Database Develop

[Q] nook color has fm radio chipset

According to androidtablets.net not only does the the nook color have a bluetooth chip but also a fm radio chip but with stock os you cant use it of course. Does this mean that with cm7 you can also access the fm radio ability like it allows you with bluetooth? If anyone knows please post below.

No, the FM chipset is not connected to any sort of antenna therefore it does not work, regardless of if your running stock or CM.

Midnitte said:
No, the FM chipset is not connected to any sort of antenna therefore it does not work, regardless of if your running stock or CM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok but could it be possible to add an wire antenna? Or could you add one like that of an android phone as someone did with an htcs speaker and added it to the nook or is it impossible?

Some phones use headphones as the antenna. I wondered this about the nook, but never cared to find out.

Good Question
colorfulnookie said:
Ok but could it be possible to add an wire antenna? Or could you add one like that of an android phone as someone did with an htcs speaker and added it to the nook or is it impossible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have wondered about this myself. I bought and learned how to root my Droid 4 for the sole purpose of having the FM radio. I am working on getting my Nook Color to run CM7, and found your post when I searched. I know on my D4 I needed to have it rooted and installed Spirit FM, it works well with the headphones attached. I also found a way to make an antenna using a Radio Shack plug and the antenna off an old cordless phone handset, It works surprisingly well! I don't see why it wouldn't work for the NC, IF it has the fm chip, and IF we can access it. I don't know if Spirit FM has been tested with it or not, but it's worth looking into.

KrellaKrentoshi said:
I have wondered about this myself. I bought and learned how to root my Droid 4 for the sole purpose of having the FM radio. I am working on getting my Nook Color to run CM7, and found your post when I searched. I know on my D4 I needed to have it rooted and installed Spirit FM, it works well with the headphones attached. I also found a way to make an antenna using a Radio Shack plug and the antenna off an old cordless phone handset, It works surprisingly well! I don't see why it wouldn't work for the NC, IF it has the fm chip, and IF we can access it. I don't know if Spirit FM has been tested with it or not, but it's worth looking into.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been addressed many times, in this forum and others. To my knowledge no one has gotten anything other than static from any app (Spirit included) with any headphones at any time. I'd guess that there is no connection between the radio chip and the headphone socket, for antenna functionality.
I haven't pursued this in a while though, so there could be newer info out there.

Hmmm
tonestertm said:
This has been addressed many times, in this forum and others. To my knowledge no one has gotten anything other than static from any app (Spirit included) with any headphones at any time. I'd guess that there is no connection between the radio chip and the headphone socket, for antenna functionality.
I haven't pursued this in a while though, so there could be newer info out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. I will do a little searching in the morning and post any info I may find. Do you know if any guts tinkering has occured to make that connection? I am hoping for a simple, easy solution, like modifying an atrix lapdock to work for a Droid phone

KrellaKrentoshi said:
Good to know. I will do a little searching in the morning and post any info I may find. Do you know if any guts tinkering has occured to make that connection? I am hoping for a simple, easy solution, like modifying an atrix lapdock to work for a Droid phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been doing some digging since I last posted, and the news, I'm afraid, is not promising.
I learned that the FM receive and transmit (!) antenna functions of the WL1271 chip are on different pins than the WLAN/Bluetooth antenna pins.
In addition, there are dedicated FM Audio Out L/R pins which I would suspect are not provided for on the Nook board/module. It's not clear to me if these are the only outlet for any FM decoded by the chip, though.
These, along with the fact that TI pretty much abandoned the FM feature of this chip in the OMAP implementation, (by their own admission) make the FM radio function for us... challenging.

tonestertm said:
Been doing some digging since I last posted, and the news, I'm afraid, is not promising.
I learned that the FM receive and transmit (!) antenna functions of the WL1271 chip are on different pins than the WLAN/Bluetooth antenna pins.
In addition, there are dedicated FM Audio Out L/R pins which I would suspect are not provided for on the Nook board/module. It's not clear to me if these are the only outlet for any FM decoded by the chip, though.
These, along with the fact that TI pretty much abandoned the FM feature of this chip in the OMAP implementation, (by their own admission) make the FM radio function for us... challenging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Challenging isn't the same as impossible, and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC. I'm beyond stuck on that one, been trying off an on for a year. It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that. BTW, did I see correctly, there may be FM TRANSMIT capabilities?! That would rock!! I would be blissfully happy just getting FM recieve to work. If the pins aren't provided for on the NC board, what would be a possible way to correct that?

KrellaKrentoshi said:
Challenging isn't the same as impossible,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True.
and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that. BTW, did I see correctly, there may be FM TRANSMIT capabilities?! ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.

Oh. Ok
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I guess the best thing I can do for the moment is to get CM7 to boot and try Spirit on it. I can do that, and I have a transmitter that might work too. I will post the results.

KrellaKrentoshi said:
Challenging isn't the same as impossible, and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC. I'm beyond stuck on that one, been trying off an on for a year. It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?
have you tried this post?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1000957
because that's been around for quite some time...and it is rather easy...
and it's been around for well over a year....
just sayin...

yep
I have tried it, and 2 others, and im stuck.

KrellaKrentoshi said:
I have tried it, and 2 others, and im stuck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
okay...it's pretty simple...but i'll bite....where are you stuck? what exactly about the process is messing you up...
you get the CM7 image, burn it to your SD card using the program provided...insert it into the nook and press the power button...

plasticarmyman said:
okay...it's pretty simple...but i'll bite....where are you stuck? what exactly about the process is messing you up...
you get the CM7 image, burn it to your SD card using the program provided...insert it into the nook and press the power button...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
..........and watch the little blue android on the skateboard for the next 20 mins until i shut it off. It wont get past the blue dude's splashscreen. I'm working on it on another thread and PM. In the meantime, do ya think you could run the little experiment mentioned a few posts back please?

I made some progress today!!
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my NC running CM 7.2.0. Turns out I needed to rename the ROM and also something was bad on my SD card. I have been happily exploring CM7 and getting my google apps on my NC for 2 hours now. Among the apps I downloaded is Spirit FM, the free version for testing. It loads well, I plugged in headphones and an antenna and can't get a signal, not even static. I will look for my transmitter tonight/tomorow and see what happens then. Thanks for all the encouragement and support on the CM7 thing yall!

Yay!
KrellaKrentoshi said:
I got my NC running CM 7.2.0. Turns out I needed to rename the ROM and also something was bad on my SD card. I have been happily exploring CM7 and getting my google apps on my NC for 2 hours now. Among the apps I downloaded is Spirit FM, the free version for testing. It loads well, I plugged in headphones and an antenna and can't get a signal, not even static. I will look for my transmitter tonight/tomorow and see what happens then. Thanks for all the encouragement and support on the CM7 thing yall!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking forward to your results. And, Enjoy!

I did the test.....
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Houston, we have a problem. I have a stock nook running cm7 on sd card. Spirit FM Free with superuser permissions granted couldn't pick up the transmitter. :crying: I even put the transmitter right up against the nook and didn't hear anything, so it's not looking very good. I know on my droid 4 I had to have it rooted in order for the FM to work, I wonder if that is the case here? Anyone got a rooted nook to try this experiment out on? Once my warrenty is up I will try "nooting" and see if FM works then. If it is the daughter card, I am at a loss. Anyone got an idea about what we can do next? tonestertm, I can't find your Novoports sticky. Can you repost the link please?:good:

KrellaKrentoshi said:
tonestertm, I can't find your Novoports sticky. Can you repost the link please?:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need for a link, the Novaports thread is the third one down from the top of this forum.

Android Auto vs Android Head Unit?

I have seen some threads where people are talking about porting android auto to an android head unit. I have also seen some threads where people are talking about putting android auto on a tablet or phone that they plan to mount in their car. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand the rationale for either of these. If you have an android head unit, don't you already have all of the capabilities of android auto built into your head unit? Similarly if you are going to mount a phone or tablet on your dash then why not use those apps that are already native to your phone/tablet?
The reason I ask is because I'm in the market for a new car stereo and the differences in cost between an aftermarket head unit with android auto and an android head unit (i.e. no-name chinese brand, etc) seem quite large. I've seen the reviews on here, Youtube and other places for some of the Chinese units and they seem very feature rich. Please help me make a list of pros and cons to buying a head unit with Android Auto and an Android Head Unit. Here are just a few that I can come up with.
Android Auto Pros:
- brand name likely with superior product support
- likely better stock stereo features (HD radio, RDS, Sirius XM, etc
- it is "safer" because it doesn't allow searching long music lists, etc while driving
- As long as the firmware can be updated to include later Android versions, when you want to update your Android phone its a lot easier than updating an entire stereo when a newer version of Android on Android HUs become available.
Android Auto Cons:
- Not all phones are supported from what I understand
- Some popular apps are not supported (i.e. Pandora
- Requires phone to be connected via USB. I'm not sure if this is necessarily a con however, because I'm assuming if you are using your phone as a hotspot you may need to have it plugged in regardless.
- While I'm not sure about this (correct me if I'm wrong), but I assume since you're mirroring your phone apps to a non-android device there is another layer of technology that can have bugs in and of itself
- Requires additional apps on your phone eating up space and resources
- relatively expensive
Android Head Unit Pros:
- No need for specific phone support
- Any app you can download on the app store you can use in your dash. Not that I'm going to be watching netflix driving down the road, but maybe my passenger wants to look up a good mexican restaurant on Yelp while we're driving.
- You can use a wifi hotspot other than your phone to provide the wireless signal if you want
- You can root these if they are not already rooted and run custom rom
- You can run Torque
- relatively cheap for what you get
Android Head Unit Cons:
- It seems like most of these are Chinese brands with little product support from the [unkknown] manufacture
- many complaints about internal mics and whatnot (although thanks to sites like this there are some workarounds for that)
- I'm guessing the quality of the stereo itself is probably not as good as when you purchase US brand name deck.
I can understand why the general public (mom, dad included) might see a benefit in having a car with an OEM-included Android Auto stereo if they're already using an Android phone and they like it. However for people who frequent this site, barring intellectual curiosity or being an audiophile who needs a top-of-the-line Pioneer deck and wants to be able to make hands-free calls or use Google Maps, I want to know why you all would choose a stereo with Android Auto vs an Android Head Unit. Thanks in advance for discussing this.

For me, I have yet to see an Android head unit without deal breaking issues. Crappy in-call experience, radio, music setup and performance, Bluetooth, etc.
I just don't need that when I'm driving. I do miss not having Torque on AA, but it's just not worth putting up with all the other issues in order to have it.
Trust me, if someone made an Android head unit that was like a Nexus with a decent audio section, I'd be all over it, but it doesn't exist. I have thought about putting a tablet in my truck with a good preamp and amps, but there are too many issues, not the least of which is not being able to see it with polarized shades on.

Solutions Etcetera said:
For me, I have yet to see an Android head unit without deal breaking issues. Crappy in-call experience, radio, music setup and performance, Bluetooth, etc.
I just don't need that when I'm driving. I do miss not having Torque on AA, but it's just not worth putting up with all the other issues in order to have it.
Trust me, if someone made an Android head unit that was like a Nexus with a decent audio section, I'd be all over it, but it doesn't exist. I have thought about putting a tablet in my truck with a good preamp and amps, but there are too many issues, not the least of which is not being able to see it with polarized shades on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all you can probably mount your Nexus tablet in landscape - as long as the screen is perpendicular to your shades than the polarized lens' wont matter.
But please expand on "all the other issues." Since you talk about putting a good preamp and amps in your car I assume that the sound quality is a big factor for you. Are the Android HUs that bad? What if you wire one line-out to an amp? Are the signals so much worse than a factory or name-brand aftermarket stereo that if you had a high quality amplifier it would still be very poor? I'm being serious here because I've never used one of these chinese HUs... I just saw some video reviews on YouTube of a couple of them and they looked pretty awesome. What AA stereo do you currently have, and how do you like it? Thanks

Having installed another "Hui Fei"-style 4.4 head unit on a Ford Ranger XLT (2000) as a replacement for the aging stock radio, it's not bad at all. Google Maps, Pandora, Radio (via MCU), and Bluetooth all worked out of the box, even with an iPhone in hotspot mode. Touchscreen was rather accurate and snappy, the slightly larger DPI mode helped when sitting afar; it may be annoying with some apps, but tools allow you to change the DPI mode.
Build quality is usually fine, buttons are solid and knobs aren't loose. Sometimes used/eBay units have non-working buttons, so be wary about that.
The particular unit I got had an external Mic input (phono 3.5mm), so calls worked just fine over BT after mounting a nicer PC mic. Many units also have line-level outputs if you hate the built-in tech and want to use some aftermarket amps/speakers.
I do have to say that the 20-30 second boot time might be offputting to some, but I don't find it to be too bad, specially since backup camera works via MCU, and therefore during boot.

kjdBonez said:
First of all you can probably mount your Nexus tablet in landscape - as long as the screen is perpendicular to your shades than the polarized lens' wont matter.
But please expand on "all the other issues." Since you talk about putting a good preamp and amps in your car I assume that the sound quality is a big factor for you. Are the Android HUs that bad? What if you wire one line-out to an amp? Are the signals so much worse than a factory or name-brand aftermarket stereo that if you had a high quality amplifier it would still be very poor? I'm being serious here because I've never used one of these chinese HUs... I just saw some video reviews on YouTube of a couple of them and they looked pretty awesome. What AA stereo do you currently have, and how do you like it? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In landscape, with Drivewears (what I wear), you can't see it at all.
There is also the fact that a tablet is not designed to withstand being in a locked up car when it is 100 degrees outside. Not interested in coming out of work seeing my car on fire because the battery exploded. Not good for the screen either.
Could remove the battery for a straight power connection, but boot time is too long, and there are still screen issues.
And touch targets can be very small with a lot of apps interfaces, making it a real distraction when driving, and no interface with steering wheel controls.
As for 'other' issues with Android clone units; bugs. They're all over the place and you never know what issue will crop up when you're driving; no thanks.
I have a pioneer 4100 nex. And even it isn't perfect on AA. Occasionally there are issues with audio feeds and or controls, but for the most part it's solid.

kjdBonez said:
I want to know why you all would choose a stereo with Android Auto vs an Android Head Unit. Thanks in advance for discussing this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about a "best of all worlds" solution ?
I haven't tried it myself yet, but the paid ($30 ?) AppRadio Unchained Reloaded app allows HDMI+USB mirroring on many Pioneer HUs: http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/paid-software/android-4-0-root-appradio-unchained-t2955966
Run it with a Pioneer Android Auto (AA) HU and you can choose between AA and true/full mirroring of any Android phone (or tablet/other device) you use. Requires a plugged phone for AA or Android mirroring however, but with the option of AM/FM/HD/CD/MP3 etc. standalone.
I have a 4100 NEX and it seems competent for USD $550 or so these days.

kjdBonez said:
I have seen some threads where people are talking about porting android auto to an android head unit. I have also seen some threads where people are talking about putting android auto on a tablet or phone that they plan to mount in their car. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand the rationale for either of these. If you have an android head unit, don't you already have all of the capabilities of android auto built into your head unit? Similarly if you are going to mount a phone or tablet on your dash then why not use those apps that are already native to your phone/tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android enthusiasts with a budget consider MANY details and tradeoffs before deciding on a new phone or tablet. Do I NEED NFC ? Can I make do without an SDCard and only 32 GB ? What size is best ?...
Similarly, those of us looking for automotive infotainment solutions have a complex set of needs and desires, and many different solutions all with their own pros and cons, as your post shows...
A person running my Headunit app for Android Auto (AA) on a phone or tablet, with or without another connected phone/tablet/device can get the integrated Android Auto experience at low, or no cost.
Run the app on your existing Android 5+ device in standalone mode and you've got AA for no additional cost. Or buy a Nexus 7 2013 for $150 new, run it standalone, or USB (or Wifi) connect to your phone. Quick, simple, cheap and upgradeable/hackable. Add a $20 car mount and a cheap cigar lighter outlet charger and plug it in.
Want better sound than crappy small speakers ? Plug headphone jack or do BT connect to an existing amp or HU.
Worried about theft or frying by cold or hot temperatures ? Remove phone/tablet from mount and take it with you when parked. $150 tablet breaks ? Buy a new one...
With my Headunit app for AA, you can "Recent Apps" away to home-screen and any other app. Then go back to the AA environment. Yes, some issues like sound require stopping and later restarting my app, but that's not so bad.
Some people will like the integrated, low distraction environment of AA.
Many Android enthusiasts will prefer the ability to easily run any Android app. Some of those apps may be very distracting, and WILL get you ticketed in many jurisdictions. Youtube is going to be "frowned on" at best by almost any cop.
kjdBonez said:
The reason I ask is because I'm in the market for a new car stereo and the differences in cost between an aftermarket head unit with android auto and an android head unit (i.e. no-name chinese brand, etc) seem quite large. I've seen the reviews on here, Youtube and other places for some of the Chinese units and they seem very feature rich. Please help me make a list of pros and cons to buying a head unit with Android Auto and an Android Head Unit. Here are just a few that I can come up with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a current thread wherein the OP feels he wasted his money on the Chinese HU (can we call them CHUs ?), and is wondering whether to get a different one or just go for a more expensive HU.
Many users seem to be happy with the CHUs, but I think many are unhappy as well. IMO many people get blocked by "gotcha's" and there are many annoying things in the software that nobody anywhere seems to be interested in fixing.
To me, Android 4.4.4 (at best) is almost an insult in late 2015 when Android 6.0 is about to be released (and has been running pretty well on my Nexus9 and other's 5's and 6's for months now.)
For those who like to tinker on the "bleeding edge" there are boards that run Android that can be hooked to touch-screens. I'm looking at this with a "96boards" project someone has started. $75 board designed by, and runs the latest Android from Qualcomm.
I think one dynamic here is that respected HU manufacturers don't want to provide full mirroring of smartphones, or an internal Android OS, lest they be sued into oblivion by distracted driving deaths and maimings.
The CHU OEMs are in China and would laugh if someone threatened to sue them.
And yeah, tablet in a car will have issues with temp/humidity and reliability, and USB connections are not "auto grade" and Wifi has issues too.
So, no perfect solution. Same as no perfect phone, tablet or person...

kjdBonez said:
Android Auto Pros:
- brand name likely with superior product support
- likely better stock stereo features (HD radio, RDS, Sirius XM, etc
- it is "safer" because it doesn't allow searching long music lists, etc while driving
- As long as the firmware can be updated to include later Android versions, when you want to update your Android phone its a lot easier than updating an entire stereo when a newer version of Android on Android HUs become available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Yes, Pioneer or the other company I forget. I don't expect much support from Pioneer, but their products are supported by other companies, and there's a good critical mass of users to allow Google searches for issues. Firmware v1.03 seems good and may never be updated. Next years HUs will have new features (Wifi ?) which won't (or can't) be ported to this years HUs.
- Yes. HD and Sirius are pretty US specific.
- Yes. At least somewhat. Worlds better than watching videos at least.
- Note that custom ROM project for some Pioneer HUs is just started. No guarantees of course. In theory the stock HU firmware can forever stay at v1.03 and new versions of AA on the phone will breathe new life into it, as/if Google updates features. I think Google will have to support "old" 2016 HUs for a "good number" of years, or people driving 2016 cars with 2016 HU firmware will be hopping mad before their leases or loans are finished.
kjdBonez said:
Android Auto Cons:
- Not all phones are supported from what I understand
- Some popular apps are not supported (i.e. Pandora
- Requires phone to be connected via USB. I'm not sure if this is necessarily a con however, because I'm assuming if you are using your phone as a hotspot you may need to have it plugged in regardless.
- While I'm not sure about this (correct me if I'm wrong), but I assume since you're mirroring your phone apps to a non-android device there is another layer of technology that can have bugs in and of itself
- Requires additional apps on your phone eating up space and resources
- relatively expensive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Stock Android 5.0+ devices that pass Google's Compatibility Test Suites should generally work, but there have been some "beta" type issues on some popular Samsung devices at least.
- MANY popular apps are not supported by AA. Or rather some app categories aren't supported by AA and many popular audio and messaging app developers have not added specific support for AA. Some developers have felt "burned" by making special Wearable or TV apps and finding there's little demand for those features. Also, advertising is not allowed in AA compatible apps and most Android users do not pay for apps.
- Yes, there is a layer there much bigger than mere mirroring of video and touch. It's Google's framework and APIs specifically tuned and restricted for automotive infotainment functions. HU may or may not run Android, but it's easier and faster to run it on Android: example: Keycodes match and video decoder and encoder are symmetric. Pioneer runs Android underneath and that helped them put out AA HUs faster than the other guys.
- Android Auto APK is about 30 megabytes. Apps that support AA are the same size whether you use AA or not.
- $500 something for Pioneer 4100NEX.
kjdBonez said:
Android Head Unit Pros:
- No need for specific phone support
- Any app you can download on the app store you can use in your dash. Not that I'm going to be watching netflix driving down the road, but maybe my passenger wants to look up a good mexican restaurant on Yelp while we're driving.
- You can use a wifi hotspot other than your phone to provide the wireless signal if you want
- You can root these if they are not already rooted and run custom rom
- You can run Torque
- relatively cheap for what you get
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Yes, runs standalone.
- Yes, any app runs, but landscape mode for apps is important. And there are "Car Mode" like apps such as Automate that try to provide something similar to AA.
- I guess.
- Root, sure.
- Torque, of course.
- $300 or so ? Some made for specific cars can be much more.
kjdBonez said:
Android Head Unit Cons:
- It seems like most of these are Chinese brands with little product support from the [unkknown] manufacture
- many complaints about internal mics and whatnot (although thanks to sites like this there are some workarounds for that)
- I'm guessing the quality of the stereo itself is probably not as good as when you purchase US brand name deck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Yes, no support. More tolerable if source code is available.
- Many "gotchas" I guess. Pioneer comes with external mic and it works well for me.
- Yes, I expect average lifespan of CHUs to be lower than "Western World" major brandname HUs. Who knows though, and maybe we'll want to upgrade our HUs every few years anyway, regardless of quality.
kjdBonez said:
I want to know why you all would choose a stereo with Android Auto vs an Android Head Unit. Thanks in advance for discussing this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android Head Unit would be a wonderful option IMO if an "automotive grade quality" HU was available for a decent price. Make it last at least 2-3 years, running new Android versions within 6 months of Nexus devices, be able to run common tasks quickly, and price it from $500-$1000. AFAICT no such device exists, or has even been announced at any price (Parrot is old vaporware).
So if you need real Android in the car, your options are: mounted phone or tablet or CHU, with all their pros and cons. Or maybe the Appradio Unchained Reloaded app and a Pioneer HU.
If AA and "classic stereo" functionality are all you need, Pioneer AA HUs' start around $550 USD or so.
If you "got no money" you mount your existing phone or tablet. If you want AA you can run my Headunit app, or you can get something similar with apps like Automate.

For what its worth I got the Pioneer AVH 4100NEX and I love it. I have a Subaru Outback with automatic dual HVAC controls so that was a pain in the ass because I had to purchase an aftermarket fascia from Japan (the only place I could find one) which essentially disconnects the HVAC controls which are integrated into the stock HU and makes it a separate part. Then i had to get harnesses from somewhere else which are only available from one seller again haha..
But it looks good and the Android Auto seems to be pretty awesome from what I can tell. The main things I wanted was google maps and google music. I'll probably use Pandora and/or spotify as well but with this HU I also installed SiriusXM and since it has an HDMI input I can basically use a Chromecast for all of the other applications that a Chinese Android head unit would give me.

Làm root cái
Gửi từ IM-A760S của tôi bằng cách sử dụng Tapatalk

I vote for Android Auto due to the fact it is set up to make thing safer and to distract the driver less.
Voice activation works great.
It's still in it's infancy stage, so I assume it'll get much better as time goes on - and more apps are created to accommodate it.
It's simplistic, and does exactly what it is supposed to do.

I don't buy the 'android auto is safer' argument - does self control not exist anymore? You can configure an android head unit to just have 5 icons & hide the status bar if you want.
For me, Android auto is far too limiting. On my Android head unit I can customise everything exactly to my taste & what I want to see.
I agree in wishing that there was a 'premium grade' option of android HU & not just Chinese no name built to the lowest cost options & would gladly pay a bit more for quality DACs, regular software updates etc, but the latest models really aren't that bad.

Kenwood exelon ddx9902s and i LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! Had a top of the line Kenwood before that and it actually increased sound quality by far. I did the replacement to get AA (and ditch the IPOD) and did not even think i would end up with better sound. Starting to think maybe that the lack of a Apple product in the car has led to the quality increase. Before all the Apple heads jump on me just remember you or anyone else has no idea what apple did to the music sent to another device besides tell you it was DIGITAL and GREAT and the BEST THERE IS
kjdBonez said:
First of all you can probably mount your Nexus tablet in landscape - as long as the screen is perpendicular to your shades than the polarized lens' wont matter.
But please expand on "all the other issues." Since you talk about putting a good preamp and amps in your car I assume that the sound quality is a big factor for you. Are the Android HUs that bad? What if you wire one line-out to an amp? Are the signals so much worse than a factory or name-brand aftermarket stereo that if you had a high quality amplifier it would still be very poor? I'm being serious here because I've never used one of these chinese HUs... I just saw some video reviews on YouTube of a couple of them and they looked pretty awesome. What AA stereo do you currently have, and how do you like it? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

BPryde said:
Before all the Apple heads jump on me just remember you or anyone else has no idea what apple did to the music sent to another device besides tell you it was DIGITAL and GREAT and the BEST THERE IS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never seen a single Apple bigot on this site, in 5 years. Maybe a few Android bigots here and there, but mostly just "fans".
The "worst" we have are reasonable people who understand that different mobile OS's have different pros and cons.

Excellent. I am used to getting jumped all over for ditching apple so was just being proactive

BPryde said:
Kenwood exelon ddx9902s and i LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! Had a top of the line Kenwood before that and it actually increased sound quality by far. I did the replacement to get AA (and ditch the IPOD) and did not even think i would end up with better sound. Starting to think maybe that the lack of a Apple product in the car has led to the quality increase. Before all the Apple heads jump on me just remember you or anyone else has no idea what apple did to the music sent to another device besides tell you it was DIGITAL and GREAT and the BEST THERE IS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Starting to think maybe that the lack of a Apple product in the car has led to the quality increase" so what is Apple Car Play ?
I would buy an Android Auto Head Unit as it just works I spend all day at work fixing IT problems the last thing I want to do is have them at home or in my car to deal with.
I think Apples implementation of Car Play looks great however I don't and never will buy an over priced Iphone funny thing is though the Andriod Auto Head Units are over priced so IPhone now looks great value! :laugh:

slinkydonkey said:
"Starting to think maybe that the lack of a Apple product in the car has led to the quality increase" so what is Apple Car Play ?
I would buy an Android Auto Head Unit as it just works I spend all day at work fixing IT problems the last thing I want to do is have them at home or in my car to deal with.
I think Apples implementation of Car Play looks great however I don't and never will buy an over priced Iphone funny thing is though the Andriod Auto Head Units are over priced so IPhone now looks great value! :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple car play is about the same as android auto but different. Auto gives you an interface on your head unit screen but gets its data and stuff it needs from the phone. Car play dumps a bunch of icons on your head unit and makes your car look like an apple product. Auto is very slimmed down to the things you can do but it is for safety! You should be driving. This will piss you off at first thought but after learning the voice commands (it's really good) you will not only understand but you will be a better driver I can set reminders and Google calendar events while diving down the road. I can also send google hangouts messages (and reply) by voice as well. Having google maps in the dash is awesome as well. People will say that "sirri" does all that but I would rather have google looking up answers to my questions. Google is the data company.
---------- Post added at 11:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:05 AM ----------
asdrewq said:
I don't buy the 'android auto is safer' argument - does self control not exist anymore? You can configure an android head unit to just have 5 icons & hide the status bar if you want.
For me, Android auto is far too limiting. On my Android head unit I can customise everything exactly to my taste & what I want to see.
I agree in wishing that there was a 'premium grade' option of android HU & not just Chinese no name built to the lowest cost options & would gladly pay a bit more for quality DACs, regular software updates etc, but the latest models really aren't that bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably the same words spoken by the guy that ran over a 2 year old while he was reaching for an icon to press!
---------- Post added at 11:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 AM ----------
mikereidis said:
I've never seen a single Apple bigot on this site, in 5 years. Maybe a few Android bigots here and there, but mostly just "fans".
The "worst" we have are reasonable people who understand that different mobile OS's have different pros and cons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Missed this message.. Excellent that is good to hear

We all use Android because it allows us to do what we want, when we want. It's for that reason I am for the Head Units rather than Android Auto.
I'm all for safety, but I feel the driver should bear that responsibility. Everyone already has a phone in their pocket that they can infinitely distract themselves with, it's no different than an Android Head Unit. You are behind the wheel of your car, you know what's right and wrong.
I've racked up over 15,000 miles of commuter stop and go (3 hours a day) with my head unit and I've been nothing short of a safe driver. I don't drive around town downloading apps and configuring them on the fly. It's not hard to set up your unit the way you like while your car is stationary at home.

slinkydonkey said:
I think Apples implementation of Car Play looks great however I don't and never will buy an over priced Iphone funny thing is though the Andriod Auto Head Units are over priced so IPhone now looks great value! :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pioneer 4100NEX is as cheap as $500 US on EBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-PIONEER...032177?hash=item1c5c43cf71:g:qxUAAOSwAYtWOqyj
Supports Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Appradio Unchained Reloaded, and works stand-alone too.

"Pioneer 4100NEX is as cheap as $500 US on EBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-PIONEER-...UAAOSwAYtWOqyj"
I'm in UK but serious even $500 isn't cheap there is no way I would want to put a £500 car stereo in my car so someone can just break in and steal it.
I've see this Car Play one for http://www.carsoundsandsecurity.co.uk/store/sph-da120/ for £274.95
Most people on this thread seem to like Android Head Units which one is the most reliable one at the moment?

android car audio recommendations?

hey looking at putting an android based car stereo in my new yaris
it can fit a 2 din radio and has steering wheel controls and a remote usb port / aux
i've been looking at the parrot asteroid as that can be rooted and tinkered with and doesnt require the always on usb connection (not to mention the rear-view camera connections are nice)
would like recommendations on brands, models, etc.
my preferred criteria are usb and aux connections and bluetooth hand free for phone calls.
some kind of removable storage would be a plus but not essential.
built in phone independent nav is highly prefered (borderline must-have)

Pioneer 8100NEX..... accept nothing less!
Sent from my 0PJA2 using Tapatalk

sgt. slaughter said:
Pioneer 8100NEX..... accept nothing less!
Sent from my 0PJA2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well the fact that that one is not actually android just has android auto functionality (so it has to be plugged in via usb to work) and can NOT be updated by the end user is a major turn off
i have been looking at Parrot's Asteroid Smart which is full android just reskinned and can be rooted for sideloading various apps like google maps; though i dont know where development is currently at for it's stock OS (but if i can root it that's less of an issue as i can just redo it for the most part myself)

i just installed an XTRONS TD702A in my truck and have been very happy with it. its compatible with malaysk rom and flashing was as easy as running a system update on a sd card. the price was cheap and it shipped in a couple of days.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231772341298

You can check this one which is the latest version from Pumpkin: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Double-Android-Navigation-Subwoofer/dp/B01B2JNF2C/

alvinjones377 said:
You can check this one which is the latest version from Pumpkin: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Double-Android-Navigation-Subwoofer/dp/B01B2JNF2C/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way Pumpkin has implemented Parrot BT it's as bad as the older units. The main screen is hard coded, you can't change any icons or
the way it look. No improvement the way I see it.

iateshaggy said:
i just installed an XTRONS TD702A in my truck and have been very happy with it. its compatible with malaysk rom and flashing was as easy as running a system update on a sd card. the price was cheap and it shipped in a couple of days.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231772341298
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya im a little warry on that one, as from the pics it looks like they cannibalized the entire frame from another companies DOA smart radio and just tried to fit their guts into it ( second picture bottom right; holes dont line up and the mounting screw hole for the radio connector is not even in because of the mis-alignment)
cost is less of an issue than making sure it works and i can do what i need to with it; for reference the parrot asteroid retails (depending on form where) from $429 to $729 depending on if its a refurb or used model
if thats the only option for my needs i can more than deal with that price in exchange for less headaches and/or more customization
also side-note: isn't it grand how xda DOESN'T auto subscribe you to threads that you create? didn't even know anyone else replied after the 8100nex recommendation till i remembered i made it and came to look....

to be honest i was a little curious about their mounting brackets but it didn't matter in my truck. i had to do such a custom fit job there was no need for mounting.

iateshaggy said:
to be honest i was a little curious about their mounting brackets but it didn't matter in my truck. i had to do such a custom fit job there was no need for mounting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya i'm not talking about the mounting bracket; i mean the mounting hole that secures the actual jack for the radio antenna itself if you look on the picture of the back you can see the jack's mounting hole that's meant to be secured to the inside of the radios shell....
anyway
anyone else have any suggestions?

i see what you mean. the hole on top is unused and the one for the radio worked fine.

ok so just had the time to go and actually measure the radio bay size and it is in fact not a 2 din but a 1.5 din bay
i'm guessing this severely limits my options?
edit: ok scratch that the moulding was just covering up the outer edge of the bay it is a 2 din looks like
so nvm

New Joying HU with surround digital amplifier

Does anyone have new Joying HU with surround digital amplifier? Has the sound quality improved?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFr...zWiloVA/videos

They just came out. I posted in your other thread. I have one coming tomorrow. It may be some time before you get any real feedback since they are new. Looks promising, but we learn not to get our hopes up too much.

pounce said:
They just came out. I posted in your other thread. I have one coming tomorrow. It may be some time before you get any real feedback since they are new. Looks promising, but we learn not to get our hopes up too much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's cool, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the new unit

For reference:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073LF3GZP
Others should buy this so I have safety in numbers

I wouldn't expect greatness from an amp in units like this. Any good HUs that have optical out? That is probably the safest choice to get good sound out of these units.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Ziggyrama said:
I wouldn't expect greatness from an amp in units like this. Any good HUs that have optical out? That is probably the safest choice to get good sound out of these units.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone seen an android unit with toslink? For what its worth method of transport has no relation to sound quality. They solve different needs. Transport is like a road. It can be smooth or bumpy, but has nothing to do with the car you drive over it. You can send crap over a toslink and the head unit would have to convert lower grade data to PCM.

pounce said:
Anyone seen an android unit with toslink? For what its worth method of transport has no relation to sound quality. They solve different needs. Transport is like a road. It can be smooth or bumpy, but has nothing to do with the car you drive over it. You can send crap over a toslink and the head unit would have to convert lower grade data to PCM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are correct but it is important to note how these units are built. Toslink removes the need for DAC which is the weak link. Basically, the unit reads digital media and sends digital signal to something else which has its own DAC. Decoding and sending digital signals in these HUs is done with off the shelf chipssets that either work or don't. It is binary. A cheap DAC adds a lot of artifacts and general noise to the signal. So, the reality is, a cheap HU that does toslink can yield good sound. A cheap HU with a DAC will not, because economics won't allow it. That is why I asked. To use your analogy, what is better, a smooth road paved with no seams and expansion joints or one that was paved piece meal with connectors and detours? Hope that makes sense.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Ziggyrama said:
Yes, you are correct but it is important to note how these units are built. Toslink removes the need for DAC which is the weak link. Basically, the unit reads digital media and sends digital signal to something else which has its own DAC. Decoding and sending digital signals in these HUs is done with off the shelf chipssets that either work or don't. It is binary. A cheap DAC adds a lot of artifacts and general noise to the signal. So, the reality is, a cheap HU that does toslink can yield good sound. A cheap HU with a DAC will not, because economics won't allow it. That is why I asked. To use your analogy, what is better, a smooth road paved with no seams and expansion joints or one that was paved piece meal with connectors and detours? Hope that makes sense.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many head units that have toslink really only had it for the CD or DVD and didn't convert radio or aux etc. A few units exist that do the conversion, but its pretty slim. I really don't think anyone has the expectation that for 300 bucks you are getting something amazing. You probably do get something incrementally better than the basic stuff we have been seeing.
Discussing toslink on these units is definitely an armchair topic and pretty far from realistic even if logically is makes sense.

i am really considering that 10.1 inch Joying, it would be my third Joying, so I have a good method of comparison

Well if its like the previous Joying units you can expect about one in 3 units to fully function out of the box and that one to fail within 90 days. Cheap chinese low quality junk with no warranty support.
Second, it does not belong in this forum. Has NOTHING to do with android auto. Off topic.

CadillacMike said:
i am really considering that 10.1 inch Joying, it would be my third Joying, so I have a good method of comparison
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do it! I need safety in numbers. I have a few others to compare that are still running.

I popped it open. I actually don't think the back is any sort of serious heatsink. The digital amp is screwed to it, but there is a gap. Video out is cables alongside the left rear usb. I'm not sure what the empty socket is between the mic and the video out. There is nothing identifying on the silver box.
I probably wont get to bench testing it until the weekend or next week.

pounce said:
I popped it open. I actually don't think the back is any sort of serious heatsink. The digital amp is screwed to it, but there is a gap. Video out is cables alongside the left rear usb. I'm not sure what the empty socket is between the mic and the video out. There is nothing identifying on the silver box.
I probably wont get to bench testing it until the weekend or next week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for tearing into one of these... I've been really curious if that fancy looking back panel was actually a functional heatsink or not. Curious how you rank the sound quality and "no heat problem" this unit is supposed to be advertised for... Look forward to the rest of your review/testing!

I am very interested to see if there is a noticeable sound difference
My Joying died and I put in a Sony until I figure out my next move.
I was genuinely shocked at the sound improvement. And I always thought my Joying sounded great, but my speakers have come alive with the Sony

i got the 10 inch single din with an amp and DSP. I got it installed last night. only had a short drive to test it, but I think it sounds pretty great

CadillacMike said:
i got the 10 inch single din with an amp and DSP. I got it installed last night. only had a short drive to test it, but I think it sounds pretty great
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get a model number on that? I had to have several emails with joying describing what I wanted with a single din and 10.1 screen. They told me to buy a certain one and then add 40 bucks and they would know what to send. Seemed weird. Just wonder if that's what you did also.

pounce said:
Did you get a model number on that? I had to have several emails with joying describing what I wanted with a single din and 10.1 screen. They told me to buy a certain one and then add 40 bucks and they would know what to send. Seemed weird. Just wonder if that's what you did also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not yet, mine was a replacement for my 8 inch that quit working. I emailed them asking for a specific model number so I can post it in my review

Joying now makes it clear on their site:
Note: JOYING car stereo with internal digital amplifier only can fit the car which without internal amplifier and external amplifier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume this is because there appears to be a lack of rear pre-outs, but I'm not totally clear. I did see that if you enable an external amp the controls are reverted to the old interface.

So I have had my new 10 inch unit for about 2 days, and it works great. *Bluetooth doesn't drop out, sounds awesome. *
today and only today, I was listening to music loudly, and I noticed it would drop out a bit. *I thought it was odd and looked at the screen, and I got this flash with yellow on top and some Chinese writing:
I did a reboot and it started working fine again

Right on, thanks for posting your experiences with this unit... I decided to buy an Xtrons 10.1 octacore unit because it was around $100 cheaper than the Joying with the digital amp... Heard a number of complaints about wireless sucking and stuff so I'm eyeing the Joying as a backup if the Xtrons unit goes bad or I discover some sort of weird issue. I gotta admit, I have not encountered any problems with it thus far so hopefully I won't be needing to swap it for the Joying, but its good to know it generally works pretty good (and sounds good) ... One note about the Xtrons unit, is yes the wireless does kinda suck if I'm trying to use my home wireless from the driveway, however its rock solid and fast when I'm using my phone as a hotspot, which is how it will be used 99% of the time, so I'm pretty stoked thats not an issue!
Anyways, thanks again for the info guys!

Hey, new person buying a chinese unit (help please)

I don't know where to post this so I'm posting here due to the amount of other Erisin posts.
I'm in the middle of looking for a double din head unit for my Rav4, this Erisin ES4763C head unit has come up on eBay / Erisin website when googled.
After reading a lot of reviews its putting me off spending around £250 on this head unit with camera, reverse camera, DAB+ etc.
I'm after a head unit that will do almost everything and it seems to fit the bill.
I'm wanting to know are they easily fixable, are they able to refund money if said item is broken? I'll be paying via PayPal to get some protection.
I like to research before I plunge in. Youtube videos seem to have helped a bit on what they do and they seem ok.
Would you recommend buying one or should I stay clear? - Just don't want to end up looking like Homer Simpson in my car with separate things like dash cam, satnav and bluetooth headset. (Season 14, episode 20.) (google "homer simpson car gadgets" since im not allowed to post links yet.)
After a bit more research, I've come across Xtrons PCD67HGT that does all the same stuff as Erisin but without the TV option. (But who drives with TV on?)
I honestly don't know which head unit to go for.
I'm after a head unit that can do these:
DAB+
Dash cam record + speed
Sat Nav
Reverse camera
Hands free phone
Steering wheel control
WiFi + 4G (or connect to phones 4G. Is this possible? So I don't have to buy another sim card?)
DVD + mirroring for back passengers.
What head units are there for me? Vehicle is a RAV4 2004 gen 2 D-4D.
I have around £260 to spend.
Thank you.

Zenlot said:
I don't know where to post this so I'm posting here due to the amount of other Erisin posts.
I'm in the middle of looking for a double din head unit for my Rav4, this Erisin ES4763C head unit has come up on eBay / Erisin website when googled.
After reading a lot of reviews its putting me off spending around £250 on this head unit with camera, reverse camera, DAB+ etc.
I'm after a head unit that will do almost everything and it seems to fit the bill.
I'm wanting to know are they easily fixable, are they able to refund money if said item is broken? I'll be paying via PayPal to get some protection.
I like to research before I plunge in. Youtube videos seem to have helped a bit on what they do and they seem ok.
Would you recommend buying one or should I stay clear? - Just don't want to end up looking like Homer Simpson in my car with separate things like dash cam, satnav and bluetooth headset. (Season 14, episode 20.) (google "homer simpson car gadgets" since im not allowed to post links yet.)
After a bit more research, I've come across Xtrons PCD67HGT that does all the same stuff as Erisin but without the TV option. (But who drives with TV on?)
I honestly don't know which head unit to go for.
I'm after a head unit that can do these:
DAB+
Dash cam record + speed
Sat Nav
Reverse camera
Hands free phone
Steering wheel control
WiFi + 4G (or connect to phones 4G. Is this possible? So I don't have to buy another sim card?)
DVD + mirroring for back passengers.
What head units are there for me? Vehicle is a RAV4 2004 gen 2 D-4D.
I have around £260 to spend.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
honestly stay away from any HU from china... they are all headaches one way or another. Go with something expensive.. like alpines andriod unit.. your looking at 1200 CAN. but w9rth every dime i sure wish i did and i use to install them for a living.
I got a seicane s0480.. had a bad circuitboard they sent me a new one.. now i cant use my screen..
Eonon have issues they all do. Spend your money on something worth it with less hassle

Im using Xtrons TA701PL and it really runs like a charm.
Some of the most important setups are there, and its got expansion slots for everything and then some.
Sound is way better than i expected, perhaps some would argue that the amp is a little to the lower side, but its still able to blast out your speakers if you want to.
Ive tried a various amount of the unbranded CH HU´s from Ebay/Amazon, but nothing compares to Xtrons, i even had one of these unbranded ones having 20 mins to open spotify!, on my Xtrons, its there allmost instant.
Support wise, they do have a forum, but its one of those forums where you cant just post anyways, but they have to allow your post to be shown, so its 110% useless, BUT they do have a online chat, where you allso can leave an email, and they do respond pretty quickly.
I had 1 issue with mine, a faulty cable, and they sendt me a new one, at no charge.
Only real wierd issue software wise i have, is some apps seems to see BT as turned off, this seems to be a trend among Android HU´s, every single one ive tried has this, it can sometimes interferer with some apps that need BT to be activated.
I bought mine directly at Xtrons

Impetuz said:
Im using Xtrons TA701PL and it really runs like a charm.
Some of the most important setups are there, and its got expansion slots for everything and then some.
Sound is way better than i expected, perhaps some would argue that the amp is a little to the lower side, but its still able to blast out your speakers if you want to.
Ive tried a various amount of the unbranded CH HU´s from Ebay/Amazon, but nothing compares to Xtrons, i even had one of these unbranded ones having 20 mins to open spotify!, on my Xtrons, its there allmost instant.
Support wise, they do have a forum, but its one of those forums where you cant just post anyways, but they have to allow your post to be shown, so its 110% useless, BUT they do have a online chat, where you allso can leave an email, and they do respond pretty quickly.
I had 1 issue with mine, a faulty cable, and they sendt me a new one, at no charge.
Only real wierd issue software wise i have, is some apps seems to see BT as turned off, this seems to be a trend among Android HU´s, every single one ive tried has this, it can sometimes interferer with some apps that need BT to be activated.
I bought mine directly at Xtrons
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im close to buying the PA77HGTP, reverse camera, DVR camera comes to around £251. I'm close to clicking the button but something's putting me off. They recently brought out 8.0 with 4gb ram. But doesn't fit my car
There's no videos etc for showing the newer Xtrons working that I can find.
Hmm just don't know what to do.

Zenlot said:
Im close to buying the PA77HGTP, reverse camera, DVR camera comes to around £251. I'm close to clicking the button but something's putting me off. They recently brought out 8.0 with 4gb ram. But doesn't fit my car
There's no videos etc for showing the newer Xtrons working that I can find.
Hmm just don't know what to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im quite happy with using the 7.1 models, all i wanted was the dual app function on the screen, so i can have spotify and traffic on at the same time

Zenlot said:
I don't know where to post this so I'm posting here due to the amount of other Erisin posts.
I'm in the middle of looking for a double din head unit for my Rav4, this Erisin ES4763C head unit has come up on eBay / Erisin website when googled.
After reading a lot of reviews its putting me off spending around £250 on this head unit with camera, reverse camera, DAB+ etc.
I'm after a head unit that will do almost everything and it seems to fit the bill.
I'm wanting to know are they easily fixable, are they able to refund money if said item is broken? I'll be paying via PayPal to get some protection.
I like to research before I plunge in. Youtube videos seem to have helped a bit on what they do and they seem ok.
Would you recommend buying one or should I stay clear? - Just don't want to end up looking like Homer Simpson in my car with separate things like dash cam, satnav and bluetooth headset. (Season 14, episode 20.) (google "homer simpson car gadgets" since im not allowed to post links yet.)
After a bit more research, I've come across Xtrons PCD67HGT that does all the same stuff as Erisin but without the TV option. (But who drives with TV on?)
I honestly don't know which head unit to go for.
I'm after a head unit that can do these:
DAB+
Dash cam record + speed
Sat Nav
Reverse camera
Hands free phone
Steering wheel control
WiFi + 4G (or connect to phones 4G. Is this possible? So I don't have to buy another sim card?)
DVD + mirroring for back passengers.
What head units are there for me? Vehicle is a RAV4 2004 gen 2 D-4D.
I have around £260 to spend.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Main question is: how good are you at DIY electronics? If not good at all you might want to consider buying a unit from a specialized company that will also set it up in your car.
After using several chinese HUs here are my findings:
All the units I have seen have low quality glossy LCD screens. If you live in a sunny area don't expect to see anything on the screen.
There is no QC at the end of the production cycle. That is why people receive units with non functioning screens or get weird errors from units with bad internal connections.
System architecture is unnecessarily complicated AND has serious limitations. For example you cannot: use a BT dongle or use a generic camera with the DVR app.
Bluetooth phone connections are generally of poor quality.
Some 4G modems work, others don't - no drivers.
Dual-zone (i.e having satnav on the HU screen and play a movie on the back screens) isn't generally available and you should specifically ask for that.
Steering wheel controls work as long as you have a resistive- type SWC. If not, additional modules are required.
Older units (with Android 4.4 or 5.1) have too little RAM and may become extremely slow.
With that said you can still find good value for money, just make sure you talk to the seller before paying anything and confirm every single feature for your specific car model. Chinese will answer any question before sale and pretty much disappear after sale.
I cannot comment on DAB+, never used it.