Mobile Audio and Video
Trust our expert technicians to install innovative, top-branded video electronics in your vehicle. Reverse cameras, traffic cameras, video monitors, game consoles, and whole vehicle entertainment systems; if you can dream it, we can build it.
Video
Video and camera technology was first introduced in the 1956 Buick Centurion prototype car with a rear view camera in the trunk that sent a video signal to a dash mounted TV screen. Initially, automotive critics laughed at the idea of cameras and screens being installed in cars. Six decades later cameras and video technology are actually mandated by federal law to be installed in all new passenger vehicles for rear view. Additionally, many other video applications are booming aftermarket for automotive entertainment and safety.
Cameras
After GM was ridiculed for the Centurion prototype, little progress was made in automotive video. However, the idea of equipping cars with cameras and TV screens took off in Hollywood in James Bond films and TV series like Knight Rider. By the early 90s, American consumers were demanding new technology while the government was enacting stricter automotive safety legislation. In 1991 Toyota began introducing backup cameras on select models and soon thereafter other manufacturers began offering them as optional equipment. By the early 2000s nearly every manufacturer was offering rear view cameras as options. Per U.S. regulations, all vehicles sold in the United States model year 2018 and on must be equipped with a backup camera. Numerous aftermarket automotive electronics brands offer rear view cameras that can be installed and connected to aftermarket stereo heads or, in some cases, integrated to the factory stereo head unit.
Currently, high-end or luxury automakers like Mercedes and BMW are installing bird's eye or 360 camera systems. These systems combine rear view cameras with side mounted blindspot cameras and front mounted forward cameras. The computerized system then processes the video signals and combines them to simulate an overhead view of the environment surrounding the vehicle dramatically improving safety. The blindspot cameras, usually mounted in the side mirrors, provide a full video to the dash screen allowing drivers to see the blindspots clearly before changing lanes. Bird's eye camera systems are also available for aftermarket application on nearly all makes and models.
The hottest trend with automotive cameras is the installation of traffic cameras. Aftermarket traffic cameras are simply dash or windshield mounted cameras to record and store video of a vehicles trips. Many traffic cameras are two-way, in that they are capable of recording dual images forward and backward. This allows traffic to be recorded from both directions as well as to record the interior of the car which is wildly popular with rideshare drivers for safety and security purposes. Traffic cameras can be set to automatically create video files if the vehicle detects a collision or a vehicle break-in. Traffic cameras can make a huge difference in processing insurance claims on the vehicle and supporting legal proceedings in the event of a lawsuit. High-end traffic camera systems, particularly aftermarket, can be integrated into bird's eye systems as well as combined with vehicle data systems to provide extremely accurate details about an accident, burglary, or car theft.
Other camera technologies are being utilized for entirely safety focused applications. Automatic windshield wipers, automatic high-beam control, road sign recognition systems, lane keep assist systems, collision avoidance systems, and parking assist systems all use one or multiple cameras to provide data to the vehicles safety control modules. Advances in camera and video processing technology such as these safety cameras are the backbone of autonomous driving systems like Tesla. FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared), LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), and NV (Night Vision) video systems are increasingly being applied to the automotive industry to improve safety and enhance automatic driving systems.
Entertainment
Video technology will, undoubtedly, save countless lives in automotive application. But, entertainment has always been a stable consumer demand in automobiles. In the 1990s advances in LCD (Liquid Crystal Diode) displays allowed aftermarket stereo companies like Pioneer, Sony, JVC, Kenwood, JBL, and others to develop stereo head units with modern, slim screens. These units allowed CDs, DVDs, and USB drives to play video files and now most aftermarket head units are capable of video playback. Entertainment screens for passengers also became available in the 1990s and ramped up in popularity throughout the 2000s. Passenger entertainment screens may be dash mounted, console mounted, headrest mounted, or roof mounted. Modern entertainment screens are thinner and provide HD and 4K UHD video playback. Passenger entertainment systems are capable of CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, and USB file playback via the stereo head unit, independent player, or even video game console. Top quality infotainment systems both factory and aftermarket also utilize Apple Carplay and Android Auto for seamless integration of smart phone operating systems into the vehicle entertainment system
Full Blown Automotive Center specializes in the latest audio and video technologies and partners with aftermarket electronics distributors to bring you the latest video safety and entertainment options for your car, truck, SUV, RV, and even boats. Our skilled audio/video technicians take pride in every installation whether you want to install a simple backup camera or if you want your kids to be able to play Xbox on your next vacation. We have the video solutions for every application...For everything that moves you!