installed into vehicles. However, they were not well suited to the extremes of temperature and vibration which are a normal part of the environment of an automobile. Car stereo enthusiasts were not satisfied with the sound quality of regular car sound systems, and with the advent of the CD player, they really had to start modifying some of these home stereos in order to work well in a car environment and voila!, now we have the modern car stereo.

If you have a new car, first hand bought, say from about 90 to present, chances are you already have a “factory” car stereo in your car. It means the car manufacturer already included a car stereo system in your car, unless specified in the car model but most often this is the case. Some car manufacturers make their own car stereos, like BMW which includes a pretty decent car stereo package head unit and speakers. It is a standard which comes with all their cars (which isn’t surprising considering that BMW is included in the league of “luxury car manufacturers”). Or like Mercedes Benz or Volkswagen, they use car stereo systems from a German audio manufacturer called Blaupunkt.

A standard car stereo (also called a head unit) usually includes an auto-reverse tape deck, a CD player and sometimes the optional changer – a device which automatically changes the CD in play. On newer car models, the car stereo can also play mp3s and other digital audio file types like WMA and AAC, whether on a CD or a memory device which can be hooked up to the head unit.

The car stereo head unit is connected to several speakers. Older car models usually just had one speaker mounted underneath the dashboard, pointing through perforations towards the front windshield. The standard for car stereo nowadays is a pair of “tweeters” (used to bring out high treble) on the driver side/front passenger side dashboard, a pair of normal “mid” speakers on both doors, sometimes even the backseat passenger doors if it’s a large car and larger speakers capable of bringing out low ends at the back portion of the backseats.

Your car stereo is probably okay as it is, as car manufacturers ensure that the audio products that come with their cars can handle most driver’s listening demands. But if you think that what you have isn’t enough, you can always CUSTOMIZE.

Whats HDMI ?

HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. It is the industry
standard for HD audio and video signals between HD capable devices. You
can connect your Playstation 3 to your HDTV with just one cable - and it
will carry both video and audio. All HDMI cables are digital. To do the
same thing with analog cables, you would have to connect 3 component
cables (red, blue, green) to carry the video signal and 6 analog audio
cables to carry the surround sound audio signal.

In addition to being more convenient, HDMI provides the best quality of
video since there are no analog to digital conversions as are required
with component or S-video - both analog connections. The difference is
especially noticeable at higher resolutions such as 1080p (Blu-ray and
Playstation 3 games). Digital video will thus be sharper than component.

HDMI has bandwidth capacity of up to 10.2Gbps - that's twice the
bandwidth currently needed to send a 1080p data signal from a Playstation 3.

HDMI works with faster 120Hz refresh rates of some LCD TVs.

HDMI is ready for 1440p resolution.

HDMI or Component? Which is Best?

HDMI or Component: Which is Best?

By Kenny Hemphill

You've just bought a new HDTV, complete with HDMI connector and are delighted that you had the foresight to buy a DVD player with HDMI interface a while ago, even though you couldn't use HDMI at the time.

So you can ignore those component outputs and inputs and plug an HDMI cable between your two favourite bits of home theater kit. After all, HDMI, being all digital, is bound to be better than component, isn't it?

Well, no, actually. Not necessarily. It's true that converting a DVD signal to analog, sending it over component video and then switching it back to digital in the TV will result in a slight degradation of picture quality. And it's true that HDMI removes this issue. However, the degradation in the signal over component is virtually imperceptible and HDMI does introduce a few problems of its own.

Firstly, although DVD players "up-convert" video from 420p resolution to the native resolution of the HDTV (720p or 1080i), the signal still has to be "re-clocked" in the television before it is displayed. Some experts suggest that this re-clocking introduces more artifacts than the process of digital-to-analog-to-digital conversion. And the quality of the processor in the DVD player doing the "up-converting" is important here, if it's not up to scratch that could have a negative impact on picture quality.

Secondly, any equipment with HDMI (or DVI for that matter) connectors must support an anti-piracy measure known as HDCP (High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection). This takes the form of a code which is embedded into the digital video signal when it’s sent from a content player, such as a DVD player, and must be de- coded by the HDTV or HD projector. This puts additional pressure on the TV's video processor with no benefit to picture quality and so could, potentially, result in a slight loss in picture quality. Using component video connections means that no anti-piracy protection is necessary. None of this means that you should avoid HDMI. However, it does mean that you shouldn't take it for granted that HDMI will always be better than component. The only way to find out which is best for your equipment is to try both and see which one you prefer.

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of The HDTV Tuner - a guide to the kit, the technology and the programming on HDTV.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Samsung LN46A550 LCD HDTV - A Review

User-friendly and a certified eye candy--two reasons why this TV set is an excellent choice.

Save for some minor slips like images on shown on the set that’s lacking detail and user’s manual isn’t completely helpful, the Samsung LN46A550 is almost a complete package. It is easy to see that this TV is almost perfect.

First up is an image test. We scouted nine 46- and 47-inch high definition sets .And among these; it is the one from Samsung that got attention. This set particularly got a high rating for its Blu-ray discs. The set makes pictures look like they’ve come straight from 35mm print as shown when we viewed Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Vizio’s VO47LF and the Syntax-Brillian’s Olevia 747i followed the ratings of the Samsung.

Speaking of audio, the TV’s audio system isn’t primed for high-end sound experience. But if you’re in for talk and regular shows, then the set’s audio will just be fine and you can omit the surround sound stereo. However, if you prefer to listen to deafening sounds of your movies, an external gadget can easily be used to improve the sound quality.

Yes, this TV is easy to use. It has an icon-based on-screen menu that can be understood easily. Need help? Then there’s an explanation about the menu as well. When you need to check up on options for the current input, all you need to do is to access the separate tools button on the remote control.

This works just like your pc’s mouse. There’s more; when you need to play a connected device, the easy-to-use LN46A550 instantly switches the input to that source. A major feature of the Samsung is the convenience factor. Much of the controls that need to be used can be used automatically, without the need of a few extra steps.

One of the only problems that you will find involves the remote control. It has backlit buttons that are large enough to be viewed by almost everyone, however if you like the picture in picture option and use it frequently, you will have to go through the menu option each time, there are no buttons assigned to it. Another issue with the remote is that you cannot use it to control other electronics such as a VCR because there is no way to program it.

With large and easy to see buttons, you’d think that the remote control is perfect. Not quite. Missing is a helpful PiP button for your easy access to Picture-in-Picture. Also, that ratio button is mislabeled. Who will immediately know what a P-Size is? Playing your devices like DVD will be tasking as well since it isn’t programmable. Well you can still play these devices if you want to, granted that you use the brand’s proprietary Anynet technology. The HDMI ‘s Consumer Electronics Control channel will make it possible.

The set-up guide and bilingual manual is supposed to facilitate that easy set-up. But the opposite happens. The guide is difficult to comprehend for the non-techie person and the manual is long and too complicated. While the price of some flat screen TV’s are too high due to a bad product, the Samsung offers enough options to justify the price.

So why is the LN46A550 such a good buy? That’s because of its features. Its USB port is helpful when you view pictures and listen to music. On the side of the set are the easy-to-access HDMI, S-Video and the USB. Want to change the angle of the set for viewing pleasure? Then you can do that as well, as the set can swivel on its stand. Reasons such as these help make the set a well-rounded HDTV and a winner.

Identifying your Home Theater Needs

If you are in the market for a home theater system, chances are that you have a pretty good idea of the individual components you will need in order to make your system complete. Most people find questions when it comes to specific information about the individual pieces and parts of the system. However, in an effort to educate all about home theater systems, this will be a brief break down of components that one might expect to purchase during the course of building a premium home theater system. Keep in mind that everyone will have their own specific needs and preferences and you may have some perfectly acceptable components already. This of course, will save you money on the overall purchase if you choose to keep the pieces you currently own.

First of all, there are all kinds of 'home theater in a box' kits on the market today. These kits are already put together in order to help you get the home theater you desire in one fell swoop. While you can get perfectly good home theater systems in this manner, I honestly believe you will get better value for your money by building your own system one component at a time. If you are impatient in a hurry or simply do not wish to spend the time researching your options then the home theater systems that are sold on the market may be a good idea for you.

Now that we've gotten past that, you should notice that some people consider the actual television to be a part of the home theater system. You can go many routes when selecting a television that will work with your home theater needs. It is entirely up to you what kind of television you select. I do however recommend that you seriously consider the lighting in any given room before choosing your television. Projection televisions do not do well in rooms with a great deal of light. Otherwise, go with what works within your budget and the overall look you prefer for your home theater viewing.

Sound is another important component of most home theater systems. The amount you spend on your sound system should depend entirely on how much sound impacts your enjoyment of movies. You can spend a lot of money on a good set of speakers and sound system or you can seriously cut costs by spending less on this particular component. Everything when it comes to building a home theater depends entirely upon your personal preferences and the overall system you wish to build.

In order to get the greatest benefit from your speakers you will need a receiver in order to process the sounds and present them in the best possible light. The receiver basically receives information from all manner of devices and sends the signal where you tell it to go. Your receiver is one place that most people tend to spend a good portion of their budget and with good reason. This is by far one of the most important components and one that many people do not already own.

Your DVD/DVR is another thing that can impact your viewing experience. You shouldn't opt for a high definition DVD or DVR unless you have a high definition television and only then if you plan to purchase high definition DVDs rather than the regular DVDs you will find on the market at the moment. Doing so will only result in a waste of money while the technology is new. Instead, wait a year or two until the prices drop and upgrade slowly rather than buying the top of the line most expensive component that the remainder of your system cannot keep up with.

While this list is by no means exhaustive of everything you might wish to include in your home theater system it will provide a good start for most home theaters. Only you can set your budget and decide how much you are willing to spend on each individual component. My best advice is to start with a receiver and build your system one component at a time around your receiver.

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