What has happened to head units?

[Bilbs]

Just browsing the latest Pioneer dogalogue, and every H/U in there seems to look **** :bang:, they seem to be goin backwards in features, last yr when i got my curent one, they seemed to be goin in a better direction, OEL display, integrated Bluetooth, USB playback, etc, but now, for the same price i got that for, you get ipod interface - Thats about it, now that great for Ipod freaks, but why have an mp3 / cd player, if you have an ipod, is it that to make them interface with the ipod, they have to leave something else out to make room, they have gone back to the crappy looking old skool calculator looking screens, ungly, big, bulky writing, Im sure that for 400 or so they could bring out something that has F&R pre outs, Sub preout, Aux in jack, usb playback, bluetooth, a REAL LCD screen, that you can customise with different display routines, i dunno, maybee these do exist, but at the moment with whats available in a decent price range, im deffinately leanin to goin the Carpuder option, plus with a few lil interface inputs and outputs, you could have speed sensitive volume, power window controlls when you hit a certain volume, engine data displays, hell, anything that is electronicaly controlled in your car, you could do from the touchscreen, wind your windows, unlock the boot, turn the heater / AC on, cant see me doin that with a $500 Pioneer lol

 

[wrx884]

well not long now these head units wont b needing CDs at all i know a few brands r already into manufacture without these.

i seen the latest carputer few months ago wen i got all my gear 4 the VP and dam u wouldnt believe wat it can do basically wat u do at home and at work u can do in ur car there would b no need 2 leave ur car hahaha.

 

[Wagon_Wheel]

Dont know what your talking about, headunits have more features than ever i reckon.
I think Ipod interface is great! I think USB and SD inputs are a waste of time.
Pre outs are good, blue tooth is in more than ever now.
Any features that you cant find have probly been dropped because they are pointless

 

[hakhawk]

Dont know what your talking about, headunits have more features than ever i reckon.
I think Ipod interface is great! I think USB and SD inputs are a waste of time.
Pre outs are good, blue tooth is in more than ever now.
Any features that you cant find have probly been dropped because they are pointless

not everyone has/wants an ipod, so usb and sd inputs arent a waste of time. only for those with an ipod

though sd is probably not really needed, only really need one of the 2.

 

[StoneX]

Why would they give you EVERY option in a $500 head unit? Don't you know anything about marketing?
You start with minimal features for minimal cost and then gradually get more features as the price increases.

I'll quickly explain to you starting from the lowest model to the highest model (take not of all the models with "UB" as a suffix, this means USB capability):
DEH-1050E - Basic CD tuner, 1 set of RCA's
DEH-2050MPG - Same features as above plus MP3/WMA playback, AUX input & remote control
DEH-3050MP - Same features as above with different cosmetics
DEH-3050UB - Same features as above plus direct USB connection & 2 sets of RCA's with sub control
DEH-3000IB - Same features as above but direct iPod connection rather than USB
DEH-P4050UB - Same features as above with iPod & USB, IP-Bus connection and 3 sets of RCA's
DEH-P5050UB - Same features as above plus flip down face
DEH-P6050UB - Same features as above plus blue OEL animated screen, 7 band EQ & other audio features
DEH-P7050BT - Same features as above minus OEL animated screen & 7 band EQ, plus bluetooth & USB
DEH-P800BT - Bluetooth, blue OEL animated display, iPod direct, motorised face, 7 band EQ, AUX input, 3 sets of RCA's, no direct USB but a USB adapter can be used
DEH-P9850BT - Bluetooth, colour OEL animated display, high end SQ features, 16 band EQ, motorised face, 3 sets of RCA's, AUX input and IP-Bus to allow USB or iPod adapters

As you can see 5 of the 11 can directly accept a USB device, 3 would require an adapter and 3 are low models that don't warrant it.

From what I can see, this year probably has the broadest range of head units Pioneer has ever had. But even if they don't make you happy, there's Alpine, Clarion, Kenwood, Eclipse, JVC, etc out there as well.

Info found here: PIONEER CAR AUDIO RANGE 2008 - CD/DVD Players

 

[imnothereanymore]

usb is best thing for stezzas i havent made a single cd for my car since having usb its awesome ya dont need ipod in car bit over kill
the new range of jvc is coming and some of the stuff the new ones do is like wow
look around not just 1 brand

 

[klaw81]

I agree, USB is by far the best thing format to support. iPods can come and go, but the USB standard just keeps getting better...more storage, more capabilities.

I have an SD card reader & it's handy because I can use the same card in my phone and just swap it in when I want to take my music with me, but USB is still a better format since you can plug in flash drives, MP3 players and portable hard drives.

I will never ever bu an iPod (I'm morally opposed to iTunes and there are players out there that are just as good and cheaper) so I don't care if I never have an iPod interface on my head unit. I can still plug other people's iPods into my Aux in, if I want to.

The CD is dying fast, so we're likely to see 3 different lines of product in the future:
1) CD players for those who want them, with the current range of options
2) Head units with no disk drive but various other inputs (USB, SD, iPod etc)
3) DVD players which will become more common as screens get cheaper.

 

[kopper69]

I agree, USB is by far the best thing format to support. iPods can come and go, but the USB standard just keeps getting better...more storage, more capabilities.

The ipod doesnt come and go. It has come and set its place in the world and it is here to stay for a good period of time. The usb 2.0 standard has been around since 2000 - Im not saying its not good technology, but is hasnt changed and therefore you cannot say it 'keeps getting better' (although USB 3.0 is due this year). Ipods trump the USB for storage - 160Gb for Ipod vs maybe 8Gb for a USB stick. More capabilities? None that I can think of.

Both have their strengths, but you cant knock the Ipod just because you dont have one. Its pretty much a USB stick with extras. If anything its the ipod with more storage and more capabilities.

 

[WK Woody]

When are we gonna get head units with hard drives inbuilt?

 

[StoneX]

They've been and gone... Pioneer had one about 5-6 years ago. I'm sure they'll come back but at the moment they seem to be limited to sat nav high end unit.