[hydrashok]

I just saw this upcoming HU from Alpine which can take direct input from an iPod via USB. I'll let engadget do the talking :-)



Linky: Alpine's iDA-X001 iPod / media receiver forthcoming - Engadget

For you lazy folks:

"iPod car integration has long since gone from being mythic desire to nearly stock feature, but plugging an iPod in via USB and it just running, that's still a pretty fresh experience. Alpine's forthcoming aftermarket iDA-X001 iPod / media-ready receiver promises just that having been "designed and developed with input from Apple." (Perhaps this is what Steve's gonna put in his Mercedes SL55 -- don't ask us how we know that.) Expect this too in the CES timeframe, all you iPod modding car audio mavens."

Navin, I saw that the great iPod thread'd been closed. That's why I opened an new thread. Please do merge this thread to that thread if it is more appropriate there.

[gunbir]

Originally Posted by hydrashok

Navin, I saw that the great iPod thread'd been closed. That's why I opened an new thread. Please do merge this thread to that thread if it is more appropriate there.

Rather... Since its that time of the year again, lets rename this thread to... "New ICE for 2007" or something to that effect. CES is in Jan and there will be lots of new stuff out soon.

[hydrashok]

Originally Posted by gunbir

Rather... Since its that time of the year again, lets rename this thread to... "New ICE for 2007" or something to that effect. CES is in Jan and there will be lots of new stuff out soon.

Now that's a good idea :-)

I couldn't make out whether this baby plays CDs/Mp3-CDs or whether she's just a front-end for the iPod. Would be nice if she does CDs and Mp3-CDs too, huh? (Though Mp3 CDs maybe a redundant feature, I'd still like the feature).

[gunbir]

Originally Posted by hydrashok

I couldn't make out whether this baby plays CDs/Mp3-CDs or whether she's just a front-end for the iPod. Would be nice if she does CDs and Mp3-CDs too, huh? (Though Mp3 CDs maybe a redundant feature, I'd still like the feature).

Dont think so. Doesnt look like it. Doesnt have the usual markings like MP3/WMA/AAC plus the model no is iDA not the usual CDA... Must be meant as a slave add on to a main CD unit. My guess is it will also play from any other USB Mass storage device.

[esteem_lover]

would be great if it can play DVD-Audio/video, wouldn't it ?

[hydrashok]

They've mentioned "media-ready", so I guess all USB Mass Storage devices should work.

It does have an "Source" button on the top left, but that could be for switching between the iPod and another USB device.

They really wouldn't need such a big body if it was just a pass-thru + interface for iPods and USB devices. A reasonably sized separate screen+buttons unit would have done the job (but would be messy with lots of wires). So here's hoping against hope... :-)

Or, it would could a stand-alone unit (not piggy-backing another HU), with a built-in amp and all, al-la a regular HU, but with no CD playing capability (god-forbid). This could be a sign of the changing times, with CDs slowly going extinct with the mass market starting to buy/downloading music online. Pity!

The "iDA" instead of "CDA" does indicate the possibility of no CD. :-(

[esteem_lover]

I think this could be an accessory to be fitted to another HU. I am pretty sure this is not a stand alone unit.

[satish_appasani]

Is that an Eject button on the lower left corner? Could be a CD unit along with the new functions.

[esteem_lover]

i think that is the faceplate eject button, not the CD eject

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

i think that is the faceplate eject button, not the CD eject

Yes it is the faceplate eject button not the CD eject one. Typical Alpine design the faceplate button stands seperate from the faceplate while the CD eject is integrated.

[navin]

I saw this a while back but did not get to touch and feel it.

[hydrashok]

I just saw this news about an advanced DSP chip for car audio on Engadget.

If there were ever a time where we'd need to hear it before we believed it, this would be it. Tony Bongiovi, an audio engineer who's been around the block a time or two (read: he worked with Hendrix), has finally crafted the miracle chip he's been missing for decades. Dubbed the Digital Power Station (DPS, not to be confused with DSP), the microchip is described as a "very sophisticated equalizer," and while it was originally "the size of a refrigerator," he looked to Glenn Zelniker, a specialist in digital signal processing, to program a wee chip to do the same thing. The result is a dynamically programmed microchip based on an off-the-shelf DSP from Freescale Semiconductor, which is housed in special headunits (like JVC's KD-S100) and has more than "120 points of adjustment" to tune the tunes to fill each vehicle perfectly. Reportedly, the chip even turns factory speakers into high-fidelity drivers, as it calculates the dimensions of the vehicle and the abilities of the cones while outputting the audio. The JVC unit will cost "between $700 and $1,000 installed," since you'll have to schedule an appointment with your service department to get the correct software installed for your make and model, but we'd suggest a trial listen before you plunk down your one large.

URL: Bongiovi Acoustics unveils miracle DSP chip for car audio - Engadget

Quite understandably, engadget is somewhat lukewarm about this. 120 points of adjustment is a tad too many for us earthly folks. But if it works, and if it works by automatically configuring itself, maybe it will be a good thing.

[Vid6639]

Yup Hydra i saw that too. but oops i posted in the wrong place.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/339555-post4858.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/339561-post4859.html

Nice read. check out the specs of the jvc HU. in the second linky.

Also i read elsewhere about the ICE in the lexus LS-470. man 19 speakers with a 30gb HDD that can play any format. It's supposed to have the best OE ICE system in the world.

[gunbir]

Originally Posted by unclesam

nice HU .. thers is one pioneer with a double din touchscreen anyone knows about it??

Yup. Pioneer 6850.

Its a nice DVD unit. Though it only does Front + Rear + Sub. You will need Pioneers add on processor to do DTS, DD processing etc

[dsinz]

Well, Nothing like a HU which has a USB port, so you can plug any USB hard drive loaded with music and run it. HU's should be USB compatible and not iPod compatible

Plug in external hard disk or USB pen drive, the HU shows the list of folders/songs and start rocking!. Even better would be to have a HDD in the HU so, a major chuk of music could be stored in the HU itself, with connectivity options.

OOOhhh... I would luv such a system. That would be the ICE product of 2007. Not sure if any such systems exist.

Sam: How about JBL coming with such a unit?