Car stereos are the newest addition in the world of stereos. Previously there were only home stereos. Home stereos first emerged in the 1930s. But in the 1950s, home stereos started becoming affordable for the people. But the 21st century saw the emergence of car stereos. With the help of new technologies, the 21st century enabled car stereo systems supporting new audio formats.
There are various new formats available for car stereos now. In this article, we will discuss about all these new audio formats.
Previously, a car used to have just one radio in its dashboard and two speakers in the front doors. But now the times have changed. Today the technology has advanced so much that car stereos are competitively as good as home stereos.
Dolby sound
Dolby sound is a brilliant audio format used by car stereos. Dolby sound actually influences the audio signal and reduces background hiss or noise prevalent in low quality systems. This can be effective for tape cassettes, because of the background hiss prevalent in tape players.
Surround sound
Surround sound is actually an effect that makes the listener feel that the sound is coming from almost every direction. Gone are those days when sound used to come from only left and right speakers. Now, sounds come from left, right, center, up, down, almost from every direction.
DSP
The full form of DSP is Digital Signal Processing. DSP creates a special kind of effect, which is called psycho acoustic effect. This special effect is created by delaying and influencing the audio signals. This effect actually creates an extra sound that does not exist originally. Actually the delays give birth to a series of echoes. All of them are pre-programmed. And these echoes create the special effect. Many models contain different settings, like, jazz club, stadium, concert hall etc.
MP3
MP3 is one of the most acclaimed audio formats nowadays. Previously MP3 was made only for home stereos. But now car stereos also contain this format. MP3 is a special format that allows the CD to hold a huge number of titles/songs. If you have got this in your car, then you can compress plenty of music or other data into one CD and you will be able to play them in your car stereo.
Sometimes, the MP3 format harms the quality of sound due to the compression. But if this small drawback can be excused, then MP3 can help you in many ways. The best thing about this is it saves a lot of space. Previously, you would’ve had to carry plenty of CDs in your car. But now, you can listen to all of your favorite songs by playing just one CD.
There are some modification of the MP3 format that have occurred recently. Now, car stereos consist of a small computer, which is capable of reading the MP3 format. And this computer does not need any MP3 CD. The data can be loaded onto this computer directly from the home PC. It contains a portable hard drive, through which this job can be done. The hard drive has to be attached via the USB port.
RDS
RDS or Radio Data System is a highly equipped car radio set up. It allows you to listen to all the radio stations in your city. It also offers some special features. If you want to listen to any special kind of song, say country song, then you can choose the category and the radio will find the particular station that plays that kind of song. You can even choose traffic updates. If you save TA or TRAF, then the radio will automatically shift to the channel in the time of traffic updates.
By: Victor Epand
About the Author:
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos. You can find the best marketplace for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos at these sites for used DVDs. Stop Foreclosure – Save Your Credit
Filed under Car Stereo Systems by on Feb 17th, 2010. Comment. 
The reason most people need to define their car as classic or vintage is for insurance purposes. You should always have insurance coverage on your vehicle. If anything were to happen to it you would otherwise have to pay for it out of your own pocket. And that’s a chance that should never be taken with any old vehicle. Many insurance companies have a rule that the car must be at least 25 years old or older to be considered a classic. If the car is older than the 1930s it will likely be considered vintage. Of course some agencies even have a historical status for vehicles of certain ages so be sure to inquire fully.
Currently it seems that there is no concrete definition of a classic car. To some it is an old hotrod from the 1950s and for others it is the muscle cars of the 1970s. This term gets a little sticky because the definition seems to change with every person asked.
According to the Classic Car Club of America a classic automobile is any one that has been built between the years of 1925 and 1948. This is an indication of how drastically different the opinions are from resource to resource. That definition does apply to cars that were either domestic or foreign built. If you check out the club’s website and find a car missing from their classic list that you feel should be there, you can actually petition the site to add it to their list. It doesn’t mean that they will but it’s certainly worth a try.
You will likely find that different organizations or car clubs will have their own definitions of vintage and classic cars. Many different factors affect these choices too such as the popularity of the car then and now as well as the make, model and historical value. For instance, models of vehicles that appeared on TV or in movies tend to have a higher ranking classic status than those that did not.
The rarity of the vehicle also may play a role in if it is classic or vintage. A car that is exceptionally rare will likely have a higher numerical value attached to it. This can affect what category it falls into. Do not stop searching for definitions at just one source. Compare and contrast them, form your own definition if need be based on what you find. A professional opinion is recommended for extremely valuable or rare vehicles.
Filed under Classic Cars by on Mar 12th, 2009. Comment.
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