JVC Multimedia And Navigation Head-Units Pack Touch, BT, App Support
JVC has outed a bevy of new in-car head units, ranging from double-din touchscreen multimedia receivers through to motorized entertainment/multimedia systems, at CES 2012 today. Both the KW-AV multimedia range and KW-NT navigation range offer large LCD displays, iPhone multimedia support and, optionally, HD Radio access. Meanwhile, JVC has also added Bluetooth smartphone support with the new JVC KS-BTA100 module, as well as detailed incoming support for apps in its head units.JVC Multimedia units:KW-AV50 ($379.95; available now) – Detachable 6.1-inch QVGA touchscreen, SiriusXM read and iPhone/iPod connection support. Powered USB port plus 4.0V line and subwoofer pre-output level; USB PMP/drive media playback of WAV/MP3/WMA files. 50W x 4 plus 3 pre-out terminals.KW-AV60 ($429.95; January) – DVD/CD/USB receiver with detachable 6.1-inch WVGA display. App link mode support, plus Satellite and HD Radio ready; same WAV/MP3/WMA compatibility and connectivity.KW-ADV64BT ($489.95; January) – DVD/CD/USB receiver with detachable 6.1-inch WVGA display and integrated Bluetooth. Powered rear USB port with 2-way iPod control plus App Link Mode. Satellite Radio and HD Radio ready, plus Dolby Digital support; same connectivity and WAV/MP3/WMA support as AV60.KW-AV70BT ($579.95; February) – 7-inch WVGA motorized widescreen touchscreen with proximity sensor and detachable face. Integrated Bluetooth for phonebook sync, hands-free, audio streaming, voice recognition dialing and phonebook search. USB 2.0 port for 2-way iPod/iPhone control; powered USB supply with drive-change mode for smartphones. App Link Mode, Satellite Radio and HD Radio support, plus WAV/MP3/WMA compatibility. MOS-FET 50 watts x 4, three sets of 4V pre-outs, line input terminals, plus a front SDHC/SD slot and dual zone/dual play.
JVC Navigation units:KW-NT300 ($899.95; March) – DVD/CD/USB/SD Navigation receiver with 6.1-inch touchscreen. Bluetooth, powered rear USB port, 30,000 control backlight color options. Mapping supports Junction View, Off-Axis View, 3D Viewing with 3-D Footprint, 360 degree rotation and built-in color 3D landmark icons in most major cities. Voice guidance, turn-by-turn instructions.KW-NT500HDT ($999.95; March) – As NT300, but adds built-in HD Radio audio and data tuners. Free lifetime subscription to Total Traffic HD+/Total Traffic Connect with on-screen news, sports, weather, and real-time traffic updatesKW-NT700 ($1,099.95; March) – As NT300, but with 7-inch motorized faceplate with five positions of forward tilt and one reverse tilt.KW-NT800HDT ($1,299.95; March) As NT700, but with built-in HD Radio audio and data tuners. Free lifetime subscription to Total Traffic HD+/Total Traffic ConnectBluetooth and Apps
The JVC KS-BTA100 Bluetooth add-on module ($79.95) adds phone book access/phone book transfer, hands-free calling, audio streaming with remote control and text message alerts to 2012 head units without integrated wireless. There's also support for Pandora and other streaming from Android and BlackBerry phones.
As for apps, App Link mode pulls across data from iPhone/iPod touch software onto the head-unit display. Functionality depends on the app itself, but can include text-to-speech of RSS feeds, weather and traffic updates, streaming media, video recording and more.
