OK, I'm not big on DVD players in vehicles, but last winter in Yosemite we were stuck in the tent one evening due to rain. Since we had the laptop & some movies for the long drive...we watched movies in the tent that night.

Suddenly tonight, an obvious idea pops into my head. If/when wanted, just plug the laptop into the AUX jack and I have a bigger DVD screen than those flip down units. Just tried it, and after some fader, sub, bass, & treble adjustments, it sounds just fine. And if you lay back in the seats, the necessary tilt of the screen gets it away from the windshield, so it fits on the dash with no difficulty (using a towel to avoid scratching the trim, of course!).

So maybe someone already posted this idea; can't believe it didn't hit me sooner. Thanks to my employer for providing the nice laptop!

Guess this shoulda gone in the Subs and Sounds category. If the moderators want to move it, feel free! I couldn't find if I can do it myself.

What a kewl idea. Time to get out the laptop........

Very good point....my new lpatop will have DVD player ability. On ecaution tho, if your employer is like mine they would frown heabily on the use of the laptop this way - especially if it were lost/damaged/stolen. :(

Iskie

We use this trick with kids for the long drives in our Honda Odessey--P4 laptop, DVD drive, 15" screen--all bungied to a milk crate between the front seats. This week my wife suggested taking the 4WD EX Element on our long trip this summer, suggesting the laptop hook up with the sound system. Movies on the road in Dolby with a bass end!

[quote:8956bc18ba="mmathews"]Movies on the road in Dolby with a bass end![/quote:8956bc18ba]

You will get only stereo. The sound system doesn't have Dolby, DTS, or any other surround decoders. And since it accepts only stereo input, your laptop won't be able to send surround output to the stereo. But still, the sound will be better than your laptop's built-in speakers!

how do you get the sound from your laptop to the speakers of the element?
thanks

You use a patch cord from the headphone output of the laptop to the AUX input in the Element... simple!

I used a small aux. cable I picked up at Comp USA and pluged in my small portable DVD player to the aux. outlet - sound is awesome. I watched Lord of the Rings the other day durring lunch with the windows open. The sound was awesome- may not be surround sound- but it sounded as good as my home theater system (in dolby surround) Now if I only had a bigger screen!
:roll: