I8ABMR

We've all seen cars cruising down the highway at night with a movie on in rear-facing display - some are even tempted to follow along and watch. Now Mitsubishi has created an automotive Blu-ray disc player that's sure to catch more than a few drivers' eyes.

Mitsubishi Electric - part of the same conglomerate as Mitsubishi Motors, but not the same company - says the device is about one-third the size of a normal Blu-ray player, and can fit into a single-DIN slot. That opens up a huge array of possibilities for larger-screen rear-seat theater setups, even up to full HD quality.

It could also open the door for super-detailed navigation maps systems that can easily be updated with a new disc. Blu-ray discs can hold up to 25GB in single-layer form and 50GB in dual-layer - several times size of the typical hard-disk-loaded map set, and about 5-10 times the size of a typical DVD.

Plans are already underway to put the new Blu-ray player into an in-car HD system by March of 2010, though so far the device hasn't made it out of Japan.

Epik151

It's be better just to have a nice LCD screen up front and a place in the trunk for you to hook up your PC or Laptop.

Some people are still debating whether or not to have Blu Ray in their living rooms let alone in their cars.

LexFather

Mitsu is silly. This is not going to sell more cars. Blue Ray is not even a big seller and some think it will die in the next few years anyway.

They will be gone from America soon.

I8ABMR

I ave HD plaers and Blu ray players and I still think that the HD movies are clearer. I thought this was an interesting attempt to create interest in consumers

nthach

This is Mitsubishi Electric, not Mitsu Motors. They are a huge player in the automotive electrical business.

LexFather

Oh, I need to read. lol

Still, blu-ray is not really certain to be the future.

nabbun

the thing i'm concerned about is load up times if they intend to use blu ray as the new source for maps.

i know blu ray players have long load up times and that other thing when you skip frames or w/e (i'll clarify after reading up on those issues later)

Panasonic has a blu ray player that has the shortest load up time i believe.

tex2670

I actually think it makes some sense, as long as the keep prices reasonable. For those people with Blue-ray at home, who want to watch a DVD in the car, you would not be able to bring those along with you.

Those folks may be in the minority, but this kind of stuff always starts with the early adaptors before becoming mainstream.

Mbenz528i

It has to start somewhere. I am sure when people mentioned DVD's in the car, people tilted their heads sideways with disbelief. Not so sure it will work, as formats like Blu-Ray work best on larger screens and with 7"-9" in a car, I am not so sure you would truly see the difference. For Map systems though, it sounds like it would work great, of perfected.

Personally, I love Blu-Ray, but I can certainly see the concern of it lasting longer. I liked HD too, but that went dead. We will see either way, but as mentioned above, car companies are also looking into CPU's in cars, so maybe no need for a single disk with that much space.

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

HD DVD is crytal clear, Blu-ray is like you are actually there.

That's the summary after experienced both SIDE-BY-SIDE a while ago.

primecut

iTrader: (1)

Hm actually it depends on the specific encode, so quality will vary on a per title basis. However, Blu-ray has a higher capacity than HD-DVD, and therefore it can hold more data, which can equal better picture/audio quality. FYI, the best BD player is the PS3 hands down. The load times of standalones do not even come close.

Like others say, there are many intriguing uses for Blu-ray other than just movies. There are already BD players on laptops, so it's not a huge deal to start placing the players into cars as means of increased data storage. Imagine HD nav, or even maps projected onto your windshield (When parked of course). There are plenty of possibilities.