Pioneer Auto Audio – CES
January 9,2012, CES, Las Vegas—Panasonic automotive division rolled out a number of new aftermarket products. The products included CD players, A-V players, navigation systems, power amplifiers, and new connectivity apps and a dashboard controller.
The AppRadio 2 enables Android smartphones equipped with either the Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) or a micro HDMI connection to interface to the car. It has a 7-inch touchscreen and Bluetooth for vice calls. In addition, is has an input for rear-facing camera, connections to vehicle steering wheel controls, and pre-amp outputs for connection to external amps.
A-V players have touch screen displays, smartphone connectivity, Bluetooth, HD radio, and apps. The players have various mixes of features and software to provide entertainment. The app mode enables video and other apps when the vehicle is in park and the handbrake is fully engaged. The Bluetooth has HFP, A2DP, AVRCP and secure simple pairing. All controls are on the touchscreen to eliminate buttons and knobs. USB connections allow for access to storage on flash drives, hard drives, media players or smartphones, and are useable as chargers.
The navigation systems offer the standard route guidance integrated with entertainment and map data. The apps allow connections to smartphones and wireless connections through Bluetooth to Android devices. Apps provide traffic information and vicinity search data as well as podcasts, Twitter, and Yelp.
CD receivers add new features and more connectivity. The new players have Bluetooth, HD radio, USB connections, and access to mobile apps. Built-in software can create mixes and DJ transitions and effects to fill in space between songs. The display can be set to sync to the music.
For high-end audio, a new CS receiver has USB, Bluetooth, and a host of new features. It has dual 16-channel equalizers, digital cross-overs, and a digital time alignment to synchronize all speakers to the furthest one in the car with an included calibrated microphone. To boost the levels, a 2-channel power amp pushes 125 watts into 4 ? stereo or 300 watts into a bridged mono setup. The PRS-D800 has a rated frequency response from 10 Hz to 30 kHz with total harmonic distortion (THD) of .004% (1 kHz) and a signal-to-noise ratio of greater than 105 dB.
