JVC KW-NX7000 navigation/DVD receiver

The JVC KW-NX7000 isn't cleverly named like its sibling the El Kameleon, but it is just as cleverly designed. With its smart features, such as the proximity-based interface or the flash-memory-based navigation data, we found the KW-NX7000 extremely easy to use. However, it was the fun little touches, like the custom greeting messages, which made us fall in love with this receiver.

Design
The faceplate of the KW-NX7000 is dominated by a huge 7-inch motorized touch-panel display. Just below the screen is a row of buttons for power/attenuate, volume control, map, display, skip forward/back, and open. The motorized display is detachable, a feature that we don't usually see with these big screen, dual DIN systems. Hidden behind the screen, you'll find the single-CD slot and two SD card slots, one of which is blocked by a plastic cover and is home to the flash memory card containing the map data for the navigation system.

The KW-NX7000's interface features proximity-based controls similar to those on the JVC El Kameleon, except instead of illuminating a touch pad, the controls appear on the LCD touch screen and the buttons illuminate when a hand approaches the screen. This keeps the viewport clear of buttons and clutter for displaying map data or movies.

Installation of the KW-NX7000 is slightly more involved than installing a standard CD/DVD receiver. You'll need to locate the external GPS receiver to a location with a clear view of the sky; we chose the top of the windshield in front of the rearview mirror. Between the standard power wires, speaker cable, and various audio inputs, there are a ton of wires to tuck behind the unit and into the dash. Fortunately, the pigtail that contains the line-in connections is removable, which can save a lot of space behind the unit if you're not using an external amplifier. More space behind the unit means a cooler running, and more reliably operating, receiver.

Once snugly installed in our test vehicle's dashboard, we found the KW-NX7000's interface to be intuitive and easy to navigate. Text and touch areas were clearly defined and easy to read.

Features
With a 7-inch screen and a DVD drive, it's only fairly obvious that the KW-NX7000 supports video playback of Region 1 DVD movies. Interestingly, the KW-NX7000 also supports playback of DivX videos encoded onto DVD discs. However, the unit does not play back videos from the SD card reader.

While big, bright, and easy to read in direct sunlight, the displays rendering of the movies we tested wasn't of the best quality. The image had a grainy quality with colors lacking vibrancy and washed out blacks. Menus screens and the navigation interface look fantastic, so we're inclined to believe that this is more of an issue with the DVD decoder software than one of screen quality. Interestingly, DVD playback on the El Kameleon looked better than that of the KW-NX7000, despite having less than half of the screen real estate.

Audio sources for the KW-NX7000 include AM/FM radio, audio CDs, and digital audio in MP3, WMA, AAC, and WAV formats. Digital audio can be read from CD, DVD, USB drive, or SD card. Connecting an iPod to the USB pigtail allows for audio playback, but video playback requires an optional add-on module. Navigating songs on an iPod is slow and tedious, particularly with hard-drive-based models such as the iPod Classic. This is particularly annoying from a device with a "Made for iPod" badge on the box. Folder navigation from the SD card reader, on the other hand, is quick and painless.

Add-on modules are available to add Bluetooth wireless technology, satellite radio, or HD radio.