Pioneer has announced a couple of new in-car entertainment systems which they've designated the AVH-4900DVD and AVH-P5900DVD. Both units feature motorized touchscreen LCDs (6.5-inch for the 4900, 7-inch for the 5900) and XM and Sirius connectivity, but the 5900 one-ups the 4900 with the inclusion of iPod compatibility and sync-support for Bluetooth phones thanks to an optional CD-BTB100 Bluetooth adapter. The Bluetooth support goes far enough as to enable traditional
speakerphone usage thanks to an integrated microphone, dialling through the unit's touch screen, and displaying caller id, along with A2DP support. Fortunately, Pioneer was thoughtful enough to include an auxiliary audio input on both units, so 4900 owners can still plug in and play whatever audio device takes their fancy. Interestingly for the few of you out there who listen to compressed music, Pioneer has included some voodoo technology called Bit Map Expander that supposedly is capable of "filling in" areas of music that are missing after compression -- not that you'll notice it over the din of
your rocket powered car. The AVH-P4900 will be shipping in March at $800, with the AVH-P4900 coming in at a slightly pricier $1000 in May.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Steelwurm @ Jan 8th 2007 2:51AM
What, no 8-track?
Dez Staley @ Jan 8th 2007 5:35AM
This looks like good quality!
But is the front of the player detachable so that any would be opportunist thieves cannot see it and I can keep it in my car for longer than a weekend?
Also, does it have a hard drive as storage or does it just play cd's and dvd's?
Pioneer has always been very good quality!!
Elliott @ Jan 8th 2007 12:40PM
Still love my Alpine IVA-W200 despite it's crippled Bluetooth support for my HTC Wizard. Not to mention this Pioneer wont fill my double din needs.
Mike @ Jan 8th 2007 3:47PM
Pioneer has double din for sure, check out the AVIC-D3 it's pretty inexpensive considering all of the features.