eleman73

Hello Everyone,

First, I have found out that, the current japanese version of RX, the Toyota Harrier have the factory built in TV Tuner, on the Nav screen buttons we have clock button on the very right and in Harrier version it is TV button. I am very interested about adding one if I can find, anyone tried it before?

Second, I have 2006 RX 400H with rear seat entartaintment system, is there anyway to add TV tuner to the system and can be used in front screen? I have cut the speed sensor and ground the brake before and I can already make phone calls and watch DVD while driving

Thanks

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I'm pretty sure it wont work. Japan uses PAL I believe and we use NTSC. Also, the analogue tunner will only work for a little over a year anyway since all broadcasts TV will have to switch to digital and return their analogue frequencies. Basically, at this point I wouldn't even bother unless that TV tuner is a ATSC digital tuner.

roccjard

I think Japan uses NTSC.

Lil4X

Yes, Japan uses NTSC like the US. I'm curious now about that tv tuner. I have an old one somewhere that gives a separate video and audio output and requires a 110v power source . . . just what I need for that aux input on the RSES. Maybe if I can find that old tuner, I'll try it!

Lexmex

I'd have to look through my HyperRev magazines as they had a bunch of a/v units in there and I am sure one has to be a tv tuner.

TunedRX300

Did you give Mobile TV on mobile phones a try. Contents include live ESPN Mobile TV, MTV, Fox, NBC, CBS.
http://products.vzw.com/index.aspx?id=mobileTV#overview

Verizon already launched Vcast Mobile TV in several markets. This is subscription based but does anyone watch free TV anymore?
Before anyone says screen is too small on phone, measure the size of Nav LCD on the RX...on RX300 is 4 inches, only 0.5" bigger than the one on iPhone and I don't think Nav LCD have better resolution.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

If Japan uses NTSC is should work than. But still, keep in mind mind these are all analogue TV tuners that wont work come 2009. I'm not sure it is worth the trouble and investment for about a years worth of use. Unless, like I mentioned there are some Japan OEM digital ATSC tuners out there that you could use. Then you'll be set.

Lil4X

Anyone serious about putting live TV in their car should look into something other than a conventional tuner. As CK6 says, the old analog broadcast is going away 2/09 to be replaced with a digital signal on narrower broadcast bands.

If you want live TV, conventional broadcast signals are a real mess. I used to spend a lot of weekends on the Interstates and found a 12v TV (with an external antenna) propped up on the back seat allowed me to watch football games in the rear-view mirror. Reception is spotty in many places, and on a winding road the picture just comes and goes. Digital will cure a lot of the analog headaches associated with mobile recption, but it will be an all-or-nothing proposition, with a lot of digital blockiness and freeze frames.

Better choices are available with satellite TV and more affordable "cable" systems are on the way. Watch for satellite radio services and cell service providers to get into the act too.

Lexmex

One of my future projects was find a way to hook up this device at home, www.slingmedia.com, and then access it via wireless hookup in my RX.

TunedRX300

Slingmedia is an excellent place shifting solution. A co-worker of mine told me that he watched football games via EV-DO (3G wireless broadband with peak rate of 3.1mbps downlink) from his laptop connected to his Slingbox at home.

The only problem he told me is 1) the data speed is limited to his cable-modem at home. 2) the wireless broadband requires subscription $ 3) if one uses Wi-Fi, he can't drive and expect the signal not to disconnect (Wi-Fi has limited coverage and do not handoff)

BTW, AT&T is launching Mobile TV early in 2008
http://www.multichannel.com/article/....html?nid=3408

Lexmex

The wifi down here is spotty in terms of keeping a good connection, even though Prodigy, the largest provider, is pretty good about coverage in Mexico.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Yep, until it rains hard Then they get to expience rain fade Seriosuly though, I'm one of those that have A/V in my cars, have had Playstations in my cars, I'm all for video an TV in the car for the kids of course. However, a TV tuner I'm not so sure about unless it is for viewing while parked. With wireless modems like Clear Wire where you can have true wireless internet wherever you have a signal, a better choice might be to get someting like Clear Wire and run a laptop or something and get internet TV.

TunedRX300

It would not bother users when our browser wait 2 second to refresh to a new page, but people will not pay for service that will cause football games or movies to pause for data buffering - simply because someone decide to transfer 50MB of pictures or uploading 200MB worth of YouTube files.
Clearwire is wireless data built for internet surfing, but it does not have the quality of service hooks to handle real time traffic such as voice and video.
Reason, the technology it uses come from a cable modem standard DOCSIS, it is not designed to deliver real time contents, especially when the network is loaded.

boz

While this is an old thread, I couldn't help but post what I'm going to try.

I got one of those Magnavox TB100MW9 DTV Digital to Analog Converter boxes at WallyWorld today. I plan on connecting it to my rear Auxiliary video/audio inputs and using a simple omnidirectional antenna mounted externally. (It receives OTA digital television and outputs composite video with stereo audio).

We're going on Spring Break with the kids this coming week, and it will be a good chance to try out how digital TV works on the move. I'm only going to use temporary antennas and connects, but if it looks promising, I'll invest in a glass-mount wide-band antenna and go for a permanent mounting solution. I'll see if I can mount the box under the floor in the cargo area and remote mount an IR receiver (for the remote) into the existing back seat DVD/monitor or elsewhere.

Anybody else tried out this idea?