Sound Systems in Vehicles Today

 

 

 

 

The differences between then and now vehicle sound systems are staggering. Sound systems are at the forefront of technology advancements. It has been nearly 85 years since the first car stereo was available to the public. The first eight-track player was introduced in the 60s and cassette players came along in the late 70s. 1985 saw the introduction of the first CD player installed into vehicles. Since then the evolution has been a whirling, mind numbing series of events and techno gadgets.

Today’s modern world no longer refers to sound systems as car stereos. These new and advanced toys are known as infotainment systems and they are one of the most prominent selling point of modern cars. Infotainment systems have the elements of evolution one would expect being the descendent of the eight-tack, cassette, and CD players. They also feature a technological world that the average individual may have once thought quite impossible.

Entertainment on the Go

Now, instead of the traditional CD player, vehicles provide a plethora of exciting methods for accessing music. One of the simplest is a USB port to connect personal MP3 players to the system. There is also the fact that these systems are have web accessibility. There are numerous websites on the internet where individuals may join and access free music of most any type and this can be done from the car. There is nothing better than great traveling music.

With USB compatibility owners can connect their laptops and smartphones to the infotainment system. This allows them to access the music stored on their computer or cell phone. Many of these are wireless Bluetooth compatible as well. Internet access enables accessibility to games and movies too. Of course it is not wise to try to watch a movie or play a video game while driving down the road, though passengers are not the only ones who benefit from these features. This provides an extensive list of things for kids to do during long road trips.

As of yet, there are still remote places where internet simply is not accessible. Infotainment systems still allow owners to listen to traditional radio and play CDs, though CDs now also contain music in MP3 format. Technology today allows individuals to play DVDs and watch movies on the road. Some infotainment systems include gaming systems or the ability to add one. This just might reduce the number of the well-known ‘he is touching me’ disputes.

Traveling Computers

            Infotainment systems provide many other useful tools besides entertainment. Owners may set up reminders that integrate vehicles and the systems to send texts to their smartphones when routine maintenance is due. GPS is one of the most widely used techno features. With the touch of a screen or the sound of a voice owners may get traveling directions. This program not only provide direction to destinations, but can actually detect the car’s present location and give complete directions from it. The list of possibilities is endless and while not every vehicle has all of these features, all vehicles today have the capability to add them.