There are more and more people interested in having a DVD player in their car. This is mostly a ploy to keep the kids occupied, but it is also nice to know you can pull over and watch a movie with the family any time you want. A car DVD player comes in especially handy on camping trips, but while these all may be good reasons to have a DVD player installed in your vehicle, how do you know which one is the best for your car? One of the keys is in what is known as DIN.
The DIN is the common standard that is used to measure the size of car audio head units. It is a German standard that was nationally adopted in 1984 that proposed that head units would come in two sizes, which would be 1 DIN(single DIN) and 2 DIN(double din). This standard only effects the width of the unit, not the depth. A single DIN unit is one that has a 180 x 50mm panel, while a double DIN unit measures 180x100mm. In standard American measurements a 1 DIN would measure 2 x 7 inches while a 2 DIN would be 4 x 7 inches. You will not find a unit on the market that is not one of these sizes.
Whether you will want to buy a 1 DIN or 2 DIN DVD player will depend on the make of your vehicle. Bigger cars tend to have bigger dashboards, making the 2 DIN player an obvious choice. When there is simply not enough dashboard room to install a larger player, you will need a 1 DIN model. Many 2 DIN models come with other accessories in addition to the DVD player. In some car models there may even be pre-wiring indicating whether you should install a 1 DIN or 2 DIN DVD player.
Both single and double din players can be found with detachable faces, if you are someone that likes the extra protection. So, basically the real difference between a 1 DIN and 2 DIN DVD player is the size. Since the double DIN is bigger, you can get other features in addition to the DVD player.
Many 2 DIN units come with navigation units, which make it easy to see exactly where you need to go with an LCD monitor. The extra space that a 2 DIN unit provides has also been known to be used for a console for sound equipment or for a tuner. While a 2 DIN player will simply not fit into a 1 DIN space, a 1 DIN unit can be installed in a 2 DIN sized panel. The remaining space can simply be replaced with the panel that was there before.
Now that you know the difference between 1 DIN and 2 DIN DVD player, you will at least be able to narrow down your search for the one that might be the best for your car. There are a multitude of choices to begin with, but at least by knowing what system applies best for your vehicle can help you rule out some choices that you may have wasted time looking at before. There’s nothing worse than finding a unit you really like and then finding out that it doesn’t fit. Knowing the difference between single DIN and double din DVD players can help you prevent that mistake and help you narrow down your search in finding the DVD player that is best for you.