Home entertainment: It's the Tablet DVD era!

Doharto J. Simatupang, Contributor/Jakarta

It is not uncommon when driving home from the office to find yourself stuck in some massive traffic jam and in serious need of entertainment. Most people just listen to music on their cassette or CD player. For others, however, a traffic jam gives them the opportunity to watch a movie or keep up with the latest news on their car theater.

Idul Fitri is just around the corner, which means thousands of people will be returning to their hometowns. This will entail traveling long distances and traffic jams. But with enough money, you can buy a car theater to help you pass the hours.

With a car theater, you can watch a film with Dolby Digital, dts or Dolby Prologic I sound. Most of the head units commonly available are combo ones, which means a TV monitor plus a DVD player. Add in four speakers (front and rear, without a subwoofer) and you have your own car theater.

People generally think that a car theater is costly. That is no longer true. You can easily find a Tablet DVD with a wide screen (16:9 ratio) and an LCD TFT measuring an average of seven inches diagonally.

A Tablet DVD is usually completed with a player that can read DVD, VCD, MP3, Picture CD and Audio CD discs. Very slim, it is highly mobile and can be pleasant company on a long trip. The power supply for the Tablet DVD comes from the electric socket in your house or from the lighter slot on your car's dashboard. You can also use rechargeable lithium batteries.

If you have a car theater unit and have to travel over a bumpy road, don't worry because your unit will have an antishock feature. Several car theater products, for example the LG TV (CRT) from the X-Wave series, are provided with an FM transmitter. This particular feature allows your Tablet DVD to be wirelessly connected with the sound system in your car.

Clearly, as a user you no longer need a specialist to install your Tablet DVD, which can be installed on the back of the headrest on the driver's seat or the front passenger's seat, using a hook of sorts or a wire so that it hangs toward the rear passengers.

A Tablet DVD makes life easy and comfortable. Most importantly it is not ridiculously expensive to build your own car theater. For Rp 1,875,000 you can purchase a Coby TF-DVD7050 Tablet DVD with the following features: an LCD TFTwith a 16:9 ratio aspect, DVD/CD/MP3 player and built-in speakers. Indeed, now is the era of the Tablet DVD!

If you want to buy a Tablet DVD, make sure that the gadget you want to buy has an FM transmitter, DVD bag, rechargeable batteries, a Tablet DVD hanger, a TV tuner and all-cable connection. If possible, try to find one with an iPod Adapter Ready, 5.1 ch. Dolby Digital, dts decoder and so forth.

Before the arrival of Tablet DVDs, the market already had car theater systems consisting of a head unit complete with an LCD screen. These products are still easy to find but to get one you need a bigger budget and someone to install it for you.

In the local market you can buy the Pioneer AVH-7550DVD for Rp 17,500,000. Its features include a 7" LCD TFT, a 16:9 ratio, motorized, 1 DIN in dash TV, an AC-3/dts Prologic II0 decoder, a touch screen and a DVD player.

If you want to buy another make, you can try the Clarion VRX746VD, which sells for Rp 22,000,000 and has the following features: 7" monitor screen, 16:9 ratio, motorized, 1 DIN in dash TV, an aC-3 decoder, a touch screen, a fiber optic output, 24-bit DAC and a DVD player.

If you can only afford less than Rp 10 million, you can make an economical but still excellent choice. First try the AVIX AXTVD-91, which sells for Rp 8,500,000 and has the following features: LCD TFT, 16:9 ratio, motorized, 1 DIN in dash TV, an AC-3 5.1 ch/dts decoder, a TV/FM tuner, a DVD player, a touch screen and a built-in 5.1 ch. amplifier.

Or go for the Integra NT-720DVD (Rp 8,500,000), Oris DVM-9800 (Rp 8,000,000), Proson CA 1602 DVD (Rp 7,800,000) or Rhoson DVM- 9000, which costs Rp 8,500,000 and has 7" monitor, 16:9 motorized, 1 DIN in dash TV, an AC-3 decoded, an auto dimmer and a DVD player.

In addition, you can also find a model that is installed on the roof, or a model with a ceiling monitor plus a built-in DVD player, for an Xm product, which uses a panel LCD made by Samsung and Toshiba. This unit by Xm comes complete with 7" to 12" LCD- TFT monitor, a built-in IR Transmitter for wireless headphone, an FM transmitter (selected model), a 4:3/16:9 ratio aspect, a motorized monitor (selected model) and a built-in shock resistant gear (selected model).

From the information above, it can be concluded that you can save a lot of money by opting for a Tablet DVD for your car theater. What you need to do before purchasing a Tablet DVD is to get speakers and a head unit capable of bringing to your car the atmosphere of a home theater. If your budget is limited, choose a (non-CD player) head unit with a built-in amplifier with a minimum power output of 4 x 50 watts RMS 10 percent THD. This quality can usually be found in head units made by Pioneer. If you want something a little better, buy a Panasonic head unit with a power output of about 4 x 60 watts, 10 percent RMS. That way you will no longer need a power amplifier. Try it!