Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Metro Boston
Posts: 32

well this is about as easy a diy project as they get, but it took me a long time to get around to doing. i bought a cheap 12ft ipod cable (video, left-right audio) and snaked it under the carpet to the 3rd row aux inputs on my 05 EX w/RES.

now, when the kids wanna watch something i can pullit up on my video ipod (in the front cupholder) and off we go. no more fumbling thru dvd menus, etc. plus, i have about 20 movies on the ipod so one is bound to please the little varmits (in theory).

also, i can now toss out the p.o.s. fm transmitter i've been living with and begin to actually enjoy my music via this aux port.

the only downside is that when the kids are watching videos, i can't listen to my music, but such is the price for happy kids. on a 10 hour ride, it's worth it.

Last edited by gordonjones on 04-02-2007 at 03:57 AM

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Registered: Jul 2006
Location: los angeles
Posts: 355

nice mod, i never would have thought about this idea before.

i wonder if you can plug in an apple tv to the ody. that would be so AWESOME.

if you want to listen to music, and watch movie, i believe you can separate the back from the fron speaker only if they are using the headphone, i remember doing this with my neighbor's ody. but you would need something else to store your music, probably cds or another mp3 and a p.i.e.

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possible 2008 mazda 5 i hope, if it comes out with msrp near 15k im getting it. cuz it did in japan.
2006 mazda5 Zoom-Zoom-
2005 Nissan Alitma 2.5S
2005 Honda Accord Coupe SE
2000 Mercedes Benz ML320- gone but not forgotten.
1995 Mazda MPV- what a fun lil van, and it was in RED
1989-Nissan Stanza- reliable car, lasted my family 300000 miles

although this is a car forum i just want to show off my PSP SLIM, got two, on in black ,and my felcia blue is coming.

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Registered: Jul 2006
Location: PA
Posts: 182

You can do the same with the Apple iTV. The remote is nicer. The iTV can be permanently mounted under the seat, when you pull into the garage - assuming your home wireless network reaches into the garage, it will update the movies wirelessly.

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2006 Touring - Nighthawk Black
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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Metro Boston
Posts: 32

yeah, i have an appletv in my den and considered putting the in van, but given the vibrations and temp flucuations, i don't think i'm gonna do that quite yet. other than wirelessly synching, there's not a lot the appletv has on the ipod, for my needs at least.

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 25

I did something similar in my 2003. I bought the cable from Apple and an extension cable + a double male connector from Radio Shack. Drill through the bottom of the side storage (under the lid) area and ran the cables down. From there, I ran the cable under the molding to the front of the van, under the dash, and up into the cup holder. I have an iPod holder mounted on the dash. I can play music or show movies to the kiddies in the back. Neat and clean, no visible wires with the exception of the wire right at the cup holder.

I am pondering a similar set up for my new Tribeca.

Last edited by Elmo T on 04-09-2007 at 06:11 PM

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Metro Boston
Posts: 32

yeah, about the easiest mod i've ever done. if i really got into it, i'd like to cut into the av aux wires somewhere closer to the front, instead of running wires all the way back, but finding them would mean work.

also nice that there's no scars left on this. good for resale when that day comes.

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: Lexington, KY
Posts: 82

Gordonjones you don't realize it but I've been looking for you for months! Finally, someone who throws video out of an Ipod to the RES! Actually, I was just on the wrong forum. I'm glad I found out. I am considering doing the same thing but have questions before I buy the PMP (not Ipod).

- when connected does the screen go black?
- or can you see both screens simultaneously?
- can video Ipod transmit 16x9 video (or wider) successfully?
- how is sound quality?
- how does audio out work? Part of video or thus headphone jack?

Thanks!

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2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L with RES & NAV

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Metro Boston
Posts: 32

glad you found me

when the ipod is connected and playing a movie it does not display on the ipod screen. you can anly show on one screen or another. no way around that from what i've seen. would be nice though.

video ipod can do just about any aspect ratio. most people rip their moves at 4:3 to fit the ipod screen, but i tend to keep the original format. works well for the ody screen.

sound quality is as good as anything else. again, probably depends on your ripping settings. my itunes are ripped at 192kb and sound light years better than fm transmitter, and as good as a cd. i'm sure on better speakers some could tell a difference, but in the van it's not an issue.

right now i have a power plug going into the ipod connector port (bottom) and a video/audio cable (yellow/red/white) in the 3.5 jack (on the top of the ipod). i could combine them into one cable in the connector dock port, just haven't bothered.

overall, i'm really happy with the setup, even when i'm just using it for music (most the time). in that scenario, the ipod screen is on (not putting any video out) and i control everything from there. i don't really need the functionality of the fwd/reverse buttons or volume on the steering wheel since the ipod is in the cup holder and pretty easy to reach.

hope that helps. again, an easy mod with a great payoff.

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: Lexington, KY
Posts: 82

Thanks! The Cowon A2 has a toggle switch that lets you decide if the the video is shown on the PMP OR to the output device. This appears to be key for me. I want to be able to set the movie up and going BEFORE I throw it back to the wolves (children). Toggle would also alow me screen usage for mp3s. This is the same reason the mod of showing the DVD on the NAV screen appeals to me. I need to setup and start the movie for the kids.

Know anybody who has dared to do the DVD and NAV mod AND hooked up a video Ipod? Does the AUX jack route thru the DVD thus digital video would display on NAV from the PMP too? Now I'm really out there...

Oh, and 1 more question: When you're using this for audio only how do you output from the device (sorry, I may be one of the few who doesn't yet own an Ipod and is considering another device - Cowon A2 or upcoming A3).

Thanks again!

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2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L with RES & NAV

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Metro Boston
Posts: 32

with dvd's (playing from the dash) i agree it's a hassle to set the movie up without seeing it (menu, previews, languages, etc). just asking for an accident. with the ipod however, when you rip them movie to the m4v format, all the menu stuff is generally stripped out, so you just select the movie you want and hit play on the ipod - it goes straight to the movie. no hassles. in this case there's no real need to see the movie on the ipod screen, unless of course you really the little mermaid (i prefer pocahontas, but that's another topic.)

for music i just plug the ipod in, with the same cables, hit the aux button (on the radio), just as i would for a movie.
since it's not a video file however, the ipod knows to keep everyhting on the ipod display. also, since the res screen is folded up, i don't think the ipod even sees it as an option. so for music the ipod screen works as normal and i use it to control playback and see all the album info.

the only time the ipod shows video to the res screen is when the ipod is playing an actual video file. that's when you click "tv" or "ipod screen" on the ipod to determine where it displays. again, you can set your ipod preferences to automatically display video to the external screen if attached, i just like the option to choose on every occasion, therefore i have to indicate which screen every time. just a preference.

i think the toggle switch might be overdoing it, since that feature is basically built into the ipod itself, and you don't really need to set the movies up like you do on a dvd. far quicker and none of the head turning and stretching.

displaying video on the gps screen is whole other issue, and i didn't opt for that feature anyway, so moot for me. in hindsight, it wish i had, maybe on my next ody.

hope that helps.

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: Lexington, KY
Posts: 82

It does and thanks again. I'm fairly tech savvy and have a lot of friends but amazingly few that have video Ipods (little alone attached to their vehicle). I had no idea that the Ipod knew it was throwing video or not. I had always ruled out the video Ipod for that reason. Now I'll have to give it another consideration. Our primary reason for the PMP will be to use it in the van, and when we travel to take movies to other people's TV (i.e. in-laws, grandparents). I don't think I'll want to wait until the next true video ipod comes out though - that will be forever. Of course we have Cingular/AT&T and my wife needs a new phone... Nah, not enough hard drive in there.

We have a lot of .avi movies in divx and xvid. Don't really want to convert for Ipod. Will Ipod play these natively? And what about my collection of mp3's that are not DRM? I'm guessing it will play these. Boy, now I feel old school since I don't even have an Ipod yet...

Thanks. Didn't know the Ipod was that smart!

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2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L with RES & NAV

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Metro Boston
Posts: 32

the ipod will play non drm mp3's no problem, so you're safe there. the videos will need to be converted though. to load into the ipod, you need to first get them into itunes, and it only takes a few formats (can't remember off the top of my head). piles of free or cheap software out there to do it, though yes, it's a bit of work if you have a lot of movies.

another note: i used the ipod last night and realized there's one more thing you need to do when watching vids, you need to press the dvd/aux button on the res remote, otherwise the screen shows what's on the dvd player, not ipod. small step but could be frustrating if overlooked.

agreed on the vide ipod, might be a while. i think i'll hold off on the iphone as well, since i hate cell phones.

good luck.

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: Lexington, KY
Posts: 82

Thanks again gordonjones. I just realized I will see my brother-in-law later this afternoon and he has a (rarely used) video Ipod. Maybe he's got the cables and I can try it out. Still, I will likely seek a PMP that I don't have to convert my libarary of avi's. I'll try to let you (and possibly others know) how it turns out.

BTW: Boston is great. I visited last year for a conference at MIT and had a great time. But I'll pass on testing our NAV and stick to public transit to avoid your roads...

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2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L with RES & NAV

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: Lexington, KY
Posts: 82

Brother-in-law didn't have the RCA cables. Now I remember why I did not pursue his assistance before....

I will keep looking into other PMP's but still like the idea of the Cowon A2 (A3 coming out soon).

I knew that about the AUX/DVD switch. I assumed as much. Does it drive anybody else crazy that it automatically toggles between the 2 when you insert another DVD? I feel like I switch it back to DVD much of the time.

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2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L with RES & NAV

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Metro Boston
Posts: 32

since installing the ipod option i haven't used anything else. dvd's are so 2004

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