Sony moves visual in-car entertainment up a notch with their XAV-W1

Sony has launched a new DVD/CD–based car audio/video system, the XAV-W1. It is Sony’s first double din-sized visual entertainment system for the car, providing outstanding picture and sound quality, easy connectivity to MP3 players and personalisation options.

Packed with the latest technology, this latest Sony in-car DVD player boasts a Sony-designed 7" double WVGA TFT Touch Monitor which delivers superb 800 x 480 pixel picture quality (traditional QVGA is 480 x 234 pixels). Other features include DRIVE-S II for superior sound and picture quality, and Karaoke-Mic, which enables your passengers to enjoy a sing-along of all their favourite songs!

The XAV-W1 also features the Super Audio CD format and provides a 5.1-Channel surround sound option. The unit will play CDs, DVD videos and Super Audio CDs and supports Dolby® Digital surround sound and dts® Digital Surround Processing playback, along with the JPEG video format, DivX video format, Windows Media Audio (WMA) and MP3 audio formats.

The integrated Super Audio CD high-resolution format is based upon Direct Stream Digital ™ (DSD) technology. DSD records music signals at a sampling frequency of 2.822 MHz and converts them to 1-bit data.

The video entertainment system’s intuitive user interface makes it easy to connect to and control external connected entertainment hardware devices and play video or digital music files. Drivers can hook up their MP3 player and, with a controller device sold separately, easily manage their digital music libraries on the road.

Drivers can command their digital music from behind the wheel or leave it to a passenger next to them or in the back seat, thanks to the supplied remote card.

It's possible to connect through the rear auxiliary input with an audio cable (gender changer RCA AV Cable included) to play back from portable MP3 and video players. The system offers a wide selection of playback options including DVD, DVD-R/RW, Super Audio CD, VCD, CD and CD-R. For a smooth sound during a bumpy ride, the Sony DRIVE-S II feature makes the head unit resistant to interference from road vibrations.

Personalise It
To match drivers’ and passengers’ tastes, the XAV-W1 unit comes with personalisation features that enable customisation of display and sound settings. Using the capture function, drivers can set their wallpaper so their favourite image appears on screen. Time alignment, digital EQ7 and the centre speaker features of the built-in X-DSP technology help to align the sound from each of the car speakers. This helps to counteract the effects of having some speakers closer to the listener's ears than others and helps to provide a more seamless sound no matter where they’re sitting.

The system delivers 52 watts across four channels ensuring a rich, clear sound, say Sony. And with the Zone by Zone capability, passengers can set separate audio 'zones' for the front and rear seats.

While the 3AV input is used to connect to other audio-video devices such as games or video cameras, the camera input connects with a rear-monitor camera and displays the image on the head unit’s screen to help you drive safely.

The XAV-W1 is available from UK InCar specialists right now - well worth taking a look we reckon.