Car multimedia players

	Model CA3040 from mainland China's Coagent Electronic S and T Co. Ltd is a car multimedia player with an iPod interface, Bluetooth, SD and USB port.

Units incorporate various media slots such as USB and memory card. Infotainment device-compatibility is also prioritized.

Most available car multimedia players from China support DVD, VCD, CD, MP3, MPEG-4, CD-R, WMA and JPEG. Multifunction players typically incorporate support for iPod, navigation systems, USB and memory expansion cards such as MS, MMC and SD. Their A/V input is usually connectible to the GPS and backing radar.

Newly released models offer advanced entertainment functions, and also act as a hub for controlling other car electronic devices such as GPS, car communication systems and intelligent safety systems. A few also function as an intelligent parking assist system.

Makers have also incorporated RDS, amplifiers and equalizers, AM/FM radios, touchscreen displays, and digital or analog TV tuners in some models. High-end units combine gaming, Bluetooth transceivers, card readers, tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), continuous damping control, intelligent steering wheel control, steering control smart match and other value-added features. A rising number of midrange and high-end players feature built-in CAN-bus, a serial communication system used in vehicles to connect individual systems and sensors, as an alternative to conventional multiwire looms.

Price projections vary. Some makers forecast a price slide in response to dipping LCD panel costs; others see export quotes going up along with the increase in the cost of hardware, plastic, wire and assembly.

China has a huge supplier base for car multimedia players, with more than 300 companies currently pursuing this line. Competition is stiffening along with the steady influx of newcomers and sales slowing due to the worldwide economic downtrend, necessitating manufacturers to move out of traditional A/V product offerings and taking function integration to the next level.

Suppliers, though, are confident that the line will weather these challenges, due in part to the strong performance of China’s automotive electronics industry, which has been expanding faster than the global automotive semiconductor industry. The former has been posting an annual growth of more than 10 percent for the last three to four years, as opposed to 5 to 10 percent registered by the worldwide market, based on data from Strategy Analytics. Increasing demand from new markets such as Russia, India and the Middle East is also bolstering makers’ prospects.

	Mainland China's Shenzhen Forwell Digital Co. Ltd offers car multimedia players with CAN-bus.

Several China makers can integrate functions that are in vogue among car owners and car technophiles. However, more emphasis is being given to suppliers’ capability to match their car multimedia players to the original design of their target cars. Suppliers devote substantial time and investment to ensuring their players match the interiors, including the lighting, switches, knobs and other details of the car.

Some companies such as Coagent Electronic S&T Co. Ltd design their players with a car in mind. For example, the company is set to release its in-dash car multimedia player, model CA3041, designed for the new-generation Mazda6.

Other suppliers adopt a more flexible design development approach and do not focus on a single car model. Shenzhen DSUS Technology Co. Ltd, for instance, designed its latest batch of headrest multimedia players with independent electronic circuits and headrest shells that will work with various car types. DSUS has a pending patent application for this split-type structural design.

An increasing number of China makers is pursuing product development for special cars and car brands. Car multimedia players produced in China usually match current popular car models from Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai, Audi, Mazda, Opel and Mitsubishi. In some cases, multimedia player makers and car companies—both foreign and local—enter long-term agreements for product development.

China-made car multimedia players come in in-dash, flipdown, headrest and sun visor types. 1-DIN and 2-DIN in-dash models are available. Although versatility and multimedia player-car match influence sales and trends, makers say that picture output quality is still the major factor that drives product development.

Car multimedia players are confined to 5.8in to 19in monitors because of the limited interior space of most cars. Models with 7in units make up the bulk of supply. Car multimedia players with 8in screens have only recently increased in volume. Models with displays larger than 10in mostly adopt a flipdown design.

Due to screen size restrictions, makers turn to LCD panels to deliver the desired picture quality. Suppliers are constantly in search of panels with better price-to-performance ratio. Fortunately, lower LCD panel demand for digital photo frames and other electronic products has given car multimedia players enough supply of LCD panels, especially 7in and larger panels for the time being. China suppliers use panels from AU, Sharp, LG Display, Innolux, Hannstar, Foxconn and PVI.

The touchscreen LCD is increasingly being adopted in upcoming car multimedia player models. The standard image resolutions are 480x234, 800x480, 800x600, 1440x234 and 960x234 pixels. Brightness rates range from 250cd/m² to 400cd/m². Some models have a widescreen format and high-resolution picture.

Suppliers are also constantly exploring chip solutions and circuitry, which also contribute to better picture quality.

China makers also emphasize installation, housing and structural design as product aspects they can improve on. Some companies import genuine leather for the housing or introduce zipper design in headrest players. Other suppliers simplify installation by sticking with the original configurations as closely as possible. Still others offer car multimedia monitors that can move up and down at 30 degrees angles and have adjustable tube frame distance to suit different car types.

China’s supplier base for car multimedia players, which numbers more than 300, consists of companies that can manufacture A/V entertainment, car electronic and consumer electronic products. Some makers also supply rearview mirror TFT-LCD monitors, car GPS, car security products, parking systems and portable DVD players.

Most companies are based in Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. These include Taiwan- and Hong Kong-invested suppliers.

Medium- and large-scale manufacturers have a monthly output of 20,000 to 50,000 car multimedia players, but claim they can fulfill orders of as much as 30,000 to 80,000 units. The majority of these companies undertook capacity expansion programs between 2005 and 2007.

Large players have more advanced workrooms and production equipment, such as professional SMT dust-free workshops and high-speed chip mounters. They also employ more R&D personnel than their medium- and small-scale counterparts. Midsize and small companies usually outsource SMT and mold making.

In general, makers from China can handle housing design, PCB layout design, manual insertion and assembly, testing, aging, repair and final assembly in-house. Besides the standard QC tests, companies also conduct CAN-bus, A/V specification and disk read tests. The testing equipment found in most factories includes video analyzers, audio analyzers, video noise analyzers, A/V performance measuring instruments, aging ovens and vibration testers.

Makers apply for CE, FCC, E-Mark and FDA certificates, as well as E13 and E4 approvals to ensure quality, particularly for Europe-bound products. Most China suppliers manufacture car multimedia players on an OEM basis, save for some large companies that promote their own brands.

Sales from OEM and ODM clients combined account for about 70 percent of exports. Some makers export directly through product brokers.

Suppliers in Hong Kong use different strategies to nail a share of the growing car multimedia player market. Some companies, such as Best Glory Industrial Ltd, integrate full PC functionality to their top-of-the-line models. Best Glory’s 2-DIN CPC 9200 with 7in touchscreen LCD combines a car PC, DVD player and GPS. It supports major A/V formats and interfaces, as well as connection to a rear camera and parking sensors. The company has also released a 1-DIN version with a 4.3in LCD screen. Best Glory’s players come in headrest, sun visor and rooftop form factors.

Another major supplier, Simon Trading Co. Ltd, specializes in tablet and headrest models. One of its models, Click 10, is a top-loading DVD player that features a 10.1in digital TFT screen with 800x480 pixel resolution, two built-in stereo speakers and 2ch transmitter for IR headphones. The Click 10 comes with Simon Trading’s mounting technology, which has an integrated power supply. Users only have to slip the device into the mount and it will start automatically. They can continue to watch a movie even after the drive through the player’s built-in rechargeable battery.

Simon Trading’s car headrest multimedia players are available in dual-screen 7in and 8.5in versions. Its SDV685-AM features two 8.5in screens that simultaneously display a movie or JPEG slideshow. The SDV685-AC allows two movies to be viewed at the same time, one on each screen.

Hong Kong exported 6.6 million units of car multimedia, video and music players worth $270 million during the first seven months of 2008, according to customs data. The region has about 20 suppliers of car multimedia players, with their factories mostly located in mainland China.

Taiwan is one of the major manufacturing hubs for built-in and portable car multimedia players for the OEM and aftermarket sectors. The region’s major players in the line include E-Lead Electronic Co. Ltd, Lite-On IT Corp., Quanta Storage Inc., Qisda Corp., Quanta Computer lnc., Sysgration Ltd, Bcom Electronics Inc., Action Electronics Co. Ltd, Acer Co. Ltd, Garmin, Supa Technology Co. Ltd (Gonav), and Mitac International (Mio).

Taiwan’s supply of car multimedia players includes in-vehicle entertainment systems, multifunction monitors and in-dash DVD players. These may come as portable models or systems built into the car. The portable models are mostly portable navigation devices (PNDs) equipped with 4in to 5in displays. Built-in systems include in-vehicle entertainment systems, in-dash monitors and in-dash DVD players that support navigation functions. According to the Automotive Research and Testing Center, built-in models are the mainstream supply. More cars already integrate built-in car entertainment systems, which in turn push portable models out of the mainstream.

Bluetooth, GPS, FM/AM radio and digital TV reception are standard features of car multimedia players in Taiwan. Products typically use touchscreens. Models with 6.5in and 7in widescreen displays support an aspect ratio of 16:9. Players in the 6.5in range are mostly targeted at the OEM market, and 7in models dominate aftermarket sales.
Car monitors comprise in-dash, headrest and flipdown units. These products have display screens measuring 7in, 8in and 10.2in. More are equipped with built-in DVD players and touchscreens.

In-dash monitors with DVD players and car PCs are largely classified as high-end models. Car PCs are available in built-in or portable versions. E-Lead’s car PC, the Noahpad, is a portable PC that can be mounted in the car. It can connect wirelessly to other devices or to a network for file download. The model supports most multimedia features.