Hi. Just had my Z110BT installed by the company that does aftermarket installs for the dealership I bought the truck from.

Lots of things are fantastic....but two issues have me scratching my head wondering if this is normal, or if I have an issue with the install.

1. When watching DVD video on the Z110BT screen the black letterboxes (black stripes at the top and bottom of the screen) show a lot of noise. It looks as if the screen is struggling to reproduce pure black. There is some noise in the picture itself, but it is most noticeable in the pure black letterboxes. Anyone else see this?

2. The image displayed from the backup camera is also very noisy - with light bands of distortion running across the screen. This is not terrible...but it is noticeable. Could this be an issue with the camera? The camera is aftermarket and is integrated within a license plate bracket.

Let me know your thoughts on this.

Thanks!

PBohart

i feel ur pain. i just had mine installed last week and i have the same concern also. in my opinion the picture really sucks on this unit. i had a 5yr old kenwood that had an excellent, clear picture. i thought by upgrading to a higher end unit, the quality would be the same if not better. i also have a concern with the picture in that most of this light colored parts on movies have a glowing type ring in them. ive tried to adjust the picture settings but have had no luck.

I just got my 110Bt installed the other day, and am having the same problem. The DVD's look like shit while the rest of the UI look pretty good. What Gives? The other problem I am having is that for some reason when I turn on my lights on the car the all sound stops coming from the unit. I have to stop the car turn the key off and start it with the lights already on to get the sound back while driving at night. I am going to take it back to the shop where it was installed as soon as I get a chance. The other problem is that the BT music from my Iphone only works once in a while.

The other problem I am having is that for some reason when I turn on my lights on the car the all sound stops coming from the unit. I have to stop the car turn the key off and start it with the lights already on to get the sound back while driving at night.

Do you have HID headlights?

The other problem is that the BT music from my Iphone only works once in a while.

What do you mean it only works once in a while?

Yeah...I sampled a few more titles last night. The only thing the screen seems to struggle with is pure black like the background of the FBI warning, or the black strips on the letterboxing. Not a big deal....when 'Saving Private Ryan' was playing in full screen mode it actually looked pretty good.

Plus...since I had the unit professionally installed they wouldnt do the parking break work-around...so...not like anyone will every be watching video on that screen anyway

I am still going to inquire about the noise in the backup camera image....I will let you guys know what I find out.

Thanks!!

ok....

So...there was a mixup with my order at the shop. They somehow got the idea that I requested a backup cam integrated into a license plate bracket. They thought I had made that a requirement.

As such...the only cam they could find that fit the bill was a $35 P.O.S camera. They were not happy about installing a crappy cam....but the customer is always right...right?

They are replacing the license plate cam with a ~$100 cam that will have much better performnace. Will cost me an additional $70 or so....but the performance is so bad now I am willing to pay the difference.

Just an FYI.

Why are they charging you for an install when they already installed a camera they didn't want to install in the first place. As far as I am concerned, you already paid the install charge when they installed an under performing camera even they didn't like. Think about it. I wouldn't pay again to get them to do the job they should have done initially.

VBlue - you are absolutely right. The $70 is to cover the cost differential in the camera. The one they installed literally cost $35. The one they are upgrading to is $110.

I am just paying the difference in camera pricing.

I am a litte ticked becuase I talked to the installer on the phone a couple of times during the intall to answer preference questions. They should have pointed out that the camera sucked then and saved us all the hassle.

But...as long as it all gets worked out in the end.

VBlue42

Yes, I had HID lights installed the same day I got the AVIC -Z110BT. Is there a work around for this problem?

The audio playback on the BT will play over the AVIC once in a while and other times it won't connect. The AVIC says that my Iphone is connected but I can not hear any music. Other times I start the iPhone playback and the track plays back fine. Do you know what is going on?

Thanks,

V8F Shane

VBlue42

 

Yes, I had HID lights installed the same day I got the AVIC -Z110BT. Is there a work around for this problem?

 

The audio playback on the BT will play over the AVIC once in a while and other times it won't connect. The AVIC says that my Iphone is connected but I can not hear any music. Other times I start the iPhone playback and the track plays back fine. Do you know what is going on?

 

Thanks,

 

V8F Shane

In reference to the HID's, look over the following thread where we found a solution to this problem and see if any of this applies to you.

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=30769&p=208695&hilit=hid#p208695

On the BT audio issue. Do you have the phone also plugged into the iPod cable as well. Often, the audio output from the phone will auto switch to the DOCK CONNECTOR output by itself if you plug it in after BT connection. This also happens vice versa where the output from the phone will switch to BT audio once BT connects. There should be a BT symbol on the bottom right of the app you are using that will allow you to manually switch to the audio output you want to use.

VBLUE42,

A lot of good information in the link you sent me. I know that the installers put the HID's in with a relay on each light. They told me relays on the HID's prevented the lights from having a false ignition and not coming on. Even with the relays my passenger light comes on the first time only about 50% of the time. I am going to try and bring the truck back to the installers later this week and see if they can get a handle on this problem. I will let them know the information I have found out on this Blog.

I just got my iPod cable today, and tried to plug in my iPod 60 gig. For some reason the AVIC-Z110BT does not see the iPod. When I plug it in the AVIC screen changes from USB to iPod, but says it is not compatible. I plugged in my iPhone 3G and it loaded up no problem, and played music and videos. Do you have any idea why the iPod will not work on the AVIC?

Thanks,

V8F Shane

Do you have 35W or 65W HID's? Relays are only necessary if you have 65W HID's. That is something you might want to check. You cam eliminate the relay without causing damage.

Is the iPod video capable? If it is not then its compatibility is questionable per the owners manual. If it is video capable, do a complete restore of the iPod and re-sync your content.

So I'm getting this same distortion with all video sources. Lines across black and dark colors. The UI is fine; it only happens when its playing some kind of video. Reminds me of the lines seen during playback of VHS tapes.

Is this present in every unit? I'm almost ready to exchange it.. but just checking to see if this is common.

I while back I experienced some noise when I inserted a DVD disc in at night. The black transitions are more noticeably. Don't notice it on iPod or SD video though.

I have the same issue in my G35 my lights are all factory and I have already exchanged the unit once and still have the same issue. It happens on DVD and Backup cam ..UI is working fine. I have this same unit in my truck and backup is crystal clear. not sure what else to look at have tried bigger ground wire and still same issue. Had a z2 in this car with no video issues at all.

itpro, have you by chance swapped your HUs to see if the problem is specific to the vehicle or the HU? Perfect chance to isolate the problem!

I've tried separating and shielding the signal and power wires but nothing makes a difference. Using name brand Pioneer and Apple cables too. Especially since it occurs during dvd playback, it seems like it has to be internal. I haven't tried SD playback, but I doubt it'll be any different. I saw about grounding the RCA shielding, but again, that won't have any impact on internal source playback. So I guess that leaves interference coming in on power and leaking inside the unit. And if thats the case all we can do is condition the power before it gets to the unit to see if that's actually what is happening. Uhg. If anyone has any thoughts on that, I'd like to hear them.

I've got a replacement coming so when that one proves no different, I'm off to Pioneer for answers.

no not between vehicles yet no...I have had 2 units in the G35 already with the same issue