ALPINE headunit

**rukusENT** · 01-02-2008, 04:59 PM

Hey there

I'm new to this site but I know some basic infos. about electrical since i've done self installation before!

My question is this, I own an Alpine HU (dvd player) and since it's 2008, I thought I do an upgrade.. touchscreen first of all!

Alpine been good to me and that's the reason why I want to purchase another unit from them!

I know for sure that I want single din unit for security purpose. I was looking and reading infos. in regards to alpine touchscreens. I'm still stuck in between & that's the reason why I signed up here, maybe a car enthusiast could help me out.

I'm leaning towards Alpine IVA-D300 and Alpine IVA-D900.. can someone give me inputs!

**boomintrac** · 01-02-2008, 05:57 PM

Alpine no longer sells the Iva-300 or IVA-D900! The only video headunits they have for the 2008 lineup are the IVA-W205, IVA-D105, and the TMI-M990. If you want to keep with a 7" screen you will need the TMI-M990 as the 105 and the 205 are both 6.5" screens. For the $1500 that the TMI-M990 will run you you can have a pretty awesome computer in your car. Even for the $1000 that you would spend on the other two units would get you a nice P.C. for the car. So for the price of the Alpine you would get a screen that flips out and plays video with touch screen, or for less then to same price you can have a 7" touchscreen, navigation, internet (with an additional monthly charge), video, touch screen, and the right to say you never have to carry around a cd again. Its also nice if a friend hops in with a new cd and wants to listen to it, take a couple min, and rip it to the hard drive just like home. I am not tring to steer you away from Alpine as they are a great company, and I ouw a IVA-D310 that I put in my wifes car. Alpine is great but there is limited posibilities, as where a P.C. has endless configurations that you can work with. Take some time and look around the fourm, do some research. The Idea of an automotive P.C. might grow on ya!
Aron

**rukusENT** · 01-02-2008, 07:06 PM

thanx for awesome reply.. well I was thinking to get a carputer but really, i'll put that in my other car! in the meantime, i'll stick with the alpine!

i dont really need te 7'', 6.5 would do well! let me ask you this, wich is better.. w205 or
d105

**boomintrac** · 01-03-2008, 06:26 PM

They are the same thing basicaly, the 205 is a double din and the 105 is a single din flip out unit. The 205 is designed to work with the new alpine blackbird portable navigation allowing it to dock inside the 205 and support the nav function on the 6.5" screen. If it were me id do the 205 because of the double din. But that would also depend if the car I was putting it in could support a double din.
Aron

**vitaminR** · 01-27-2008, 01:52 PM

I got the 205and couldn't be happier. Far more reliable than any carpc.

**boomintrac** · 01-28-2008, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by vitaminR

I got the 205and couldn't be happier. Far more reliable than any carpc.

For some this might be, but my carpc has been just as reliable as my d310. I can just do alot more things with the p.c.
Aron

**vitaminR** · 02-02-2008, 10:49 AM

if you say so. I haven't found ANY front end that works long enough to call it reliable. Maybe for 3 or 4 trips then you have to hard reboot. The w205 starts in about 3 seconds and never needs to be "rebooted" top work right. I used a T3 and got so sick of it I yanked the screen off the goddamn thing.

I can't browse the web anymore but never did anyhow. I have a laptop, an HTPC, and an office computer for that.

I think it boils down to how much time you want to spend dicking around with it. I for one have better things to do than spend 3 or 4 hours every Saturday trying to sort out the latest issue with a CarPC. I guess I'm just too old and don't care enough anymore.

These forums IMO are a testament to how unreliable a carpc really is. Just go read over at streetdeck or the T3 or G4 threads.

**etsicc** · 02-02-2008, 11:34 AM

If you are wanting to go with alpine for your carputer then you may want to hold off until we get our interface complete. We are almost done with the touchscreen interface. You can check out the thread. We are not interfacing with any single din units until the TME-M740BT is complete for video and touchscreen.
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/lcd-...our-carpc.html

**boomintrac** · 02-03-2008, 02:49 AM

Originally Posted by vitaminR

if you say so. I haven't found ANY front end that works long enough to call it reliable. Maybe for 3 or 4 trips then you have to hard reboot. The w205 starts in about 3 seconds and never needs to be "rebooted" top work right. I used a T3 and got so sick of it I yanked the screen off the goddamn thing.

I can't browse the web anymore but never did anyhow. I have a laptop, an HTPC, and an office computer for that.

I think it boils down to how much time you want to spend dicking around with it. I for one have better things to do than spend 3 or 4 hours every Saturday trying to sort out the latest issue with a CarPC. I guess I'm just too old and don't care enough anymore.

These forums IMO are a testament to how unreliable a carpc really is. Just go read over at streetdeck or the T3 or G4 threads.

I guess you just didnt have any luck with your system. You have to take the good with the bad. I know plenty of people that have had problems with alpine screens, I for one have had a CVA-1005, IVA-D900, and the IVA-W200 all with problems. The 1005 and the 900 had problems with the screen coming out and flipping up. I went through 2 w200s that within a months time the face would not move to eject the disc. My 310 has been very reliable though, so justlike any hobby everything has issues, just not everyone has the same issues. Our Chicago meet has the same people show up every meet, 8 people show every meet. in the last 3 years I have been the only person to have any issues with a system and that was a HD issue on a HD that was old HD that was transplanted into at least 5 different systems in about 6 years.
I dont ever have a problem with my front end, running Roadrunner with LSX 3.2. I for one use the shutdown feature and let the system shut down when the car turns off, but I also have a 15 sec boot time for windows. but I do know a couple people that do hibernate with no problems.

The only time I spend 3-4 hr dicking with my Cars P.C. is when I am tuning my audio, The carpc is no different then a home or office pc, othen then the location and atmosphere that it is in, so any problem that you have in the auto is most likly to occure in a home or work pc also. Mabye its just the T3/G4, and street deck people that are having most of the issues. I have never used thoes products nor do I know anyone that has, mabye thats why our systems work as well as they do.
BTW the 205 reboots itself everytime the ingition is cycled I.E. turned on and off.
Aron

**vitaminR** · 02-09-2008, 07:49 PM

Yes the 205 does reboot every time in a sense but it takes about 3 seconds tops. it's so fast you don't really have time to notice it. That is why I typed "reboot" in quotes. Many things that seem hard to get to function properly in carpc just seem to work better IMO. The firs and most obvious is boot time. 3 seconds is far better than 15. Then you have to get the front end loaded as well and that's additional time. Then you have the last media playing that seems to plague most front ends.

I can scour these boards and find more but I no longer have to as I am done with the "hobby" and bought an all in one unit that doesn't have any of these problems. Granted there are pros and cons to both and certain functionalities are different when all is said and done I am far happier with the 205 than any carpc.

I'm glad yours has worked out so well for you.