Mitsubishi unveils prototype in-dash Blu-ray player

by Darren Murph posted Feb 16th 2009 at 1:54PM

Difficult though it may be to believe, Panasonic showcased a conceptual in-dash BD deck of its own back in October of 2007. Obviously, nothing has really come of that, so Mitsubishi's stepping in with a prototype of its own. It's stated that the player has only a third of the volume compared to a traditional "home Blu-ray player," with it somehow being able to slip into a standard single-DIN opening. Better still, we're told that the final unit -- which is slated to hit production during fiscal year 2009 -- could also boast a mobile TV tuner in select markets, giving us even more reason to not pay attention to pedestrians, road signs and stop lights while taking that Sunday cruise.

Filed under: Blu-ray, Other hardware, Mitsubishi

Tags: bd, blu-ray, blu-ray player, Blu-rayPlayer, in-car, Mitsubishi, prototype, single-DIN

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Low Ranked

YouFaceTheTick @ Feb 16th 2009 2:13PM

This could qualify as the most worthless thing ever to be put into a car.

Highest Ranked

Nate @ Feb 16th 2009 2:57PM

Worthless because people who buy BDs might want to watch them in their car? Or you want them to buy all their titles in BD and DVD?

Highest Ranked

imonit @ Feb 16th 2009 6:12PM

@Nate - You've identified the problem, yet you are going about the solution in the worst possible way. I’m actually really surprised that people seem to find this workaround acceptable. Instead of replacing all portable DVD devices with brand new, pricey BD decks, Hollywood companies need to focus on implementing combo discs.

Let me ask you a question: What makes more sense; replacing the DVD/Navigation combo you just spent upwards of $1200 dollars on in order to play the BD you just bought or have that studio produce a disc that is compatible with your current system and your BD deck? Are we seriously suggesting that people replace 7” portable players to play a format where they will be (practically) no performance gain on such a screen so small as opposed to the more logical alternative (combo discs)? So, unless I re-buy ALL of my DVDs, I would have to have TWO portable players in the backseat for the kids – one to play DVDs and the other to play BDs?

If I choose to upgrade a movie I really like and get the BD version (assuming it’s the combo version), my current DVD could serve as a copy for the car, laptop, whatever. You can already see the alternative w/o me typing it out. Blu-ray will never go mainstream and rid itself of the ‘niche’ tag if the BDA expects people to shell out for portable players while they are finding it hard enough to get people to purchase a single, dedicated home theater deck. Produce a disc that plays in both, however…..any lights turning on out there Engadget readers?

Neutral

DeadPlasmaCell @ Feb 16th 2009 6:45PM

Not sure I'd say "worthless" but I don't understand why anyone would want to watch Blu-Ray on a tiny screen.

Neutral

DrXym @ Feb 17th 2009 4:27AM

imonit, why should Hollywood, and ultimately all consumers be burdened with the additional expense of combo disks for edge cases and a diminishing minority of people who want to share their disks between DVD and BD decks?

If you absolutely need to play on DVDs on other devices, there are already several ways of doing it with varying degrees of legality / morality / complexity:

1. Buy the DVD. Oftentimes, the same BD title might have been out on DVD for years and therefore available for cheap used or from the bargain bin.
2. Rent the DVD and rip it.
3. Rip the BD (using AnyDVD) and downscale it. It takes an age without a fast PC but its quite feasible. On the plus side, single layer DVDs done this way are often better quality than if you downscaled a dual layer DVD.

Highly Ranked

imonit @ Feb 17th 2009 9:14AM

@DrXym - The minority of people who want to share discs between DVD and BD decks? I can pretty much guarantee you that 100% of people that own a BD player own a DVD player. And if you think 95% is a "diminishing minority" then I'm not sure where you're getting your BD FUD.

You suggest re-buying the DVD (which people wanted to avoid in the first place) or sure, if you don't want to BUY the DVD, you can rent it and burn it. Same thing with CDs/MP3s, same thing with BDs, same thing with any other media known to man. I'm sure we are all aware that we can get things for free if we so choose to do so. That's getting way off-topic and rehashing info that has been all over the web for years. The main argument here is the viability of people replacing their portable DVD players with BD players (nonsense). You seem to be arguing for these portable BD players, yet I tend to believe you won't be jumping at the chance to revel in 1080p goodness on a 7" screen (for 3-4x the price).

Neutral

DrXym @ Feb 17th 2009 3:38PM

imonit, yes the minority. The number of people who happen to want to play BDs on in-car systems is miniscule so why on earth should everyone be burdened with that additional cost? Even the number of people who might want to play a particular BD on a secondary system is going to be a minority of users overall and will continue diminish as blu ray takes over. Again, so why should everyone be burdened just for that?

Making disk hybrids just adds to the manufacturing cost of disks at a time that people are already complaining they are too expensive. I think it's reasonable to think the cost of equipment, mastering and production would slap a dollar on per disk. What replication facility in their right mind would even splash out millions on equipment to produce a transitional hybrid format?

If you absolutely must watch your video in another room, there are plenty of ways of doing it. If you think my suggestions are too much effort, just go buy another BD player or don't buy the BD in the first place.

Highly Ranked

Justin @ Feb 16th 2009 2:58PM

I will believe it when I see it as an option at my local auto dealerships. Mitsubishi has yet to even release a standard standalone Blu-Ray player in the US. They've announced plenty but released nothing.

Neutral

Deezul @ Feb 16th 2009 4:38PM

My thoughts as well. Mitsubishi is one of the original BR group members, and yet they still haven't released a stand alone. I've been very happy with the Mitsubishi TVs I have, so I wanted to get a BR player they made as well. But nothing yet..

Neutral

DrXym @ Feb 18th 2009 4:14AM

Deezul, they have released standalones (recorders), but only in the domestic Japanese market. They also sell recordable media, and own replication plants and produce replication equipment. So while they may not be as prominent as other members they're not twiddling their toes either. They also had some stake in HD DVD as well since they produced HD DVD recordable media and possibly did more such as replication for that format while it lasted.

Activision pursuing 'online monetization models' for Call of Duty franchise Dream Theater adding even more metal to God of War III soundtrack Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is becoming its own worst enemy	Yahoo! Messenger 10 now out of beta with video chat and more Mac-clone company Psystar loses big in Apple lawsuit Make your small business sound big with Grasshopper
Sonos adds a portable music player with room filling sound Psystar dealt crushing blow in ongoing legal proceedings with Apple Apple rejects Unity games on the App Store	Weak dollar winner #4: PepsiCo (PEP) Internet holds the answer to combat stress, but in small doses only Weak dollar winner #3: Starbucks (SBUX)
Fight: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper Nov. 26 in Europe Tweet about Xbox Final Fantasy XIII, win a mystery prize Band Hero clothing and accessories head to Xbox Live Marketplace	Rumormill: Bob Lutz drops more Buick Regal GS, high performance wagon hints Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche dishes out advice for Chrysler Funny Car Commercial of the Day: Maybe consider taking the bus?
The Saboteur PC system requirements revealed Shattered Horizon players getting free Steam guest passes Frictional Games gives next game an official title: Amnesia The Dark Decent	Ocho Cinco Takes Steelers Fan On a Shopping Spree FanHouse Preview: Bengals at Steelers Dolphins Bench Struggling Joey Porter