Plug and Play: Upgrading a Modern Car Entertainment System
Do you want a car entertainment system that allows you to add components and utilize the technology of plug and play? Car entertainment went through a revolution in the 1990s with the development of a bus system that allows a source unit to control components that are simply plugged into a bus or cable. That cable allows the transmission of data from the head unit to components and from components back to the head unit. With that development, the field of car entertainment exploded to not only include such audio features as CD changers that could be mounted in the trunk, but also the easy addition of processors that could be as sophisticated as surround sound and later video. And all one has to do is plug a component into a cable.
It was the major car audio manufacturers who developed the bus systems and who still use them today. Those companies include Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer and Clarion. Each bus system is exclusive to the company that is using it. That is, the protocol used to accept components into the bus and then command those components is exclusive for each manufacturer.
If you are interested in being able to expand your entertainment system as future devices are developed, it is best to settle on one of these particular companies like Alpine. When developing your system, you need to start off with a control unit that is, in the case of Alpine, Ai-NET compatible. Then, when you want to expand your system you choose products that are from the company that supplied the control unit. This way, all that one has to do is plug a component that is compatible into the bus.
Moreover, control units and head units being offered today have RCA, USB or other types of inputs which allow you to purchase a Sirius XM radio receiver and add it to your entertainment system simply by plugging it into the control or head unit. You can also add a DVD player or changer as well as video monitors in the same manner. One can also plug in Bluetooth which allows the connection of sophisticated mobile phones like iPhone to take advantage of all the product has to offer and feed it into the entertainment system.
So whenever you want to expand your system, simply go to the website of the particular company that supplied your control unit. Research the different components that company has to offer and check to be certain that the component can be plugged into the company’s bus system or directly into the control or head unit.
Moreover, as future devices are developed you can check to see if the company that supplied your control unit has that device and whether it is compatible to the bus used by your system or compatible with inputs on your control system or head unit. If so, simply buy it and plug it in.
