Expert: Cleggsan - 3/25/2009

Question
QUESTION: We have the 2006 Chrysler Town & Country Touring edition, with 6-DVD changer and video screen in the back. I believe that in the 2006 body style, the DVD navigation screen in the console (with the clock in it) does not play video; we haven't ever seen video come up on it even when in park.

My goal is to make available a red/white/yellow RCA connection near the glove box for my wife to plug in our portable DVD player (which has RCA INPUTS on the side, so you can use it as a dummy screen), so she can watch the same movie the girls are watching, while we drive. Actually she could probably just use the yellow for video since we have the audio through the car speakers. I am thinking I can just hop onto the DVD/CD Changer C1 plug, pin 8 for right audio, pin 16 for left audio, and pin 15 for audio common; and then the DVD/CD Changer C2 plug, pin 6 for video signal. Am I nuts?

ANSWER: You can try it; however, there is a big IF.  And I don't know the answer to this.  The IF is if the nav screen in the console supports video.  It does not require a full video support to play the navigation video.  The video coming from the changer is composite video that must be supported by the nav display.

I refer you to our colleague on allexpert, Ernesto, who knows the workings of the in car systems so well.  You can reach him on:

http://www.allexperts.com/ep/835-69262/Audio-Systems/Ernesto-R.htm

Please ask him further for another opinion.

Best wishes,

C



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I only mentioned that it has an in-dash screen, but I do not want to play the video ON that screen. What I am trying to do, is just have a little terminal block with three RCAs on it (red white yellow) so that I can attach an EXTERNAL display to watch the same movie that the kids are watching in the back.  We have a lap-held DVD player that has composite input on the side, so if I get into the composite feed that heads to the back LCD screen, theoretically can I use that to drive the external monitor too? :) I just don't know enough about video and audio to know if adding a display would somehow cause interference or signal degradation. And if so, do I need a booster? Thank you!

Answer
Got it.  Thanks for the clarification.

Could you give me the make and model number of the portable dvd player?  That way I can check the specs on it.  They are all different in their details.

Here is my question:  Most portables have a/v outputs but not inputs.  Most in-car dvd players have inputs and not outputs.  So, are you sure of the nomenclature on the outputs and inputs?

If you are sure of them, then yes, you can take composite video out of one player and connect it to the composite input of the other player and it will work  -  with no degradation of the video quality.   Same with audio red and white connections.

In your case if have rca connectors you can double them up to make a parallel connection to the portable unit.  

C