Gauging interest in 7" LCD Monitors integrated in the dash for
the New Scions.

I mainly do these for Subarus, but I'm trying to expand into
other models. Subarus are great to do since they have an
extra place to mount a radio, but if you don't, you can get
something like the Pioneer AVM P9000R Receiver. It is a hideaway unit
with onscreen controls, you can also hook up a DVD changer to it.
Awesome unit. Another great thing you can do is incorporate
the HKS CAMP to have on screen digital gauges.

Anyhow, I charge $349.99 plus shipping to do these. You will
have to send me your dash piece, and then I install the LCD
and ship back to you.

Here are some pictures of my work:







Regards,
Matt

I can be reached at mattjk@mail.com

 

hey everyone, matt is my friend and i first met him because of these screens. he has a lot of experience with professional car audio and electronics installations, as well as being an accomplished car hobbyist, specializing in toyotas. he has one of the nicest wrxs around right now and he does things first class all the way. he does this on the side, and isn't out to make a big profit. he's just trying to help out the enthusiast community. a lot of the "professional" shops really do a crappy job when it comes to things like custom screens, unless you pay a TON of money. but matt can do it for a fraction of the cost. he also makes audiophile quality RCA interconnects if anyone is interesting in high quality cables for their car audio system. much better than rockford fosgate and most other cables, and his prices are awesome.

i had him put one in my wrx and it looked awesome! he has come up with a special process that makes the screen look as if it's OEM, but the price is still very good. the screen is protected behind a piece of glass so it can never get scratched or damaged. i'll probably be test fitting a screen in my scion as soon as i get it and we'll get some pictures for you guys.

if you guys need screens for your headrests or visors, matt can get those for you too. the screens are TFT, and the 7" ones have remote controls to adjust brightness and everything else.

i just wanted to put a good word in for matt because he's a nice guy and it's hard to know if you can trust people. but matt's done a lot for the toyota and subaru communities and not only knows what he's doing, but he actually cares.

 

Thank you for the kind words, Eric :)

 

The price you charge makes it almost not worth my time to try and do my own install! You've definitely got me thinking/considering...!
What sort of LCD units are you using, and do you have any problems with glare? And eric m mentioned having adjustability over the brightness and contrast still...how exactly do you access those controls?

 

i'll let matt answer, but i'd like to also say that glare isn't really an issue, but i guess it depends on the car and when you plan on watching. the screen is good quality, but i don't remember the brand, and all brightness/color/position/contrast settings are done via a little credit card sized remote control. pretty cool.

for how good it looks and works, the price is definitely worth it.

 

Is it possible for the Dealer to remove the dash and have it sent...? i dont know how to take the dsh apart... dont know about warranty issues?

 

I posted this in the So Cal section but Verone sent me these pics of them working on one of his customers car's.

BTW, this is not the dealer working on the car, but I figure I'd slap some pics of the car being taken apart at least. :D


Notice how the lift jack is actually underneath the drivers seat.


Racing seats compared to the stockers:

 

there is probably a plastic trim piece that comes off the dash that is easy to pull off, but i have to do it first to make sure. i'll see how hard it is, and take pictures so everyone can see what is involved. obviously people can't ship a whole dash in the mail, so if it doesn't come off as a little piece, matt is going to have some thinking to do to get around that problem.

 

My dash is 'kinda' open as there's no radio in it yet (and no cover to conseal the gaping huge hole in the middle of the dash) If you guys want you can check it out to get an idea of how its supposed to come apart. I'm going to Vegas tomorrow but I'll be back on Saturday if Eric doesnt get his car. (I'm not *trying* to rub it in...believe me).

 

Dang, it took me a while but I finally found it! Came across this last month and forgot to bookmark it... pretty cool step-by-step how-to page showing the removal of the dash console:
http://www.bbland.net/zisen3.html
I believe there are slight differences between the JDM and USDM dash consoles, but this page should give you a general idea of how to go about getting the panel off.

 

Sorry about the delay, just got home.

I use a very high quality TFT LCD panel. It comes with a wireless remote control.
It allow you to control all picture quality adjustments, and screen aspect ratios --
which allow you to use either widescreen or pan and scan video material.

I experimented with glarefree glass, but it ended up eating up the contrast, so I
stuck with regular glass. The nice thing about the xB is that the screen will be slightly
recessed, so most of the sun will not hit the screen, but like ANY lcd, it will not
perform at it's best in the day time.

Matt

 

Excellent find! :)

 

I've gotten a few questions about the LCD panel and what I do
to install it.

The LCD panel is a high resolution Wide Screen, so you will
need a DVD player that is wide screen compatable. If you do
not have a wide screen source, you may change the aspect
ratio of the screen via the wireless remote. Also, ALL adjustment
are controlled via the wireless remote including on/off.

Inputs: 1 RCA, Orange turn on wire, Black ground, Red
Accessory or Ignition power.

Also, the LCD panel is slightly smaller than the total opening
of a DOUBLE DIN, so what I do is make a Glass (real glass,
not plastic) frame, that is trimmed with a black border. This
also protects the LCD from dust and damage. Gives it a very
professional look.



Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

My ebay rating: http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...&userid=mattjk

Matt

 

For those of you have have no place to mount an extra
radio somewhere, I've done this setup for people and
it works quite well

Get yourself one of these:
Koss DVD/CD/MP3 player http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=3316

You can take that player, and take the headphone output and
hook it up to an amplifier to power your speakers. This would
be a very good, and cost effective setup. Only problem with this
is that you will lose AM/FM... but I'm sure you may be able to find
a portable dvd player with a tuner built-in.

Matt

 

i used to have that koss DVD player, along with an HKS CAMP system (similar to the picture above with the blue trim piece).

for a portable DVD player, it's awesome. it plays mp3, DVD, VCD, JPG files like a slide show, and it's pretty small and it comes with a nice remote control for all functions. it has zoom, component outputs, s video, and everything a high end DVD player has. it uses a great sound processor chip and it is just a great deal. it would sit nicely on the scion xBs right shelf are, or under one of the seats. have you guys noticed how much space is under the front seats? you can put all kinds of stuff under there!

 

I like the flip screens a bit more...they have more intergration it seems ie touch screen access....not to mention most people dont know there is a screen there humm...still thinking about getting a xB but if I do, garunteee i will take the clarion out of the saab and throw it in the xB....and add either a screen in each head rest or maybe two in the roof :D

 

yeah, but the screens matt makes cost around $350 while the pop out ones cost over $1000 for one that's even close to the quality of the fixed screens matt is selling. plus, let's talk realistically here. those screens that go in and out...they wear out after a while. also, you can't really tell there is a screen there because it's just a dark piece of glass. it just looks like there is no radio.

hey, if you have $1500-$2500 for a high end DVD player with pop out screen, go for it. but if you want to get an awesome screen for less than $400 that is better quality than almost every TFT screen available, then matts screens are the ones to get. you can view them from every angle so no matter where you are sitting, you can see the picture quite nicely.

there are pros and cons to both types but i just want to say that the fixed screen has a custom look and is totally worth it for the money. that's why matt has done so many for the wrxs. they look awesome and they're cheap. and they work.

 

yea i agree Matts screens look dope, im just saying that IMO I dont like screens that are just screens (except if they are for the headrests or roof) i mean like for my clarion it has the CD/MP3/DVD/VCD player built into the screen single DIN size is just more convient for me to change CDs just like a regular deck of course i also have an out board processor (very tiny)since the single DIN deck cant fit the onboard amplifers and dvd decoders into that small space....and also i can change radio stations, play mp3s, ect... with the screen retracted since the clarion has a small sub display...the screen is also tiltable (for glare) and its just soo cool when the screen folds out :D ....the clarion and other types do cost a lot more, (got mine for 1350 this time last year) but i always spend a lot for my stereo systems

 

You have a VERY NICE setup here matt.. how long would we be look for u to keep the dash?

 

Ok can you add a navigation system to this as well??/