I have recently completed my NAV Mod on my Lexus IS 250 to cater for rear headrest entertainment system. I have two A/V input sources now available on my NAV screen using standard RCA cables. I have setup a Double DVB-T tuner for the first A/V input and the second A/V input has been plugged into a SlimLine PS2 with wireless Controller Pads. This is all viewable on the SatNav screen aswell as simultaneously shown on the rear headrests.

The headrests also receive DVD Video Playback from Nav DVD Unit, which has also been hacked to provide DVD playback on the move.

I have taken a brief video on my camera phone showing the reception and quality of the DVB tuner which was tuned into BBC News 24. Reception has been tested on speeds upto 75mph with excellent reception and with no picture loss. However built up areas can affect reception.

The Youtube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM1O4A-gon4

Nice to see some cool mods on a second generation IS.

Well done fella. Did you do the mods yourself or get a company to do it for you ?
I'm sure many IS250 owners will be asking questions

BTW what DVB-T tuner did you use and where is your aerial cited ?

yeap I did all the mods myself and the mod is the exact same for all Second Generation IS.

The DVB-T Tuner i bought was a double DVB Tuner by a company called VCAN. and I have two amplified antennas situated at the edge of my back windscreen and is wedged in. It cannot be seen from outside as its just a small strip style antenna. I put one on each side.

If you have any further pictures or wiring info/how you did it etc I am sure many members would be eternally grateful,
as this is a major breakthrough in ICE in the IS250 IMO. Well done again

BTW many thanks for the DVB-t info, but do you have a link/contact info and also cost/model number of the unit you are using

are these the headrest/monitors that you can buy on ebay already fitted.i was looking at a set but was'nt really sure what sort of quality they were

what size are the monitors?

Which Video AUX did you buy in the end Ahmed? Was it the full kit one, or the ones you make up your own cables? Did you have to get it from the US are have are they selling them here now?

I'm sure there will be loads on here who want it in theirs - would be great if you post the links up.

Also, would you take a vid of DVB with the car moving? What area is it?

Is this Video Aux input available as a buy off the shelf item for IS250 owners then ?

Yes, they've been out for while. Ebay item 220223208019 They come with all the leads, etc.

Ahmed - did you take photo's, etc. as you were installing?

how much did it cost roughly mate?

btw nice work!

Sorry for the late response been quite busy since i last posted. Anyway, I will try and reply to all your questions below:




As I was too busy with the installation itself I didnt get to take much pics, however I do have a few camera-phone pics that I will post in a little while after downloading from my phone. And in regards to links and models, I will post back a detailed guide with the equipment I purchased and costings and an explanation on how I did the modification.





The monitors are 7". The monitors come integrated into a leather headrest as I did not want to cut out my originals. I've stored my originals away in the storage. At first I bought 9" ones on eBay but the leather on that wasnt a match with my black leather on the lexus and plus one monitor was faulty as it used to have some issue with power and cut-off. I got rid of these on eBay and then purchased the 7" headrests directly from a wholesale supplier in China who were very good and provided a very fast service, and I was able to get them to confirm that the leather will match. Leather matches nicely now and it doesnt look out of place (actually people think its OEM). Anyway, in my next post with the guide I will provide further details on these screens.






I got the NAV Converter that you posted the eBay item number of below. This unit is full plug and play so no need to cut any wires or anything. I did quite a bit of research and all of these plug and play units seem to actually be made by the same manufacturer but very highly priced with many companies selling them. The cheapest is sold by ebay user "cardemand" with delivery to the UK it comes to a total of about £250 and it is a nice compact unit.

Sure I will post links and details of costing etc on my next post of the detailed guide.

And yes sure I will take video of car moving and the DVB sometime in the next few days, as i cannot do it myself. (need to keep my hands on the wheel )






I'll be posting a detailed guide in a while with a very few pics i managed to take.

Hope it will help.

ok firstly, here are some of the pics I did manage to take, and will be posting guide shortly.

Centre Console Area Removed for Access:
Click to view attachment

Nav Screen Unit Put Back together after installating A/V Module/Converter.
Notice the two sets of RCA's coming from the SatNav. This is the A/V 1 and 2 which I extended to inside the glovebox. I actually made the RCA extensions using the cable and solder plugs to make the exact size and prevent rattles. Also used alot of sponge like insulation to prevent rattles.
Click to view attachment


Glovebox Compartment and Knee Airbag Removal
Click to view attachment


Behind the glovebox compartment
Click to view attachment


Knee Airbag Unit
Click to view attachment


Inside the seats from the back to connect the wires
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

Here is the cost outline and links:


Costs:

Order #1: $416.87 Including Delivery

2x Headrests with 7" TFT
2x Amplified Booster Antennas (ANT-350A)
1x Double DVB-T Tuner


Order #2: $429.98 Including Delivery

1x NAV A/V Module Converter


Including the bits and bobs of phono plug connectors, soldering bits and wire leads from Maplin and heavy duty Velcro from B&Q, the setup cost me just under £500.



Links:

Order #1: Purchased from a wholesale supplier in China that sell VCAN manufactured products at very reasonable prices. When I placed my order they had special offer prices on the headrests and the DVB-T tuner.

I purchased headrests at $74.70 each. It is now priced at $93 each. The one i purchased is kind of the cheapest headrest in their range but seems to be the only one that matches my lexus leather perfectly. The link for the headrest is: http://www.onvon.com/tm705h-inch-headrest-monitor-p-30.html

The Double DVB-T tuner cost me $124.20 but is now priced at $145.00. The link for that is: http://www.onvon.com/dvb2008-digital-receiver-p-100.html

The amplified antenna is still the same price at $22 each, and the link is: http://www.onvon.com/ant350a-digital-antenna-p-106.html


Order #2: Purchased from eBay US member (ID: cardemand) link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=220223208019


I must say I was very impressed with delivery service by both of these suppliers. The order from China was dispatched On Friday late afternoon UK time and I received it on the Monday. and the US order was dispatched on a Wednesday and I recieved it on a Monday aswell.

I hope this cost outline helps.

I'll be happy to answer any questions anyone may have.

Thanks

Pics of the Items ordered are below:

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Good info mate. Will be very helpful to a lot of IS250 owners.
I'm thinking of adding freeview but dodgy reception worries have really put me off.

I suppose reception does vary from place to place but so far everywhere I have been have had very good reception with this double DVB-T tuner. In the past i used to have a single tuner and that was useless, as soon as I used to move off it would cut-off. plus the amplified antennas helped me alot. I used to get terrible reception at first with the single tuner.

Are you coming along to any meets soon as I would be interested in seeing the double tuner freeview in your car ?
Where in London are you ?

Next meets TBDev Jap Meet M11 junction 8 sunday 27th @ 11am
WIM open day 25th May Chesham

not sure if i'll be able to come, quite a busy schedule next couple of months.



near Hainault

I'm looking at doing the same install, do you have any pictures of the headrests?


Also where did you put the tuner and especially the aerials?



Thanks in advance.

Excellent work Ahmed and good on you for sharing.

I used to have that aerial aswell on my old dvb-t tuner. Now I'm running the Alpine 150DVB-T and aerials (come as a pack of two). I think they are far better mate.

so just to clarify. this freeview unit will work while on the move?

ive got a cheap unit from ebay but it cuts out over a slow speed.

ive already got one of those stick on ariels. so id probably only need one more. would i need to buy another amplifier or are the ones on the ariels ok?

the DVB-T tuner looks like its in the glovebox

can you get these units from UK

tuner is in the glovebox and the aerials are located at the bottom of the rear windscreen (one on each side)

thanks for that info Purvesh. although i am not having any reception issues, i might give those antennas a go and see what signal strength i get. do these Alpine antennas also require power?

yeh the double DVB-Tuner is what you need, the cheap ones on eBay are no good, i made the same mistake in the begining which was a waste of £40.

the stick on aerials should be the booster aerials that have a power connection to them aswell. This is sufficient for me and have had good reception.

Hope that helps.

Hi,

I am looking to disable the safety cut out on the dvd & phone functions when you put the handbrake down and move forwards - Do you know any ways of doing this please?

Cheers

Theres two ways to do this.

1. Wire Cutting method (May VOID your warranty if Lexus find out)
2. Use plug and play hardware such as TOM's TV Navigation override system.

When i did my hack, there wasnt a plug and play device available at that time so hence I used the wire cutting method. This can VOID your warranty if Lexus discover you have done this.

If you want the TOM's plug and play device, then contact dave at prolex-uk, he is the official TOM's distributor in the UK and provides a great service.

If you want to use wire cutting method, let me know and I will PM you the link to the step by step guide.

quality post, and saved this link! hopefuly i will do this soon. as if the fact that i dont have leather dosent hurt me enough, all headrest monitors come in leather headrests :-(.