In car video is one thing that I can do without, I can beat my meat to a porn
movie at home. Navigation for me is a no can do without. My wife just doesn't
understand the idea of how maps work, and around the Toronto area one wrong
turn can cost you can hour during rush hour as the highways around Toronto
become parking lots.

Our first trip to Florida was a nightmare because of my wife's lack of mapping
skills, and this is what drove me to spend the $1500 at that time on a
navigation system. The thing I like the best about the navigation system other
then not getting lost is that it gives me a phone number of the motels/hotels,
restaurants along my route and the money you can save just by being able to
find a hotel a few miles from the interstate is awesome.




In article , "RG"
wrote:
What .... ? You don't see a need or the point of video in a car ? You and I
must be the only ones who think this way. I thought I was alone in thinking
it is assinine and a waste of money. Like I want to watch movies in my
parked car ... why ?? When I mention this to a dealer they always get real
quiet and look at me like I'm from Mars or something. Same goes for
navigation screen s for the most part. Whatever happened to road maps. Nav
could come in handy in certain instances but the cost far outweighs the
benefits.

- RG


"Captain Howdy" wrote in message
...
Myself, as far as competitions go, I'm all SPL only because SPL
competitions
are based on fact and not opinion. I just don't feel that anyone is godly
enough to write the rules on what sounds good or bad. I build my systems
for
both SPL and SQ. But I must say that I am totally anti in car video. I
just
don't see the need or point behind it.


The one thing that I have learned about car audio is that there are no
shortcuts when it comes to quality gear. I have had many disappointments
with
cheap gear (mostly amps and subs) and spent a ****load of money learning
from
my mistakes.

I know that the big import tuner craze in Canada was started by the
insurance
companies. They wouldn't insure many new driver's on muscle cars or any
car
with a bigger engine then a 4 cylinder. Little did they know? Back in
those
days you couldn't find any performance parts for import or domestic
soapbox
cars.

The good news is the PG is not dead and has been bought by a company that
wants to stay anonymous for the time being. My bets are on Directed,
Fosgate,
and Mitek.



In article , "MOSFET"
wrote:
Thanks for the info, Howdy, I didn't know they were doing THAT poorly. As
you probably know, I worked for PG in the early part of the decade.

The article said: "Managers said at the meeting that the market for
high-end
aftermarket car stereos has been declining, as auto manufacturers include
ever-better sound systems in their new models".

That is only part of the problem. Frankly, I think foreign competition
did
them in. Let's face it, right now amplifiers have never been cheaper (on
a
dollar per watt basis) or better. How in the world can you convince a
consumer to spend $300 on a 200 watt PG amp when he can spend $100 and get
EXACTLY the same power from a Sony amp.

And there's something else too. Something that's been bothering me for
the
last 6 years or so. The focus on SPL and SPL competitions seems to be
going
strong and getting stronger every year. But the focus on SQ has all but
disappeared it seems like to me. For instance, 10 years ago you could
look
through any car stereo magazine (there are fewer of THOSE around as well)
and find cars that were STRICTLY designed to sound good. Sure, they were
clean, but you didn't see all this "tuner" crap, and neon, and fiberglass,
and superchargers, and turbochargers, and NOS, etc. IT SEEMS TO ME THE
WHOLE TUNER CRAZE HAS PUSHED SQ TO THE SIDE. I mean, look at the
time-line,
IASCA started dying around 1997 or so, right when the whole import tuner
craze started getting going. There are many reasons why the one replaced
the other, but one of the biggest has to do with weight and the emphasis
on
making the car lighter, and the fact that we all can't be fiberglass
experts. I think many people began to feel they had to make a choice:
either be an SPL competitor and not give a damn about weight OR emphasize
performance and anything that's heavy (like a sub enclosure and
amplifiers)
MUST GO!

Of course, there will always be people like myself who care deeply about
the
sound quality of their car. But PG rode a wave of SQ popularity that
truly
peaked in the mid-nineties, and has been in steady decline ever since.

MOSFET


"Captain Howdy" wrote in message
...
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.
jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060524005685&news Lang=en


In article ,
(Captain
Howdy) wrote:
http://portland.bizjournals.com/port...tory6.html?pag
e=
1