The Jensen VM9511TS enables users to control iPods using a dedicated touch-screen interface.
Using the touch screen's wheel, users can select play lists, artists, albums, or songs in a similar fashion to using the iPod itself. Using the remote control is a little less intuitive and requires reference to the manual to establish that the forward search button activates the iPod menu screen and the skip buttons scroll through the options.
One bug that we found with the iPod interface was that the unit sometimes failed to recognize our iPod when we plugged it in--a problem that we finally remedied by pushing the reset button on the side of the media module.
The video features on the VM9511TS are impressive. The unit has a versatile 16-position tilting screen, and it offers video playback in a range of aspect ratios, including standard 4 x 3, widescreen 16 x 9, and "cinema" configurations. Picture quality is good for DVDs, although we had difficult getting a clear TV picture with the 16-inch rabbit-ear antennae, despite being on the 5th floor in a static office building; getting a clear episode of Oprah will prove to be even more trouble when on the move. A secondary tuner module enables the VM9511TS to be hooked up to a cable or satellite signal. One surprising omission in the VM9511TS's arsenal is its lack of a USB port--perhaps there was just not enough room on Jensen's assembly line to add another function.
The principal drawbacks with the Jensen VM9511TS are logistical rather than related to its functionality. First, car owners will need a lot of spare real estate in their dashboards to accommodate this unit: The additional media module takes up nearly as much space as a standard single-DIN unit by itself. Second, the VM9511TS does not come with a removable faceplate, so all its megafunctionality is accessible to screwdriver-wielding car thieves. One redeeming point of security for the VM9511TS is that it will take any would-be thief at least 10 minutes to disconnect the dozens of wires and cables holding the unit in place, but that is not an adequate substitute for a removable faceplate.
Despite these gripes, the VM9511TS is a high-end media receiver that will open up a world of in-car media options for those willing to take the time to install it.
