DVD Entertainment options for the CX-7

mogulman

Member
:
CX-7 GT
I have a 5 year old. I'm looking to mount a DVD player in my CX-7 GT with Sunroof so he can watch kids movies on long trips. It has to be accessible enough so my wife (passenger) or my son can change Discs in the unit.

I saw the post about the Rosen headrest DVD. That looks cool, but kind of pricey for me. I also only need 1 screen.

Do any of the overhead mounts work ok in the CX-7 with a sunroof? Is the Mazda version any better then any other? I thought I read something that the Mazda unit didn't come with mounting hardware or something.

What about any other overhead units? Audiovox? I've seen some for $400 or so.

Are there other single headrest options?

What about mounting a portable unit? I have a Cyberhome 7" and Panasonic 9" portable dvd player. Both are Laptop style. I haven't seen any good mounting options for these. I have bags for them, but neither seems to mount very well.

Are the tablet style portable units better then my portables above for mounting?

I don't want something that is going to make the front seats uncomfortable.
 
I have thought about the same issues. The sunroof makes mounting a little difficult, and if you do get it on the roof, the angle to view is rather steep in the back. We have the Mazda DVD player in the MPV and mounting a similar unit the in CX-7 seems a little tight.

Right now, I am using a convertible Sony DVD player I simply set on the back of the armrest for trips to entertain my 5 and 3 year old. I like it since it is convertible to a tablet with an eight inch swivel screen. That way, I can change the DVD's up front and have the screen face them directly.

reardvdmf8.jpg


The other option I am looking at is getting a couple of LCD screens mounted in the back of each front headrest and using an iPod video as the source. I have the AudioLink with the video cable installed, so managing the video will be easier than swapping DVD discs. The integration with the Bose is a nice plus.
 
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Copied the following from the MAZDAUSA.COM website, accessories for the CX-7. Looks like there's a separate installation kit for CX-7 with moon roof. You may want to contact your dealer and find out how it would look, once installed.


DVD System Includes Two Sets of Wireless Headphones and One Remote Control Unit; Requires Installation Kit
0000-8F-F40 $1,215.00

DVD Wireless Headphone
0000-8F-G15 $43.00

Installation Kit (For Vehicles With a Moonroof)
0000-8F-M01 Call

Installation Kit (For Vehicles Without a Moonroof)
0000-8F-M02 Call


Vince
 
HeavyH20 said:
I have thought about the same issues. The sunroof makes mounting a little difficult, and if you do get it on the roof, the angle to view is rather steep in the back. We have the Mazda DVD player in the MPV and mounting a similar unit the in CX-7 seems a little tight.

Right now, I am using a convertible Sony DVD player I simply set on the back of the armrest for trips to entertain my 5 and 3 year old. I like it since it is convertible to a tablet with an eight inch swivel screen. That way, I can change the DVD's up front and have the screen face them directly.

So how do you have it secured to the armrest? Velcro? I think I could do that with one of my units.
 
I have a portable one that can become a tablet and one thing I hate is the carrying case I got that hangs off the two seats.....I want a case that hangs over one headrest like for a tablet one....none in stores.....hard to find online. I have a 7" screen. Anyone know where I can get one??I don't keep my cars long enough to spend big money on that!
 
mogulman said:
So how do you have it secured to the armrest? Velcro? I think I could do that with one of my units.


Actually, it is just wide enough to have a slight wedge between the seats (the base part , not the screen). So, even under hard acceleration, braking or turning, it stays put. I actually bought the DVD player based on the measurement between the front seats.

The 8 inch Sony is working great, so I think I may incorporate it a little more permanently. I am working on a simple bracket to mount the item using the armrest without obscructing the ability to open the storage. I am still considering a dual headrest solution, but not right away.
 
cruzdreamer said:
I have a portable one that can become a tablet and one thing I hate is the carrying case I got that hangs off the two seats.....I want a case that hangs over one headrest like for a tablet one....none in stores.....hard to find online. I have a 7" screen. Anyone know where I can get one??I don't keep my cars long enough to spend big money on that!


Yeah..I'd love to find a separate case like this.
 
mixmasterlove said:
I bought a case from Best Buy, that came with the attachments for 1 seat OR between the seats.

Have any pictures on how it fits in the CX-7? What brand/model? Do you like it?
 
I don't, but I do remember that it came with 2 sets of headphones and a couple of sets of straps.....it was a kit valued at between $70.00 and $100.00, that came for FREE with the DVD player.
 
Well, decided not to hold out. I ordered a couple of 7 inch LCD's in the headrests from Myron and Davis tonight. They have a CX-7 version with matched leather for $999, so I figured why not. Especially after seeing Alpha Wolf's setup. Takes three weeks to get made and delivered, but I think it will work well.

And, for those looking for a headrest adapter for a standard tablet DVD player.


hrb7.jpg


http://qualitymobilevideo.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=LCDHRB5
 
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Are any of these headrest solutions available as a single unit? Do the headrests match the Mazda headrests, so that you could even have one DVD and one regular?

Where did you order the headrest DVDs from? I couldn't see a place to order on their web-site.
 
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Well, Best Buy carries the item, so they are relatively easy to get. You will not find it on the dot com site, but they do carry the item as a special order service in the stores.
 
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It's making me crazy....I just want and I have seen it before where it's like a pocket for the tablet that has a clear plastic area for screen or maybe it's a cutout and it just hangs over the one headrest...nice and small. Simple. I can't believe I can't find one. These big cases with big straps that hangs in the middle are too much of a pain and ugly. Argh!
 
I laboured over this decision for ages and came up with: You can't beat a portable player, for price, flexibility. Why pay $1000 for an in-built solution when you can get a good quality portable for $150-$200?

(http://www.myshopping.com.au/PR--10...7_inch_screen_3_5_Hr_Battery_Life_Car_Adaptor)
I ended up buying the LG unit for a couple of reasons. One, the screen is by far the best of the lot. You get what you pay for with these little portables and on most the screen was awful. The darker parts of any scene just dissappeared into black. The LG screen is bright, crisp and shows a very good picture of even the darkest of scenes. The screen swivels as well. And it comes with a cool bag which sort of turns inside out. You then swivel the screen, lay it flat so you have a tablet style player and put it back in the bag which has an elastic strap to hold it in. It comes with straps to hang it off one headrest or between the front seats for a central viewing position.

It also has a TV out connection so you can take it out at your destination and plug it into the TV for rainy days down the coast when you need to keep the kids happy :)

All in all a simple solution and up and running for less than $300, Aussie so maybe $220 US.
 
Well, I kaboshed the Myron and Davis deal. It was going to take a little long. And, after some thinking, I decided that the $1000 was best put in performance. Hello CP-E :)

So, instead I picked up a Coby TF-DVD7060 tablet with built-in FM trasnmitter and two IR headphones. I also found a bracket that I am modding to attach to the back of the armrest. It will allow attachment, clean cabling and the armrest to open without impeding anything. I will take a shot or two when I have it in place.
 
I'd be interested to see how you mount it. That Coby sounds cool with FM and IR headphones. The only thing is the ugly mounting-bag and the Coby brand name isn't very good.
 
mogulman said:
Are any of these headrest solutions available as a single unit? Do the headrests match the Mazda headrests, so that you could even have one DVD and one regular?

Where did you order the headrest DVDs from? I couldn't see a place to order on their web-site.
You can get one DVD in only one headrest. Or one DVD in on headrest and just a screen in the other to reduce costs. You can get a DVD player in each as I did and you can link it to up to 2 more screens up front if you wish.

Many variations are open to you depending upon your needs and your wallet.

I went with 2 DVD players as my 16 year old son and 10 year old daughters tastes in movies are frequently in opposition and this allows them to either watch the same move or each can watch their own.

The headrests match the leather and the seats well but are not identical to the stock ones which I still have. You also have the option of having them installed into your headrests if you should choose.
 
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