Pioneer Car Entertainment 2009 Preview

Following is a rundown of new audio head units unveiled by Pioneer Electronics in terms of connectivity.

They’re trying hard to convince consumers they really care about the connectivity issue this year, but they’ve lied so far; everything is still IP-based. Seems like they ain’t gonna bury the dead technology unless it rots.

The Interactive Pioneer Bus is very old, and limits head units’ flexibility a great deal. Everything including head units should operate digitally, and the needs for an interactive digital port is undeniable. What Pioneer engineers should keep in mind is their heads are less supportive than a today’s midrange “European” mobile phone in terms of connectivity!

The “carputer” or “car PC” concept declares heads should operate flexibly like a laptop, or at least a mobile phone; they need to be able to interact with everything possible, including optical media, removable storage (flash memory and portable hard disk drives), Bluetooth devices, Wi-Fi, USB, GPS, A/V, and also (high-end) external amplifiers in the sense of information (amp current/voltage/temperature) and configuration. Why should toggling an amp from normal to hi-current mode drag everyone (even the richest audiophile) to the trunk with a mini screwdriver in hand? Does it require rocket science to toggle that right from the head unit using a checkbox (only if future amps support remote configuration)? What about a streamlined steering remote standard? -That’s definitely rocket science!

Some might say that head would cost a fortune, but does the term “add-on” ring a bell? One should be able to buy an add-on to support removable storage, but the vague IP-based CD-UB100 is not the answer: That’s not a proper removable storage support, when it’s too expensive (because it’s got its own decoder, while head’s got one), audio transfer is not digital, text (file/folder name) support is lame, capacity, file system and partitioning support is a disaster. Same story’s with Bluetooth (CD-BT200), iPod (CD-IB100II), AUX (CD-RB20), sat-nav, A/V…

But then that’d cost them (head unit tech moguls like Pioneer, Alpine, Clarion, Kenwood, Sony, Eclipse) a fortune, because that head doesn’t need replacement every year or every once in a while when something new comes along! Someone remember changing their PC just to support MP3 back in the 90s?! They don’t like enduring stuff; lasting standards cuts their benefits. They evilly carve plastic molds everywhere in concealed parts just to save a few cents, how come connectible heads are expected?!

The revealed 2009 head units so far, ranging from mid to bottom, include:

• DEH-P4150UB with USB direct connection and built-in front aux-in connection
• DEH-4150SD with USB direct connection, built-in SD memory card slot, and built-in front aux-in connection
• DEH-3100UB with USB direct connection and built-in front aux-in connection
• DEH-3150UB with USB direct connection and built-in front aux-in connection
• DEH-2100IB with direct connection for iPod and built-in front aux-in connection
• DEH-2150UB/DEH-2150UBG with USB direct connection and built-in front aux-in connection
• DEH-2100 with USB direct connection and built-in front aux-in connection
• DEH-1150MP/DEH-1150MPG* with built-in front aux-in connection

Note: MPG is not to be confused for something with MPEG support, that G stands for “green”, then it’s not to be mistaken with a green product, a tree-hugger, but implicating their green backlight!

2009 high-end and top models aren’t introduced yet. The DEH-P4150UB is the only one with an IP-Bus input (which makes it able of supporting another auxiliary, BT, or a CD-changer), and all models’ CD-A signal-to-noise ratio are rated at 94 dB (1 kHz, IEC-A Network) with regards to quality.

DEH-P4150UB/DEH-4150SD/DEH-3100UB: iPod and Software Versions Operable with Headunit

• iPod fifth generation 1.3.0
• iPod nano first generation 1.3.1
• iPod nano second generation 1.1.3
• iPod nano third generation 1.1.2
• iPod classic 1.1.2
• iPod touch 2.0
• iPhone 2.0
• iPhone 3G 2.0

DEH-2100IB: iPod and Software Versions Operable with Headunit

• iPod fourth generation 3.1.1
• iPod photo 1.2.1
• iPod fifth generation 1.3.0
• iPod mini 1.4.1
• iPod nano first generation 1.3.1
• iPod nano second generation 1.1.3
• iPod nano third generation 1.1.2
• iPod classic 1.1.2
• iPod touch 1.1.4

DEH-4150SD: SD Memory Card Formats and Features for Playback

• Applicable logomarks: SD, SDHC, miniSD, miniSDHC, microSD and microSDHC
• Maximum memory capacity: 16 GB
• File system: FAT16/FAT32
• Decoding format: MP3 MPEG-1/-2 Audio Layer-3, WMA 7/7.1/8/9/10/11 2-channel audio, AAC iTunes MPEG-4 version 7.7 and earlier versions, WAV Linear PCM, MS ADPCM (non-compressed)
• Text data: 64 characters of file/folder name
• Functions: FF/REV, scan (file/folder), pause, repeat (file/folder), random play (file/folder)