Stereo & Electronics - Kenwood 815D In Dash DVD player : Impressions

I've only had this unit installed for about 4 days now and here's what I think about it:

The Good:

1 - Picture is bright and crisp!

2 - Display can be changed to RED. Matches the TA's interior perfectly

The somewhat BAD:

1 - Set up is very confusing, esp for DVDs!

2 - Instructions in the manual lead you no where...

3 - The monitor gets quite hot

4 - The " Radio Text" refresh rate is slow, and not in sync with the exterior display.. i.e. the song's name displays after that song has already ended :bang:

5 - DVD-Rs freeze .. and I use Memorex and Sony DVD-R discs that play flawlessly on my home dvd player, laptop and desktop..

I'm kinda disappointed with this unit as of now.. and seriously thinking about the Alpine IVA-310 ..

Anyone else have similar experience(s) with Kenwoods ?

Would you recommend switching to the Alpine or exchanging the Kenwood for another one of the same model first .. maybe this part. unit is faulty ?

Please post...

I had the exact same unit... I don't really remember the screen getting hot, but never really paid attention to that.. The only problem I ever had with the unit was with occasional cd-r's (only happened twice, did a reset and it worked fine again) it would lock up and wouldn't do anything! I never tried the radio text (always had Sirius), but I never had any problems with the DVD-R's that I tried. How was DVD setup confusing?

Other than that one complaint I had no problems out of it.. the only reason I sold mine was because I got a speeding ticket for 113 in a 65 :drive: :bang:
and i needed cash quick!

My brother-in-law bought one though (from a flea market) and had nothing but problems with it.. he took it in for warranty work and didn't get it back for 4 months! (but that had nothing to do with Kenwood) Dumbass shouldn't have bought it from an unauthorized dealer! :judge:

On another note, the Alpine is a wonderful unit, but I have had no experience with it as of yet, but if you want the dvd's to play in it while in motion, it is a little more complicated than just grounding the green wire.

I had the exact same unit... I don't really remember the screen getting hot, but never really paid attention to that.. The only problem I ever had with the unit was with occasional cd-r's (only happened twice, did a reset and it worked fine again) it would lock up and wouldn't do anything! I never tried the radio text (always had Sirius), but I never had any problems with the DVD-R's that I tried. How was DVD setup confusing?

Other than that one complaint I had no problems out of it.. the only reason I sold mine was because I got a speeding ticket for 113 in a 65 :drive: :bang:
and i needed cash quick!

My brother-in-law bought one though (from a flea market) and had nothing but problems with it.. he took it in for warranty work and didn't get it back for 4 months! (but that had nothing to do with Kenwood) Dumbass shouldn't have bought it from an unauthorized dealer! :judge:

On another note, the Alpine is a wonderful unit, but I have had no experience with it as of yet, but if you want the dvd's to play in it while in motion, it is a little more complicated than just grounding the green wire.

The part that's confusing is when you reach the main menu, where's the play button ? I have to randomly touch the screen around the top-left part and that'll pop up an otherwise invisible play button.. Why can't I touch the menu selections [ from the dvd disc ] on the screen and play'em ?

Also, is there a way to dim the display ?.. it's really bright at night ..

Finally, I wish they had better [ more pleasing colors and designs ] selections for the wallpaper! lol.. stripes and bricks .. ugh!! :eyes:

The CD-Rs and MP3s have been playing fine.. and their text display is great too.. it's just that the radio's text gets:

1 - stuck while scrolling
2 - the refresh rate is ultra slow..
3 - the letters are all jumbled up... example: lets say the song " Don't Mess With My Heart" - Black Eyed Peas starts..

First off, the text display changes from the previous to this after about a minute into the current song. Second, it'll display the correct text once, and then .. something like this scrolls " Don't Ess W_th My Heart - Lack Eyes Pees " .. lol I am serious.. :bang: :(

Do you recommend switching to the Alpine or trying another 815 first ?

Thanks!!

The menu buttons are accessed by touching the top of the screen... or, you can use the button on the bottom section, or you can use the remote.

Yes you can dim the display I think you press the "S" button, but not entirely sure on that one (it is the same one you use to change the angle)

Yes the backgrounds are kinda blah.. I called kenwood on this... they said sorry nothing can be done. Another minor thing I didn't like about this unit.

As far as the radio text is concerned.... I can honestly say that I never used that feature... I only listened to Sirius or CD's.. That is pretty funny though.

As far as what you want to do... switch or try again.... that is entirely up to you..
If you do go to alpine though... for the cost I would say go with the IVAD310 good unit with similar features...

You may want to consider completely returning and spending a little extra on the KVT-817DVD when it is released... it has direct control of DVD's, at least that is what their PDF said... www.kenwoodusa.com (http://www.kenwoodusa.com)

If you don't like it switch it.

I believe the radio text delay is normal. I had this stock in a GM delco car and it was the same way, not quite in sync. If that was the only problem I wouldn't care, but the others are more serious.

great advise guys... yes I am considering the Alpine IVAD310, it's got the "direct dvd menu access" too.. the 817 looks good too.. ugh.. I'm confused lol..

Oh and why are the JLW3v2 subs so hard to find :( ... been looking for a single 10" for a while now and don't wanna buy from an un-authorized reseller [bad experience in the past... not worth the savings imo ]

Those w3v2's are nice.... I used to have two 12's in my truck before I traded it in on my TA. But I had no idea that they are hard to find right now.