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Dual XDVD8181 head unit

CSVT#49

CSVT#49

Addicted CEG'er
Joined
May 28, 2004
Messages
6,768
Location
Andover, MN
I just bought a Dual dvd player with a touchscreen flip up display. I haven't installed anything yet and it's still in the box. However I'm wondering will I be able to hook up a in car computer at some point if I choose too? I'd eventually like to get something where I can check the status of my engine and read various sensors using the OBD II, pull up a number of different MP3's from a hard drive, etc.

Any thoughts , comments?
 
elraido said:
dual.....barf
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I would tend to agree, but I completely understand having to buy what you can afford in order to get something particular that you want.

It would be cool to display OBDII info on the screen. Having no idea regarding the Dual's auxiliary inputs, I can't comment on the practicality of this. I get the idea you are wanting some sort of carputer, mounted remotely, displaying through the Dual's screen. I would think the major issue would be interfacing with the computer. Find an efficient way to safely interface w/ the computer and I would think it's doable.
 
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The reviews on the Dual unit have been high in the 4/5 or 5/5 range. No one really had anything bad to say about it.

As far as it's input/outputs go...

General Specs:

Motorized 7" touch screen TFT LCD monitor
50x4 Max Power (200 Watts)
Fully self-contained (no hide-away box)
Import ISO/DIN mountable
Internal cooling fan
Electronic volume, bass, treble, balance, and fader
MOSFET audio output
3 Pairs of preamp outputs (F/R/S)
1 Audio/video input (RCA)
1 Rear camera input (RCA)
2 Composite video outputs
iPLUG interface cable
24-Bit D/A Converter
Blue/white dot matrix secondary display
Infrared remote control

I know there are VGA to RCA converters, since most computers output to VGA for montiors. However are they worth while. I've read that the screen can be distorted and blink when using these.
 
That DUAL (and any DVD player) is just a "TV" screen, which means a computer input on that is going to look like garbage.

If you go to the link above and look at some of the screens they have, you can see the resolution differences...

Just take a look at this, which is designed for DVD playback. Has 1440x234 (1440 is good, but 234 SUCKS for computers).

Now check this one out with it's 1600x1200 resolution.

Of course, that tiny of a screen, you'll be squinting to see text on there, but at least you can read it, where as the "TV" screen will be fuzzy and unreadable (ever hooked a computer to your TV?)...
 
eh.. dual is a no go... I had that one because I paid 290 for it brand new employee discount and lemme tell you man its terrible. I had the 8180 which was better but then i just upgraded free to 8181 and its horrible. Hisses and bad preout voltage. Just go to onlinecarstereo.com and buy the Pioneer AVH-5700.... much much better and its only 580 there.

Oh and btw at work i see those come back all the time to get fixed...
 
Ya know.. you probably could hook a laptop up if you had a rca video out, or if you had a vga to rca cable..... I have one, but I haven't tried it ever to see if it actually can be done.... I don't even know if they sell such a thing, or if it's just for companies with computer displays and projectors...
 
I replaced my Kenwood deck with a Dual XDM-7510 that I picked up on clearance for $31, and it works great. I have a friend that got a pair of Dual subs for his car that were blown in a matter of months, so I'm very critical of Dual, but this deck has worked great so far, and I love the mp3 player. Having CDs with 170+ songs is a nice thing.
 
PurpleMystique said:
I replaced my Kenwood deck with a Dual XDM-7510 that I picked up on clearance for $31, and it works great. I have a friend that got a pair of Dual subs for his car that were blown in a matter of months, so I'm very critical of Dual, but this deck has worked great so far, and I love the mp3 player. Having CDs with 170+ songs is a nice thing.
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Yeah... that deck is probably going to mess up pretty soon.... I've seen those come back a lot. Usually the faceplate starts acting up and doing things like the buttons not working or the volume only gets louder no matter which way you turn the knob.... If it does start acting up... try cleaning the contacts, I think that one even says that behind the faceplate if you take it off...
 
CSVT_2004 said:
Yeah... that deck is probably going to mess up pretty soon.... I've seen those come back a lot. Usually the faceplate starts acting up and doing things like the buttons not working or the volume only gets louder no matter which way you turn the knob.... If it does start acting up... try cleaning the contacts, I think that one even says that behind the faceplate if you take it off...
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I have Dual subs and I HIGHLY enjoy them. They provide great quality sound and were much less expensive than comparible products. I actually have issues with my Kenwood deck. My volume control knob isn't very responsive. I have a friend at work who has nearly the same Kenwood deck, only he has a better trim, and he has the same problems. Granted it hasn't crapped out on me, but Kenwood is supposedly a decent brand and all...I have another friend at school who has a Dual deck, and he never has problems with it :shrug: . He told me he loves it because it works just as good if not better than the Pioneer he had and the cost was SO much less. I would recommend Dual to anyone for its great value. :)
 
zorrex said:
I have Dual subs and I HIGHLY enjoy them. They provide great quality sound and were much less expensive than comparible products. I actually have issues with my Kenwood deck. My volume control knob isn't very responsive. I have a friend at work who has nearly the same Kenwood deck, only he has a better trim, and he has the same problems. Granted it hasn't crapped out on me, but Kenwood is supposedly a decent brand and all...I have another friend at school who has a Dual deck, and he never has problems with it :shrug: . He told me he loves it because it works just as good if not better than the Pioneer he had and the cost was SO much less. I would recommend Dual to anyone for its great value. :)
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Trust me on this one my friend, your radio will outlast his by comparison... assuming he has a motorized face.... I don't know how long you've had yours, and I'm going to be a hypocrite sometime soon probably... because I want to use my discount to get a dual deck, since we don't have the alpine IVA-D310 anymore.... Generally I do see duals come back, but mostly those are the motorized faced ones... on the regular decks, not the Mobile video ones... Just my 2 cents...
 
Well, also, my Kenwood deck doesn't like to spit out my CD's very cleanly. Usually only when the player gets hot (like during summer time or long drives), it won't spit out my CD when I want it to. It's like its slipping. I usually have to hit eject, then take the faceplate off and squeeze my finger in just right to pull the CD out. It's a real pain. I don't really recommend Kenwood for decks. Heard good things about other audio products though...
 
zorrex said:
Well, also, my Kenwood deck doesn't like to spit out my CD's very cleanly. Usually only when the player gets hot (like during summer time or long drives), it won't spit out my CD when I want it to. It's like its slipping. I usually have to hit eject, then take the faceplate off and squeeze my finger in just right to pull the CD out. It's a real pain. I don't really recommend Kenwood for decks. Heard good things about other audio products though...
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We got a pioneer in the bay that does the same thing... usually have to stick a cd in above it and push down on the one trying to eject to get it to catch on the rollers to push it out...
 
IRingTwyce said:
I had an Excelon several years back. The motorized faceplate started malfunctioning less than a month in. I promptly returned it. Haven't bought another since.

Oh, and Dual is the new Kraco. :laugh:
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I found the manufacturer is Namsung...? On their website...
 
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