In Car Entertainment
In-car entertainment has come a long way since the days of the first car radio with its circular knobs and analogue dials to manually tune into your favourite FM radio station. Indeed, a radio cassette player was the height of technology for Jags, BMWs and Mercs of the day.
Modern Car Audio Systems
This in-car audio entertainment has now grown to include CD players, CD multi-changers, a brief fling with mini disc players and now MP3 players. Meanwhile, car radio is going digital with the DAB format. Then of course there is the "fast road market" of the Bass Boys with their tweeters, woofers and amps blasting out mega-watts of sound in souped-up customised cars.
In Car DVD Players
However, with a full range of home and portable entertainment systems these can now be mounted and powered in the car with video and DVD players (often with twin screens) in the rear headrest. In-car gaming has quickly followed with the rise of the Playstation and PS2 being hooked up to in-car monitors with the help of 150w power inverters. DVD players are now commonplace, but they too will soon be superseded no doubt as digital media players and the MP4 format grows. All this at the same time as in-car TV is evolving into digital TV with DVB.
Much of the developments over the last few decades are down to the humble 12v cigar lighter socket, which is gradually redefining itself as a power outlet socket rather than a cigarette lighter with multiple sockets on modern cars, often including several rear or boot mounted sockets.