JVC KW-AVX706 6.5 in. Car DVD Player
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Similar in Car DVD Players
- Included Units: In-Dash Player, In-Dash Monitor
- Supported Media Types: CD-R, CD-RW
- Screen Size: 6.5 inch
- Touch Panel: Without Touch Panel
- Supported Video Formats: DVD
- Supported Audio Formats: Audio CD, MP3, WMA
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A feature-packed in-dash unit with a few quirks
Pros
Beautiful screen, remote, JVC quality, clear directions for connections, aesthetics, DVD MP3, dual-zone ability, SD
Cons
Direct access/dedicated controls, inability to customize, non-intuitive operation (in places), no security features
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
For the $, in terms of bang-for-the-buck, you can't go wrong with this unit. It does take some practice, however. The strengths WAY outdo any weaknesses.
Like many across America, the equation of 2 kids under age 5 + new car + impending vacation = mobile video. After seeing many SUV owners at night with their little in-roof video setups keeping the kids occupied, I was smitten. However, a sunroof (a must-have for me) prevented me from getting that as an option. What to do...what to do?
Enter the ever-growing market of double-DIN aftermarket stereos that can pretty much do it all: play your favorite radio stations, CDs, MP3s, DVDs, show pictures from your digital camera, & many other e-tasks.
With prices and features abounding in all directions, 4 months of research led me to a lower-end, but a definite bang-for-the-buck situation in ordering the JVC KW-AVX706. I've got a JVC 36" television that I have zero complaints about, so that made the choice just a little easier when considering brand-names. After six weeks of playing with it, here's my take:
In the box, you get everything you need and clear directions on how to install/operate the unit. All the cords that come with a versatile unit can make the rear connections an intimidating brier patch, but JVC marks the bulk of the wires very clearly, and an amateur installer like me had no issues whatsoever in putting the unit in cleanly and correctly.
Upon power up, a combination of blue and red dim backlighting highlights the controls (good luck reading what the little buttons on the perimeter of the screen actually say!) Potential buyers be aware: this is one of the quirks of this unit - the controls are a bit complex, and I wouldn't even think of changing my settings (of which there are TONS) unless you're parked. A multi-direction joystick in the lower right corner provides you with the flexibility to move around in all the various menus & submenus. Unfortunately, for basic radio operation, there are no direct buttons which take you to your radio presets - you have to use the joystick to scroll through. Inconvenient, but not insurmountable.
Screen-wise...ah...LOVE IT. Another big buyer 'gotta understand' (notice I didn't say beware): THIS UNIT IS NOT A TOUCH SCREEN ...but so nice. In side-by-side comparisons with offerings from Panasonic, Pioneer, Dual, Eclipse, Clarion, & Jensen, I was impressed with the color and clarity of the both the JVC and the Eclipse (even after cleaning off all the touchscreen fingerprints.) For 1/3 the price and slightly higher picture quality, I can live without touchscreen convenience. Picture can be dimmed as light or dark as you want, and you can even set an auto-dimmer to bring your screen up and down to brightness based on time of day. You also have 7 different angles to choose from, and FINALLY, a dedicated control for that function.
Display is attractive and easy to read. You do have a variety of wallpapers to choose from, most of which are color schemes, although a geometric and beach scenes are part of the mix. Personally, I wish that these stereo manufacturers would recognize that we people might like to customize our double-DIN displays, but that's not just a JVC thing...rant over. In the main area of the screen, you can toggle between listing your radio stations (or upcoming songs on a CD/MP3) or a spectrum analysis-looking graphic. If you're playing a movie, you can toggle between the actual movie and a handful of screens that tell you all the usual suspects of DVD info (time elapsed, chapter, bitrate, blah blah blah...) Unlike many stereos out there, you can assign call letters/genres to all of your radio stations, although said tagging process is VERY non-intuitive and laborious. Once you do it, though, it looks just swell.
A remote with numerous uniformly-sized buttons comes with the unit, and controls the bulk of the functions. However, a typical number pad layout would allow for quicker access to songs (my DVD-MP3 has 900 songs on it - I'd love to just press three digits to get to any song I want...you know?) Also, for those who have the increasingly available option of steering wheel controls, it is apparently possible to control the main functions of the unit with the right adapter control (but I can't officially comment on that...yet)
Throw in a SD card into the slot behind the display, and an automatic slideshow of your images pops up. If pictures aren't your deal, go ahead and load that card with MP3s; they'll work, too.
Operation so far has been flawless...Radio stations come in strong, CDs and DVDs have yet to skip even once, and one MAJOR bonus. If you happen NOT to hook up your parking brake wire on the harness to said wire proper, you can actually view videos while NOT parked. Not that I'm advocating watching videos while driving (God knows all the people who multitask and end up driving by Braille.), but...uh...if the cop didn't see it, I didn't do it...Speaking of cops, I hope that people who buy this don't have to call one to take a theft report; there's no security feature of any kind inherent to the stereo.
Add all the other features I haven't even started to mess with yet (dual-zone capability, adding another auxiliary device [Ipod, another DVD player, V-smile, optional TV tuner, whatever]) that I have no choice but to believe work and work well, and you've got a solid in-dash DVD unit at a VERY attractive price that does most anything you need to entertain in a car.
If you're the kind of person who doesn't need the big-button, overly simple OEM stereo that a new-car buyer is paying some $500-$1000 for (I still cringe...) and want to upgrade to a beauteous receiver that doesn't have navagation, but does everything else and more, this JVC unit is right up your alley.
Enter the ever-growing market of double-DIN aftermarket stereos that can pretty much do it all: play your favorite radio stations, CDs, MP3s, DVDs, show pictures from your digital camera, & many other e-tasks.
With prices and features abounding in all directions, 4 months of research led me to a lower-end, but a definite bang-for-the-buck situation in ordering the JVC KW-AVX706. I've got a JVC 36" television that I have zero complaints about, so that made the choice just a little easier when considering brand-names. After six weeks of playing with it, here's my take:
In the box, you get everything you need and clear directions on how to install/operate the unit. All the cords that come with a versatile unit can make the rear connections an intimidating brier patch, but JVC marks the bulk of the wires very clearly, and an amateur installer like me had no issues whatsoever in putting the unit in cleanly and correctly.
Upon power up, a combination of blue and red dim backlighting highlights the controls (good luck reading what the little buttons on the perimeter of the screen actually say!) Potential buyers be aware: this is one of the quirks of this unit - the controls are a bit complex, and I wouldn't even think of changing my settings (of which there are TONS) unless you're parked. A multi-direction joystick in the lower right corner provides you with the flexibility to move around in all the various menus & submenus. Unfortunately, for basic radio operation, there are no direct buttons which take you to your radio presets - you have to use the joystick to scroll through. Inconvenient, but not insurmountable.
Screen-wise...ah...LOVE IT. Another big buyer 'gotta understand' (notice I didn't say beware): THIS UNIT IS NOT A TOUCH SCREEN ...but so nice. In side-by-side comparisons with offerings from Panasonic, Pioneer, Dual, Eclipse, Clarion, & Jensen, I was impressed with the color and clarity of the both the JVC and the Eclipse (even after cleaning off all the touchscreen fingerprints.) For 1/3 the price and slightly higher picture quality, I can live without touchscreen convenience. Picture can be dimmed as light or dark as you want, and you can even set an auto-dimmer to bring your screen up and down to brightness based on time of day. You also have 7 different angles to choose from, and FINALLY, a dedicated control for that function.
Display is attractive and easy to read. You do have a variety of wallpapers to choose from, most of which are color schemes, although a geometric and beach scenes are part of the mix. Personally, I wish that these stereo manufacturers would recognize that we people might like to customize our double-DIN displays, but that's not just a JVC thing...rant over. In the main area of the screen, you can toggle between listing your radio stations (or upcoming songs on a CD/MP3) or a spectrum analysis-looking graphic. If you're playing a movie, you can toggle between the actual movie and a handful of screens that tell you all the usual suspects of DVD info (time elapsed, chapter, bitrate, blah blah blah...) Unlike many stereos out there, you can assign call letters/genres to all of your radio stations, although said tagging process is VERY non-intuitive and laborious. Once you do it, though, it looks just swell.
A remote with numerous uniformly-sized buttons comes with the unit, and controls the bulk of the functions. However, a typical number pad layout would allow for quicker access to songs (my DVD-MP3 has 900 songs on it - I'd love to just press three digits to get to any song I want...you know?) Also, for those who have the increasingly available option of steering wheel controls, it is apparently possible to control the main functions of the unit with the right adapter control (but I can't officially comment on that...yet)
Throw in a SD card into the slot behind the display, and an automatic slideshow of your images pops up. If pictures aren't your deal, go ahead and load that card with MP3s; they'll work, too.
Operation so far has been flawless...Radio stations come in strong, CDs and DVDs have yet to skip even once, and one MAJOR bonus. If you happen NOT to hook up your parking brake wire on the harness to said wire proper, you can actually view videos while NOT parked. Not that I'm advocating watching videos while driving (God knows all the people who multitask and end up driving by Braille.), but...uh...if the cop didn't see it, I didn't do it...Speaking of cops, I hope that people who buy this don't have to call one to take a theft report; there's no security feature of any kind inherent to the stereo.
Add all the other features I haven't even started to mess with yet (dual-zone capability, adding another auxiliary device [Ipod, another DVD player, V-smile, optional TV tuner, whatever]) that I have no choice but to believe work and work well, and you've got a solid in-dash DVD unit at a VERY attractive price that does most anything you need to entertain in a car.
If you're the kind of person who doesn't need the big-button, overly simple OEM stereo that a new-car buyer is paying some $500-$1000 for (I still cringe...) and want to upgrade to a beauteous receiver that doesn't have navagation, but does everything else and more, this JVC unit is right up your alley.
