Adding Or Upgrading an Audio Video System in Your RV

When integrating an audio video system into a recreational vehicle special care must be taken. There are a lot of considerations you need to think about before you decide what type of system is right for you and your family. With today’s manufactures offering 12volt standard and marine grade systems, adding indoor/outdoor audio was never easier. Since most RV’s and campgrounds have a 110volt supply, this gives you the ability to integrate home AV equipment with your 12volt systems.

We should first talk about your options and what you may want your system to do. Video is one of the main components of a good RV system, considering how much time is spent inside your RV (bad weather, preparing meals, entertaining the kids and for motor homes when your driving). With the ability to source audio and video signals you can have one central media player device and display it’s contents in multiple zones.In other words you can watch a movie on all TV’s or watch different shows on each TV independently. So the children can play games or view their shows in their room and you can listen to music or watch a movie in the living room and even finish it in your bedroom. With the introduction of marine grade flat panel TV’s, it’s even possible to have video outside under your awning. There are many options for your video source, most trailer parks offer cable TV. Satellite TV is another good option and can be set up on site, or a mobile dish system can be installed on the top of your RV, this is a great option for motor coaches where your passengers have the ability to watch TV as you drive. You may also use a digital antenna to receive free broadcasting where available. Now that we have covered network broadcasting, let’s talk about media players. A typical source would be a DVD/CD or Blu-ray player, remember when making your choice that you can play all types of audio and video on a Blu-ray but can’t play Blu-ray on a DVD/CD player. A media sever is a compact hard drive unit that allows you to store movies, albums, photos,etc., these are a great option if you already have all of your media on your home computer, just upload to the server and take it with you. The navigation of the media server is similar to an iPod screen and is displayed on the television.

Now that we’ve covered video let’s talk about audio. Most new RV’s come with a stock stereo system of some sort, but the quality isn’t there (if it is turned up loud it crackles and sounds distorted). This isn’t as bad as it sounds, often with the addition of a good amplifier and replacement of the stock speakers this problem is resolved. Care must be taken when performing this type of installation, make sure you know what wires go where, and don’t add extra speakers without powering them correctly. Adding outdoor speakers is one the most common upgrades. Before doing so make sure that you buy the correct speakers, they must be marine grade to with stand the elements. Just like the video system your audio can be sourced. So before you buy, think about what your trying to accomplish. One thing often overlooked is how loud you really need your system to be, remember most RV parks have rules and quiet time so spending lots of money on a killer audio system may be a waste and would have been better spent on another flat panel, media server, etc..

Installation is as important as the equipment you choose to buy. Unless you have done this type of work before it’s highly recommended that you have it done professionally. Remember you will be dealing with two different electrical system both 12V and 110V, serious damage can occur if things aren’t hooked up correctly. Here at Serious About Sound LLC our technicians can help you with the design and choosing the right products for you and your families needs. We also offer installation of all our maufacturer’s products. We are fully insured and have a secure facility to accommodate most larger size RV’s. If you are a dealer, Serious About Sound can provide you with on site installations. We try to make it easy for dealers to use our services on new and custom ordered RV’s.

Author: Jody Swartley

Serious About Sound LLC is fully insured and offers a secure shop location. This allows us to offer piece of mind to our customers when leaving their custom car, motorcycle, UTV, RV, or boat for services. Boat owners, we do make marina calls for larger craft needing our specialized marine services, as well as on site services for RV dealers.

We offer the best names in AV equipment which gives you the widest possible choic

Get a Deal on Name-Brand Car Audio Video Electronics with Factory-Direct Quality

Get the quality you deserve at a price that’s right for your budget: some car audio shops offer name-brand products at factory-direct prices. Call your mobile electronics store to learn more today!

Want to add aftermarket mobile electronics to your car or truck? Ready to upgrade beyond the limitations of your OEM stereo? Don’t think you can afford the quality car GPS or car DVD player you need? Then it’s time to reconsider. There are a lot of great deals out there when it comes to car electronics, and you may be surprised at just how affordable a new car stereo head unit or flip-down car DVD player may be. You can get name-brand equipment to enhance your driving experience, all at a cost-effective price.

Just like with other bargains, though, it’s important to make certain you’re getting quality equipment when you’re checking out deals on amps, woofers, and other mobile electronics. Perhaps the best way to get reliable, affordable car audio video products at a reduced price is to work with a shop that offers factory-direct pricing. These professionals get name-brand components (like head units, car GPS systems, car DVD players, and more) straight from the manufacturers, and by cutting out the middleman, you’ll be amazed at how much they can help you save. Because they’re offering the same top-quality car electronics products as the other area shops, you’ll be getting the systems you want at a great savings!

Sometimes low prices really are too good to be true: other times, you can score a major deal. So don’t get scammed. Make certain you’re getting the best possible quality at the best possible price: rely on a shop with a factory-direct relationship to get the car DVD, car GPS, and other car electronics you want without breaking the bank!

Audio Video Converters – Converts Media Containers

A media container format (or sometimes referred to as wrapper format) is a format that can contain various types of data such as audio and video data. The data is compressed using a codec.

A codec (a compound of coder and decoder) is an algorithm used to compress and/or decompress a multimedia data stream in order to reduce the amount of bytes needed to store or send.

Some container formats are limited to audio, like WAV files for Windows, AIFF for Mac and XMF; some are limited to still images such as FITS and TIFF. There are also containers that are flexible; it can hold several types of audio, video and other media such as ASF files for Windows, MP4 and Matroska. The most common multimedia containers are:

3GP – used by mobile phones
ASF – standard WMA and WMV container
AVI – standard Windows container
Matroska – open standard container
MPEG – standard container for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2
MP4 – standard container for MPEG-4
Ogg – free and open standard container for codecs Vorbis (audio) and Theora (video)
The distinctions between different container formats come up from five (5) main issues:

Popularity. Widely supported container.
Overhead. Example: A two-hour film may be 3MB larger when in AVI than when in Matroska (MKV). The overhead is the difference between AVI and MKV which is 3MB.
Support new codec functionality and features. Some older container formats does not support codec feature such as VBR audio and B-frames.
Subtitles, chapters, meta-tags, and user-data support.
Streaming media support.
Here is a comparison of the different popular container formats today (from Wikipedia).

3GP
Support for B-frames; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; 3GPP Timed Text subtitle; support MPEG-4 Part 2, H.263, and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC video formats; support AAC, AMR-NB, AMR-WB+, AMR-WB, HE-AAC and HE-AAC version 2 audio formats

Advanced Systems Formats
Support for B-frames, chapters, subtitles, and metadata/tags; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; support almost any video format through DMO or VFW; support almost any audio through ACM or DMO

AVI
Support for B-frames; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; chapters and subtitles are via a third party modification; support almost any video format through VFW; support almost any audio formats through ACM

Matroska (MKV, MKA)
Support for B-frames, chapters, subtitles, and metadata/tags; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; support almost any video and audio formats

MPEG Video File (MPG, MPEG)
Support for B-frames; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; support MPEG-1, MPEG-2 video formats; support MPEG-1 Layers I, II, III (mp3) audio formats, other formats only in private streams

MP4
Support for B-frames, metadata/tags, and menus; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; chapters a) in specially formatted text track, and b) in userdata atom can not work together with the sceneDescription, or segmentDescriptor; ttxt and BIFS subtitles, VobSubs subtitle with private objectTypeIndication is not working with the sceneDescription; support Dirac, H.263, MPEG-4 ASP, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, VC-1, and other video formats; support AC-3, ALS, Apple Lossless, SLS, MPEG-2/4 (HE)-AAC, MPEG-1/2 Layers I, II, III (MP3), Vorbis(with private objectTypeIndication), and other audio format

Ogg
Support for B-frames, chapters, and Ogg Writ and Ogg Kate subtitles; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; support almost any video formats through VFW and supports almost any audio format through ACM

With a growing number of media containers, no wonder audio video converters are popular these days. Some converters can convert almost all different types of audio or video formats while others are limited to popular formats today.

Is Your Mobile Audio System Good Enough? Consider Your Customization Options

Do justice to the media you love while you are on the go: install a top of the line audio video system in your car or boat. Your local car audio electronics shop will be happy to help you select and install the perfect car audio video or marine stereo equipment for you.

With summer getting into full swing across the country, it is not only time for fireworks, backyard barbecues, and pool parties: It is time for road trips and lazy days out on the water. Having a high-quality, properly installed car audio system or marine electronics is an essential piece to truly enjoying your summer and beyond. There is no reason to put up with a static-laden stock radio or no audio system in your vehicle. There are many professional companies that specialize in car stereo, car DVD and marine stereo installation and repair.

If you are seeking better sound quality for your yacht, boat, or even Jet Ski, calling a local car and marine audio company is the wise choice to getting the floating sound system you need. Consulting with experienced staff at your local audio video shop, you can obtain estimates for the cost of the equipment you are seeking and guidance on everything from the multitude of brands available to the difference between waterproof and splash-resistant equipment.

Whether you have kids who are begging for a car DVD system or you tend to drive alone listening to stories on everything from a lava to the world economy on NPR or you never want to be without your favorite tunes playing; you can benefit from working with a local car audio electronics shop to upgrade and customize your vehicle. Putting in a car video system can make any drive you and your family take more pleasant and relaxing, as can opting to install a higher-quality mobile audio system. Don’t put up with sub-par subwoofers or bored kids during your travels this year, call the car audio video shop in your area today!

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