jstjohnz

Like many folks here, I have been searching for a good way to get video on the nav screen of my LS430.
I don't really need off-the-air TV, I am more interested in being able to play movies. I have been playing with "modifications" to the X-Box game system for a few months, and have built a "video on nav" system designed around a modified x-box.

If you want to learn more about the whole subject of x-box mods, I suggest xbox-scene.com. Basically though you install a large hard drive and some special software that allows the x-box to operate as a media player. It can display still images, play MP3s, and can play most video formats.

In addition to playing movies stored on the hard drive, you can play x-box games that have been backed up to the hard drive, and it can also play standard DVDs.

The system is really pretty simple. The component video output of the X-Box runs into an Audio Authority model 9A62 component-to-RGB converter. The RGB output of the 9A62 is wired to a relay that is hooked into the video harness out of the nav unit.
A toggle switch up front controls the relay, when off, nav video is fed to the screen, when on, x-box video is fed to the screen.

The final installation isn't done yet but I have wired it all together to verify that it works, and it displays video on the nav screen quite well. I will snap some pictures and post in a day or 2.

Here's a breakdown of what you need:

X-Box, $180 new, $100-$130 used on Ebay.
Component video cable for X-Box, about $20.
Remote control for X-Box, $25.
Large hard drive for X-Box, $80 and up depending on size.
Audio Authority 9A62 converter, $150 new, $120 used on Ebay.
4PDT relay with 12VDC coil, about $10.
Inverter to power the X-Box, about $30.

-jim-

docrings

It sounds great! Please post some schematics/line drawings of hookups and photos of actual placement and splicing/connectors.


Thanks!!!!!
Doc Rings

mokujin101

i did all that you are talking about and more.. just over 1 year now

this is old news

kidcapp

mokujin101 is right nav tv has been around a lond time now and there prices are really high like 1300 for their kit they are plenty of other kits that are less than half of their price

docrings

Nice to have a new reminder for newbies or older members to get motivated to do it!

Thanks for the reminder, and post pics and drawings, etc.... more than one way to skin a cat!

Doc Rings

tiguy99

Once I hook the Lincoln Navi up to my ES300 and fabricate the wood trim over the Matching OEM Dash mounting piece, this step will be next. Now I want the X-Box. Thanks alot. Another $415.00 to invest into my car LOL

LS007

I think what jstjohnz has done here is GREAT! He has figured out how to use an inexpensive ($150 or less) RGB converter that will accept 480i component video input. The quality of the video must be outstanding! Pictures please...

tiguy99

Where are the pics?

Methodical

iTrader: (-1)

Yes, Yes, we need pictures. Please......

jstjohnz

sorry for the delay. Tomorrow! Promise!!

-jim-

NoRyceGS4

this will work for the ps2 as well? (not a big fan of the xbox) and does this work on the 98+GS as well? oh yeah and what did you do with the audio?

jstjohnz

It will work for any video source that has component video out. I chose the X-Box because of it's versatility when modified. The X-Box can serve as a media server to play back videos or MP3s stored on it's internal hard drive, as well as DVDs. The X-Box can accomodate up to a 300gb drive, and this could hold about 300 divx-encoded movies.

The tradeoff though is that you lose the ability to display video from other sources.

I know that I have promised pictures. My original install was a very temporary one just to test the concept. I have yet to finalize the installation. I will try to get back on this project tomorrow at least long enough to snap some pictures.

The interface to the nav wiring is pretty straightforward. I did have to cut into the cable from the nav unit. I am using a 4 pole relay to switch the R G B and SYNC lines between the normal NAV source and the RGB converter box. The relay that I am using is plugged into a socket that has screw terminals. All you have to do is unwrap the tape wrapping from about 6 inches of the nav cable, cut the 4 wires, strip the ends, and attach them to the screw terminals on the relay socket. No soldering needed, and the relay and socket sit nicely in the space between the nav unit and the fender.

I think the use of a relay to switch the video may eliminate the 'ghosting' problems that have been reported with units based on the Pioneer TV receiver. Also a failure anywhere in the system won't prevent you from displaying NAV video. As long as the relay is off, you get nav video on the display.

If you want to uninstall this system at some point you could just leave the relay in place.

Not sure abou the 98+ GS, perhaps VideoNavi can answer that. Assuming that it's the standard RGB+Sync video system it shoud be the same.

Right now I am running audio through a cassette adapter. Yes I know that it's crude and I'm hoping for a better solution but it works and it doesn't require any hacking. I really have no need to play cassettes, so what I did was route the cassette adapter wire inside of the radio chassis to make it a semi-permanent (you can't eject the adapter) and concealed installation.

I can switch between XM radio, MP3 player, and XBox audio.

-jim-

jstjohnz

The first few are screen shots. These were done from the driver's position witha handheld camera, so bear with me.

This is the X-Box Main Menu. There are a ton of different 'skins' available for this, this is just one of them. It is showing the free disk space on the disk partitions, about 10GB free on the main media partition 'F'. It says 'no ip' because the lan jack isn't connected.

At the bottom are the menu options, beginning with the Media Player.

jstjohnz

This is the main menu of the media player program.

jstjohnz

This is a screen shot from the movie Live and Let Die. It was snapped while the movie was running (not paused) and again the camera was handheld, so I'm not sure how much you can tell of the image quality from this shot.