Sony XNV-770BT with TomTom GPS module

 

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Sony XNV-770BT has a huge touch screen with a really big resolution for watching videos. The quality is awesome and it will keep you entertained for hours in your car. Sony has been known for its prowess in graphics but I was still surprised since such high resolutions are rare in car video devices. For GPS, there is a TomTom GPS module bundled along with cradle and it goes in a user accessible location in your car. This GPS module can be removed from the cradle for connecting to computers for updating through TomTom’s Home application. Once you complete the update process, just pop the GPS module back in to the cradle and then resume your navigation tasks. The Sony XNV-770BT works even if you don’t have the GPS unit in place but for navigation, the module needs to be there.

Depending on your installation methods, the external magnetic GPS antenna will give you enhanced positioning sensitivity and the vehicle speed sensor connection will help in tracking vehicles when the satellite signals get inconsistent. There is also an external dashboard or a microphone mounted on sun visor for making hands free calls. The microphone connects to the back panel of the Sony XNV-770BT; it is a home to a ton of connection points, pigtails, audio visual outputs, inputs and wire harnesses. There are two audio/video inputs, a video output, one monaural subwoofer output, two stereo audio outputs, one USB connection, one dedicated input for rear view camera (this is not included), and bus connection for external satellite radio tuner (this too is not included). You can configure the connections in a lot of ways to support the equipment that you want to use. For instance, the included thirty pin doc connection can bridge USB port and one of video inputs for iPod video playback.

There is also a tiny infrared remote control bundled with the receiver. If you are going to do the stereo installation on your own, let me tell you that the Sony XNV-770BT is of moderate difficulty. You will have to drill for mounting the external GPS module cradle, tap the speedometer of the vehicle and the parking brake sensors, route connections for GPS antenna and external microphone, and make connections for power, speakers, ground and also external amplification, if available.

The main menu of the Sony XNV-770BT has three main functions are they are spelled out by the device. These functions are BT phone, AV source and Navigation.