Vizualogic plans first-quarter shipments of an in-vehicle video-on-demand (VOD) system that integrates with the company’s headrest-installed DVD player/monitors to play movies stored on the device’s 40GB automotive-grade hard drive.
The Intel Celeron-based VMOD system, which is also compatible with other rear-seat entertainment systems, stores video, music, images and “virtually any digital file” transferred from a home computer, the company said. It’s small enough to install under a seat and is on display at Booth 3724 in the North Hall of the LVCC. Pricing was unavailable.
The system hardware was developed by TMI Products division Vizualogic of Corona, Calif., with system software developed by StreetDeck of Baltimore and Los Angeles. “The end result is a system that allows users to play games and watch movies stored on the hard drive, browse the Internet, download and listen to music, and enjoy other multimedia experiences,” said Vizualogic new-technology engineer Ian Kelly.
The hardware/software combo can be used with rear-seat entertainment systems including the new Vizualogic A-1250 headrest LCD monitor/DVD player, which offers connections to iPods, other MP3 players, PDAs and game players.
The monitor/player is built into Vizualogic headrests available in more than 7,000 combinations of vehicle-specific shapes and colors.
The A-1250 features 7-inch 16:9 TFT LCD display, selection of up to four video sources, and built-in DVD player that can be loaded from the top when the hinged monitor folds out of the headrest. An Apple-licensed iPod cable connector enables the iPod’s menu to be displayed on the screen.
To play back movie audio or music, the headrest monitor features a built-in wireless FM transmitter to send audio to the vehicle’s radio for reproduction. Alternately, passengers can use an IR headphone or wired headphones.
The monitor features back-lit front-panel controls, but the system can also be controlled from a handheld IR remote.
