- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 12 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
3.0 stars
"Excellent Features, Flawed Execution. Quirky."
Pros: Plays Many Video Formats including DivX, very expandable, rock solid navigation unit.
Cons: Quirky USB implementation, Confusing Menus, Firmware/Feature Glitches.
Summary: The Kenwood DNX7100 has just about every feature one would look for in a double-din car audio/video unit. The feature list is extensive including:
* DVD/CDR drive supports commercial releases in addtion to recordable media in Joliet format. (UDF Formats do not work). The unit plays unprotected MP3 and WMA files along with MPEG 1 & 2 Files and DivX files. Video files must be encoded to the exact specifications which means you may have to re-encode downloaded content to work with the player. JPEG photos can also be viewed from the CD/DVD drive.
* AM/FM Tuner with RDS compatibility. 18 FM Presets, 6 AM Presets.
* Navigation System based upon the popular Garmin "C"-series navigation. The large 6.95" diagonal touch-screen display is especially suited to navigation. All of the high-end "C" series features are present including the fully functional XM tuner and traffic system. Garmin's FM traffic system can also be attached. (Its questionable whether or not you'd want to use the navigation system's XM features, however, since they are not as robust as connecting the optional Kenwood XM module to the system. XM use requires the purchase of a Garmin-manufactured XM/Traffic satellite antenna. The standard traffic-only antenna is included. Similary if you want FM traffic information you would need to purchase the separate FM traffic information kit from Garmin). Map updates and POI information can be loaded from the integrated SD Card slot. This slot is only used by the navigation unit, however, and is not "seen" by the rest of the unit for playing media.
* Additional inputs/outputs on the unit: USB, A/V In, Video Out, iPod A/V IN, Video In (Reverse Camera), Garmin Traffic antenna in, Kenwood feature connector, Kenwood Television Tuner connector.
* The Kenwood feature connector is very convenient. It allows the addition of several optional features by simply connecting them in series to the input jack. The head unit provides the power to the accesories making installation extremely easy. Features available include an HD Radio Tuner, Satellite Radio Tuner (XM or Sirius), Bluetooth Telephone interface, CD Changer, and Exteral Audio Input (which can be added at the end of the chain).
*A special iPod cable can be used with the iPOD A/V inputs to support playback of AAC-protected files and video.
* A reverse backup camera option is available that automatically shows rear-view display when the vehicle is shifted into reverse.
Some functional Notes:
DVD Playback: The DVD controls are somewhat obscure, especially the controls necessary to navigate DVD menus.
A/V Playback General: The system is really flexible and can be setup with Front/Rear speaker connections in zones. Since the unit supports an optional (composite) video out, you could connect a rear video monitor and direct video to the rear zone while playing other media in the front zone. External switch controls in the unit can be connected to the rear zone features so power can be activated from the head unit.
USB Support: The female USB-A connector allows the direct connection of low-powered items, like thumb-drives, card readers, or some hard disks. The low-amperage power supply precludes connecting most hubs (some people have reported doing this successfully - but the manual specifically says that hubs are not supported). Unless using the iPOD accessory only MP3 and WMA files can be played through the USB (although the manual implies that you can play videos and photos - this does not work). The head unit will display all of the pertinent song data that is embedded into the ID3 tag. This means that your album art must be embedded into the tag to be displayed - it cannot simply reside in the directory with a "pointer" as is supported by some players. Each time the unit is powered on the USB unit is indexed by the head unit. Index data cannot be saved. It can take a long time to index the data on large drives - approximately 40-60 seconds per MB. This means that connecting a 20-Meg data drive will take up to 20-minutes before it will be fully available for use.
iPOD support: The dedicated iPod cable connects only with G5 video iPods or new-generation Nanos. Older iPods are specifically not supported (but may work). The iPod dock connector connects to one end of the cable and the USB, and dedicated iPod Video and Audio connections are used at the other end. By using the A/V inputs, the unit is able to playback AAC protected content purchased from the iPod Store. Sine the iPod cable uses the USB port, you can't have another USB device connected. The advantage of the iPod connector is that the head unit uses the iPod's built-in indexes and does not have to index the data. This means you have instant access to the iPod's contents without the lag required on a standard USB connection. You can also play videos and photos from the iPod which you cannot do from a plain USB unit.
Satellite Support: I use the unit with the Sirius module which works flawlessly. The integrated controls, direct tuning, and 4-Line content displays are exceptional. 24 Presets are available for satellite broadcasts (in 4 bands).
HD Radio: The HD Radio module is another easy add-on to the unit. The implementation is flawed however due to faulty firmware. One of the main features of HD Radio (in addition to better sound quality) is the integration of RDS and extended data. The unit, however, can only show one line of HD RDS data in "HD" mode. This data "flashes" on the screen quickly when changing a channel and then disappears. Other users have reported that the same Kenwood HD Radio modules work properly when connected to other head-units, but the display problem is specific to connection to the DNX7100. The HD Radio volume levels are not matched to the other input sources on the DNX7100. So if you are playing a Satellite broadcast at "Volume 7" and change to HD Radio, you'll have to boost to about "Volume 14" to get the same level. The unit does not save volume levels by source, so when you change from HD Radio back to Satellite you will be "blasted" if you don't remember to turn the volume down before changing sources.
I have the Bluetooth unit on order, but can't comment on its performance at this time.
