Dropdown or headrest DVD

[Scooter2525]

I'm looking to get an after market DVD player for my '10 ride. Any one have experience with the drop down dvd players and if they obstruct the rear view mirror? How about the headrest sets? And how do they work? Thanks!


(tried searching, couldn't find much)

[iggibar]

Get the headrest mounted ones. Drop down mirrors always obstruct rear-view visibility when someone is watching on it. I never trust anyone to put in a handing bracket, followed by the actual lcd display...unless it's the original unit, as well as the original mounts and brackets. Otherwise, it will look nice at first, but a 2 years down the road, your ceiling will be hanging lower than usual because they don't use the same mounting setup as Honda uses with their own lcd setup. For that reason, as well as having 2 instead of 1 tv, I would go for the headrest setup. Another reason is that your neck becomes cramped after holding your head up at the screen during whatever it is that you are watching. Looking at the headrest is more natural. In most setups, the headrests are usually easy enough to do it yourself too, which can save money if it's important.

Another positive about using the headrests is that you can have dual sources for media, you won't know how good this feature is to have until you have two kids and they don't want to watch the same thing.

There are many good choices for headrests. Most these days come with a built-in dvd player, which eliminates the old-school setup that needed to run extra audio/video cables for the dvd source. Since these are part of the headrest, they aren't anywhere close to being as obtrusive in the rear-view mirror.

It's been a while since we had them in, but in the 2003 suburban that we had, they cost $700+ each, not including installation, dvd player(s), or anything! You can get really good ones now for less than half that, while also having built-in dvd players, wireless headphones, and better screen qualities.

[Scooter2525]

I was looking at these :

Amazon.com: Headrest 7" LCD Car Monitors with Region Free DVD player USB SD Inc. Wireless Headhones and 32 Bit Games (Gray, Pair): Car Electronics

Amazon.com: Headrest 7" LCD Car Monitors with Region Free DVD player USB SD Inc. Wireless Headhones and 32 Bit Games (Gray, Pair): Car Electronics

and seemed pretty good. The color might not be right though and I dunno if that would get to me after a while. If I buy aftermarket, can Honda put them in my existing headset?

[sblvro]

anybody familiar with the rosen headrest dvd unit?

[rocky]

Rosen is a big player in aftermarket stuff like this

[sblvro]

Originally Posted by rocky

Rosen is a big player in aftermarket stuff like this

that is awesome as my LR dealer is installing one on my new RRS

range rover sport hse lux! - evolutionm.net

[rocky]

Originally Posted by sblvro

that is awesome as my LR dealer is installing one on my new RRS

range rover sport hse lux! - evolutionm.net

A Range Rover is pretty awesome!

[sblvro]

Originally Posted by rocky

A Range Rover is pretty awesome!

thanks! hoping not to have buyers remorse

[funpilot]

@Scooter2525

I installed headrest units into 2011 that you listed from Amazon. Not exactly the same supplier, but I'm sure the units are manufactured by the same Chinese source. Looks fine in my gray interior. If you want to learn how to install these units, check onfair dot com, they have youtube videos. You need a mini-fuse add-a-circuit if you want to patch DC supply from the interior driver side fuse box. Or you can try patch into the back side of the cigarette lighter port in the center console--make sure you have a multimeter to double check polarity of the terminals if you go this route!

There are pics of how to remove the back of the seats to fish the wires, essentially you only need to remove two philips screws at the bottom of the seatback which are situated in a white plastic frame. To get to these screws you uncover the bottom fabric cover by unhooking an elastic band that goes under the seat. Once the screws are out, pull the seat back just slightly and push up, this unlatches the top plastic hooks that keep the seatback in place.

I also suggest buying trim removal kit, that way you can pop off the center console back without worry of damaging the plastic. This is needed to fish the wires from one unit to the other.

The bottom of the center console, once the face is removed, has a small bolt attached to a metal frame. This can be used as a grounding spot. I loosened the bolt just a tad and inserted the U shaped wire end of the ground and tightened it--it should stay put no problems.

In the end, I'm happy with the units, but wish I splurged for the bigger 9" units at onfair because the larger units now have an extra A/V input to plug in other video sources--preferably a Roku media player, WDTV, or even appleTV xbox or wii. With a little extra work finding the right DC-to-DC converter, these units could easily be put into a vehicle for video playback. And for all doubters that this is possible just do your obligatory google search and you'll see. Hope this was helpful.

[D68Soldier]

Originally Posted by Scooter2525

I'm looking to get an after market DVD player for my '10 ride. Any one have experience with the drop down dvd players and if they obstruct the rear view mirror? How about the headrest sets? And how do they work? Thanks!


(tried searching, couldn't find much)

I had an after market drop down installed in our 2008 Pilot. It obstructed the rear view. I was thinking of getting the dual DVD headrests from Invision but I decided it will be better to just use my iPad2. I bought the V2ARM from GripDaddy mounts (iPad Accessories/ Headrest Mount) on amazon for $59.95 + $10 shipping. Also, it does not obstruct my view from the rear view mirror. There is a good review on YouTube that discusses how easy it is to install and how sturdy it is.

[Scooter2525]

Originally Posted by funpilot

@Scooter2525

I installed headrest units into 2011 that you listed from Amazon. Not exactly the same supplier, but I'm sure the units are manufactured by the same Chinese source. Looks fine in my gray interior. If you want to learn how to install these units, check onfair dot com, they have youtube videos. You need a mini-fuse add-a-circuit if you want to patch DC supply from the interior driver side fuse box. Or you can try patch into the back side of the cigarette lighter port in the center console--make sure you have a multimeter to double check polarity of the terminals if you go this route!

There are pics of how to remove the back of the seats to fish the wires, essentially you only need to remove two philips screws at the bottom of the seatback which are situated in a white plastic frame. To get to these screws you uncover the bottom fabric cover by unhooking an elastic band that goes under the seat. Once the screws are out, pull the seat back just slightly and push up, this unlatches the top plastic hooks that keep the seatback in place.

I also suggest buying trim removal kit, that way you can pop off the center console back without worry of damaging the plastic. This is needed to fish the wires from one unit to the other.

The bottom of the center console, once the face is removed, has a small bolt attached to a metal frame. This can be used as a grounding spot. I loosened the bolt just a tad and inserted the U shaped wire end of the ground and tightened it--it should stay put no problems.

In the end, I'm happy with the units, but wish I splurged for the bigger 9" units at onfair because the larger units now have an extra A/V input to plug in other video sources--preferably a Roku media player, WDTV, or even appleTV xbox or wii. With a little extra work finding the right DC-to-DC converter, these units could easily be put into a vehicle for video playback. And for all doubters that this is possible just do your obligatory google search and you'll see. Hope this was helpful.

Very helpful write up! You wouldn't have happened to take pics of the install? How do the kids like the units? When in 2011 (reliability?). I gather they are independent players, so each kid can watch what they want to watch, right? And in terms of where the headrest sits compared to where it was before, does it push your head forward or does it sit back further? Again, thanks for the writeup. I'll be sourcing this when I look into getting the players.

[Waynester]

Also interested to know the outcome of the install. I was thinking about doing the headrest project myself but need guidAnce on where to start

[funpilot]

Originally Posted by Scooter2525

Very helpful write up! You wouldn't have happened to take pics of the install? How do the kids like the units? When in 2011 (reliability?). I gather they are independent players, so each kid can watch what they want to watch, right? And in terms of where the headrest sits compared to where it was before, does it push your head forward or does it sit back further? Again, thanks for the writeup. I'll be sourcing this when I look into getting the players.

Regarding pics: I was in a rush to install, so sorry no pics were taken, but this prior post (Leather Pops) is essentially all you need. The 2011 Pilot (by the sound of it) happens to be much easier than for other older models to remove the seat back. If you do your homework, the entire install should not take you more than 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Regarding utility for the kids: love it. The older ones are adept enough to play the games, the younger just likes to watch. Both are independent players and can play separate DVDs. However, and this might be a deal breaker for you, because the DVD player is from China (not region restricted, likely) it will play older DVDs well, but the newer ones with the weirder media protection schemes may freeze or skip making the video completely useless. At first I thought this was due to a really dirty DVD, but seems like all my old DVDs in our library works, but the new ones from Netflix/Redbox were having more problems.

In terms of its reliability, its been working for me for the last 6 months.

Really good question about the utility of the headrest for you as the driver/front passenger: it will end up sitting back further than the stock headrest and is not as comfortable. I will sacrifice my comfort a bit for peace and quiet in the long trips. You can angle the headrest for your comfort, but this may affect the viewing angle from the back. In the end, I do wish the thickness of the headrest was increased to that of the stock.

The color is not an exact match, but if you have tinted windows, from the outside it will not appear out of place (i.e. not like there are electronics to steal inside).

The IR headphones are not perfect. The manual says you can change the monitor to the A or B channel for the headphone, but the menu system is entirely different than that pictured in the manual and does not seem to have the channel select option on the monitors. So, if I choose A or B it doesn't matter--sound from the closest monitor will be the one playing on the headset. Fortunately, the distance between the two is enough that there is barely any crosstalk.

I really suggest you watching those install videos on onfair, they were really helpful. I also suggest you consider units with an additional A/V input as this problem with the DVD will probably eventually annoy me and I will probably fall back on a Roku unit, Patriot box, or something of that nature.

Hopefully this helped. Good luck with whatever you choose. Regardless, the kids will love it.

[Scooter2525]

Originally Posted by funpilot

Regarding pics: I was in a rush to install, so sorry no pics were taken, but this prior post (Leather Pops) is essentially all you need. The 2011 Pilot (by the sound of it) happens to be much easier than for other older models to remove the seat back. If you do your homework, the entire install should not take you more than 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Regarding utility for the kids: love it. The older ones are adept enough to play the games, the younger just likes to watch. Both are independent players and can play separate DVDs. However, and this might be a deal breaker for you, because the DVD player is from China (not region restricted, likely) it will play older DVDs well, but the newer ones with the weirder media protection schemes may freeze or skip making the video completely useless. At first I thought this was due to a really dirty DVD, but seems like all my old DVDs in our library works, but the new ones from Netflix/Redbox were having more problems.

In terms of its reliability, its been working for me for the last 6 months.

Really good question about the utility of the headrest for you as the driver/front passenger: it will end up sitting back further than the stock headrest and is not as comfortable. I will sacrifice my comfort a bit for peace and quiet in the long trips. You can angle the headrest for your comfort, but this may affect the viewing angle from the back. In the end, I do wish the thickness of the headrest was increased to that of the stock.

The color is not an exact match, but if you have tinted windows, from the outside it will not appear out of place (i.e. not like there are electronics to steal inside).

The IR headphones are not perfect. The manual says you can change the monitor to the A or B channel for the headphone, but the menu system is entirely different than that pictured in the manual and does not seem to have the channel select option on the monitors. So, if I choose A or B it doesn't matter--sound from the closest monitor will be the one playing on the headset. Fortunately, the distance between the two is enough that there is barely any crosstalk.

I really suggest you watching those install videos on onfair, they were really helpful. I also suggest you consider units with an additional A/V input as this problem with the DVD will probably eventually annoy me and I will probably fall back on a Roku unit, Patriot box, or something of that nature.

Hopefully this helped. Good luck with whatever you choose. Regardless, the kids will love it.

Again, excellent write up! Thanks for going into detail. I didn't see on the amazon description if the units will play off of a USB item, such as a thumb drive, etc. That could help with the region issues. The price seems right, but you pay for what you get, right?

[azn916guy]

To SBLVRO:

Dude I bought the Rosen deck from eBay $400 and it's the best investment ever. I'm not a professional installer by any means but installing was not an issue. I added a few Rosen optional cables (aux out and rear av cable for my headrests). I will hopefully put a link to my install or some pics online soo. Go with the Rosen. I'm getting ready to put in the backup camera. Just trying to find out where is the reverse light wire I can tap into.