Prices Fall On In-Dash A/V

By Amy Gilroy On Jan 7 2008 - 8:00am

Prices are tumbling on car video in-dash DVD/monitors, with the most dramatic declines seen at the high end.

Japanese suppliers, who previously offered models at $700 to $1,000, are now starting their DVD/monitor lines at $500.

At International CES, Pioneer is showing an in-dash DVD/monitor at $500 while its 2007 leader started at $700. Panasonic also entered what it called the midtier of the market at $599 whereas last year its lowest-priced DVD/monitor was $899. Kenwood's new entry piece is $600 this year compared with $800 in 2008.

A Panasonic spokesman said, "Last year there was a big delta between the leader brands and the more traditional Japanese brands." This year, lower-priced entries from Japanese suppliers are bridging that gap in hopes of stepping up customers from the $249 CD player into a DVD/monitor.

At the lower end, prices on Black Friday specials fell below $299. Two years ago the bottom of the market was at about $500. "It's a race to zero," quipped Valor senior VP Doug Kern of the segment.

Valor is showing at CES a bare-bones DTS 600W double-DIN DVD/monitor with motorized 6.5-inch touchscreen, scheduled for delivery in January at a $349 street price.

Dual's new in-dash A/V models begin at $399 for an XDVD9100 with 7-inch screen, USB input and iPod control via USB, and three pre-amp outputs. It is available in a double-DIN version, called the XDVD9200, at $499.

Also new is a single-DIN XDVD9140 with 7-inch screen and HD Radio with iTunes tagging and multicasting and front-panel USB and iPod control. It also has front-panel auxiliary input and SD card slot and is Sirius ready with Bluetooth. Other features include multizone capability and two remotes at $549. The single-DIN XDVD9120 has the same features, including HD Radio and iTunes tagging, without an SD card slot, Sirius radio or multizone capability at $449.

Jensen is showing a VM9312HD single-DVD/monitor with 7-inch flip-down touchscreen that is bundled with an external HD Radio tuner. It has iPod control for all functions with a supplied cable. It also has two A/V inputs for connection to iPods, game consoles and other MP3 players. It is satellite radio ready at a suggested retail of $499.

Pioneer this year will offer two in-dash DVD players at street prices of $500 and $650. The leader AVH-P4000DVD is a double-DIN model with 6.1-inch screen, iPod control with an optional cable, USB control for flash memory and other devices, satellite radio and Bluetooth capability with adapters and rear-view camera input. The AVH-P5000 single-DIN DVD, at $650, has many similar features with a motorized 7-inch display.

Panasonic's new single-DIN CQ-VX100U and double-DIN CQ-VW100U in-dash DVD/monitors (both at $599) have 7-inch screens and are satellite radio ready, iPod audio and video ready and HD Radio ready with a new HD Radio adapter. Both units will ship in February.

Among Kenwood's four A/V models is a $600 double-DIN DDX-512 with 6.1-inch screen, USB iPod control for audio and video, and optional compatibility with Bluetooth, HD Radio, satellite radio and navigation.