best nav/dvd in dash player?

[cencal]

i am planning on buying an aftermarket nav/dvd player for my h2. apparently the pioneer avic z1 flush mounted unit does not fit in the h2's only the h'3s? that is the unit i wanted, so now im looking for the next best thing?

[cencal]

just went on to the pioneer site, nothing there about fitment for the hummer h2, it does have a unit for the escalade, will that fit on our h2's?

[HummBob]

Eclipse, In My Opinion, ARE THE BEST.

I checked alot of different head units out when I bought my Eclipse 2 years ago, and am still VERY PLEASED!!

PM kodiakz, he can hook you up

[MDimitri]

The Pioneer and Eclipse are very nice unit's, but if I were you I would wait a bit longer for a really good unit. The next generation units are going to be PC based and will provide you with tons of extra features: here is one site just for an example: http://www.gnetcanada.com/ Here is another exampe:http://www.allproducts.com/ee/autovision/20-lcdtv.html As you can see when it's a windows XP pro or Vista OS you'll be able to transfer things back and forth from your Home or Office PC to the vehicle with ease, you can browse the web, GEO Map using GPS nav maps of trails for off roading, play movies, music, games, run onboard diagnostics of your truck,navigate using GPS, hook up your truck with a live cam so that you can watch it from anywhere...etc The possibilities are vitually endless. You can run your business from the comfort of your rig without stepping foot into the office!! Best of all it's fully upgradable and configurable unlike some of the NAV units out there now. Just make sure you have a giant hard drive like a 300-500 gig system. In the future we will all be fully connectd via WAN's and LAN's, eventually all of the appliances we own will talk to one another through your home PC. Just think it sure would be nice during the winter when you get up in the morning having your truck start up automatically, turn on the seat warmers, plan your commute and start playing your favorite music when your ready to go out the door!!

[wingnut2u]

It is just my opinion, but what about something like the Alpine IVA-W200 double din monitor, then you can connect an external nav system that will be easy to replace when the next generation nav units become available. Only downside is that it will not be cheap to go this route. I have the Alpine IVA-W200 and just purchased the NVE-852A navigation system, heavily discounted, off ebay. I have yet to install the nav the unit.

Just my $.02

[Mike (by the beach)]

I put an AVIC-Z1 in my 2004 H2. I did have to cut/ dremel some plastic behind the oem radio to make it fit flush. I love it -- I have >30 CDs on the hard disk - it sounds better than the stock bose system I had and the maps seem good for my area.

[cencal]

mike any pics? im stoked that the alpine unit can be made to fit!!

[vip808]

Check out KenwoodUSA products. I have the Kenwood DDX-8017 and the sound quality, fit and features out shinned my Eclipse AVN5495. Unlike HummBob I've had to replace faulty Eclipse equipment and received very poor customer service from Eclipse Fujitsu-Ten.
The Eclipse AVN5495 is an all in one unit (DDX-8017 needs a separate hide away unit) If you plan to keep the stock speakers the Eclipse would better suit your installation.

[kodiakz]

You can absolutely install any double din unit in an H2 with the right kit and no modification whatsoever. The Eclipse units are very nice and I find they have the best nav solutions. However, the Z1 has a better screen and MUCH better Ipod, xm, and Sirius interfaces. Eclipse has released some ipod and sirius interfaces but they really blow!! Kenwood is also very nice but you will need to install at least one hideaway box with their systems. If you want pure nav and very good sound, go Eclipse. If you want decent nav, fairly good sound and very good interfaces, go Pioneer.

[Mike (by the beach)]

I am out of town -- but will take a photo this weekend and post it ...

[Mike (by the beach)]

OK ? I took a couple of photos this morning ? Here is a close-up of the dash ?

http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28820&stc=1&d=11566135 89


WikidPete provided an Eclipse boot screen image ? I copied it and re-sized it for the Pioneer Z1. The Pioneer likes the ratio of 500 x 240 pixels.

I did put in a metra double din radio kit ? but I think I am going to change it the Best Kits 422. Also installed PAC modules for steering wheel controls, on-star ? even though I do not use it and chime module. As you will read in other places here, Brian and Jason from JP Customs were a big help. Good Luck.

[kodiakz]

Best Kits GM422 is the best one availble for the gm double din applications.

[HummBob]

Originally Posted by Mike (by the beach)

OK – I took a couple of photos this morning – Here is a close-up of the dash …

http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28820&stc=1&d=11566135 89

Link no worky

[Mike (by the beach)]

damn -- ok I will try again ...

http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28962&stc=1&d=11566364 16


[IMG]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Michael%20Singer/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/IZGFUT6L/Pioneer%20Z1%20only%5B2%5D.jpg[/IMG]


It works in the preview ???

[HummBob]

COOL!!

[H2bill]

Just had a Z1 installed in my '06 H2 on Friday at Car Toys. The unit fits without modification to dash. The top and bottom fit flush, and the sides have about a 1/4" gap that they put a spacer in. Looks good. Mine does not have the plastic frame around it that Mike has around his, (If someone will give me the intel on posting a photo on this forum, I'll post a picture of it).

The original install quote was $2700 (which included a back-up camera). By the time they added the additional harnesses for the steering wheel control, OnStar, and chimes at was closer to $2900. Afer seeing all the wires pulled out of the dash, in addition to all the modules that they added to make it all work, I went ahead and purchased their 4 yr extended warranty contract. With that, Car Toys guarantees to fix anything with the unit or install free. I could just see some system malfunction happening and GM and Car Toys pointing the finger at each other.

Other add-ons you may want to consider (that I didn't get) is the iPod interface (they were back ordered) and the XM interface (not interested).

I ended up mounting the rear view camera on the bumper directly above the receiver hitch, and it works great there.

So far, I am very pleased with the unit.

[Mstgvic]

If you don't mind....what made you choose this more expensive model over the Pioneer AVIC-D2? I am trying to choose between the D2 and the Eclipse AVN-5495 but now I see a lot of folks on the site praising your model and just don't know if the cost difference is worth it for my needs. Thx

[H2bill]

Originally Posted by Mstgvic

If you don't mind....what made you choose this more expensive model over the Pioneer AVIC-D2? I am trying to choose between the D2 and the Eclipse AVN-5495 but now I see a lot of folks on the site praising your model and just don't know if the cost difference is worth it for my needs. Thx

The D2 was the unit that the dealer was going to install, and that they would have charged $2900 to do so. I compared the units side by side in the Pioneer catalog and the Z1 had many more features that made it worth the cost for me. I had absolutely no brand bias when I started researching nav units. One of the selling points for me with the Z1 is the CD ripping feature. Everytime you put a new CD into the unit, it rips it to the hard drive (unless you turn the feature off...easy to do). That's the last time you have to insert that CD. If memory serves me, it will store up to 200 CDs. You can then just give verbal commands to play songs or albums. The same is true with the nav system. You can navigate using voice commands. A necessity? Not for some. But I sure like it.

[Boar-Ral]

Originally Posted by MDimitri

The Pioneer and Eclipse are very nice unit's, but if I were you I would wait a bit longer for a really good unit. The next generation units are going to be PC based and will provide you with tons of extra features: here is one site just for an example: http://www.gnetcanada.com/ Here is another exampe:http://www.allproducts.com/ee/autovision/20-lcdtv.html As you can see when it's a windows XP pro or Vista OS you'll be able to transfer things back and forth from your Home or Office PC to the vehicle with ease, you can browse the web, GEO Map using GPS nav maps of trails for off roading, play movies, music, games, run onboard diagnostics of your truck,navigate using GPS, hook up your truck with a live cam so that you can watch it from anywhere...etc The possibilities are vitually endless. You can run your business from the comfort of your rig without stepping foot into the office!! Best of all it's fully upgradable and configurable unlike some of the NAV units out there now. Just make sure you have a giant hard drive like a 300-500 gig system. In the future we will all be fully connectd via WAN's and LAN's, eventually all of the appliances we own will talk to one another through your home PC. Just think it sure would be nice during the winter when you get up in the morning having your truck start up automatically, turn on the seat warmers, plan your commute and start playing your favorite music when your ready to go out the door!!

The biggest problem with these solutions is that, in general, the companies producing them are much smaller than Pioneer, Kenwood, Eclipse, etc. and do not have the same budget to allow for things like interface design. I built an AutoPC and integrated it into my Avalanche four years ago, and it used most of the same software that you see in these solutions, including the interface. In fact, I was in contact with GNet Canada in regards to this and the problem is that, as neat as it was to have a PC in the vehicle, it was still a pain to access all of the features, the interface was a little clunky, and there were random slowdowns at times, the limitation of using a PC rather than a system designed for one purpose in mind. After I built my AutoPC, I bought a Pioneer navigation system for my next vehicle, and it worked perfectly. Fast, easy to use, and the interface is built for efficiency. I really liked it. AutoPCs do have a place in vehicles, but I am hesitant to recommend them for navigation anymore.