I don't get to spend enough time with these products ... at least not the ones I like. When I test an item that works great and does a wonderful job, the time to send it back to the manufacturer comes much too quickly. Of course, the products that do not measure up can yield an opposite effect. In this case, I'm already missing the Soundstream VCMM-122D and would like to have had even more time to learn about and enjoy this unit.
Not only loaded with great features, the VCMM-122D offers great performance and good looks. This system has a built-in DVD player and a fully motorized, 16:9 "wide-screen" formatted, TFT (Thin Film Transistor) LCD monitor that is operated from a wireless remote control-how cool is that? The viewer can adjust the presentation angle of the screen without even reaching to it. Just push a button on the remote! This is really awesome for small- to medium-sized people (like children) who cannot reach one of these overhead monitors with their seat belts on.
The VCMM-122D comes with built-in dome lights and is available in one color: an amorphous tan/gray that, oddly enough, matches most vehicle interiors. At 15" x 15" x 2.55", the mounting footprint is a bit bulky, probably due to the well-worth-it motorized screen. The attractive screen has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels (RGB). The VCMM-122D comes with two A/V inputs as well as the built-in DVD player and a TV tuner to boot. The built-in FM modulator eliminates the need to wire anything to your car stereo system. Just select an FM radio frequency from the on-screen display, dial it in on your radio and you have audio through your vehicle's speaker system. The unit Soundstream supplied me did have a problem with its FM modulator. The audio section had the left and right channels wired out of phase with one another. I had to flip the polarity of my driver's side speaker to correct the problem when listening to the video system. Soundstream's product manager, Juan Herrera, did not offer a fix for this test, so I continued with the unit supplied.
With big, well-labeled and sensibly laid-out buttons, the VCMM-122D's remote control is one of the best I've used-a pleasure to operate. I found it unfortunate that the unit's headphones are optional and cost extra. If headphones were included, the VCMM-122D would be one of the absolute best values available. On its own, the VCMM-122D has a retail price of $1,299, which is a pretty good value.
If all its great features weren't enough for you, the VCMM-122D comes with one of the best owner's manuals I've ever seen in the world of mobile electronics. Soundstream invested a great deal of effort to create a comprehensive manual (this thing is 40 pages-all of it in English-and covers all the bases). This excellent manual gives Soundstream customers an easy-to-use and helpful guide that will greatly increase their enjoyment of purchasing a Soundstream product. Man, this thing is LOADED!Installation, Setting Up And Fine-Tuning
Installation, Setting up and Fine-TunningWhen installed, the VCMM-122D is designed to replace the central dome light in most vehicles. It comes packaged with a heavy-duty mounting plate and all the necessary hardware to do the job. On a flat headliner, the VCMM-122D should be fairly simple to install. However, if the headliner is not flat, you'll need the help of a professional. Since the VCMM-122D is BIG and heavy, do-it-yourselfers should carefully plan out the mounting of this unit. While the installation manual is chalk full of excellent information on the features and operation, it does not spend much time on the actual installation how-to.
Once we had the VCMM-122D installed, I got a look at the picture quality, which was really quite good with the factory settings. I inserted my AVIA test disk to fine-tune all of the picture settings. Taking the time to properly get these adjustments to their optimal settings will yield a picture at its maximum performance and quality. The AVIA disk uses a series of test patterns specific to each adjustment available on almost all monitors. (See sidebar for a fuller explanation of the test patterns.)
The contrast (white balance) setting needed to be increased to 39, while the brightness (black level adjustment) had to be pushed up to 37. The VCMM-122D does not feature a sharpness control, and the test pattern showed that the preset level was too high and could have stood to be lowered.
Color (saturation) and tint (hue) are the most difficult adjustments to dial in. The test pattern is a patterned color bar that you view through a blue-colored gel (which makes one look very silly, staring at a video screen with a blue piece of plastic in front of your eyes. Talk about Geeked!) I ended up with the color set to 32 and the tint at 30. Overall the VCMM-122D was very nice and easy to dial in. All of the controls actually made a difference and worked properly, which cannot be said for a number of other screens out there.
ViewingI started by watching the widescreen version of Pixar's Finding Nemo. After you choose to start the movie, the inserted THX cow call introduction/demonstration clip appears. The clip features a "maintenance robot" fixing the THX logo. The VCMM-122D did a wonderful job of reproducing the chrome and metal finishes on the THX logo and on the robot. The blue background looked rich and beautiful, but a little darker than I have come to expect it to be. Also, the reds on the robot were a deep, darker red. Overall, the picture was warm and inviting.
In the opening scene, the sunlight through the water and all the little plankton looked good and had fine detail with the darker colors like the blues and greens. There was some blooming on the orange body colors of Marlin and Coral. Inside the cave with the eggs, the shadow details were pretty good. I could plainly see the different shading and textures of the cave walls. However, the orange body color blooming was just too much for me to stand. I pulled the color control down to 27 from the 32 it tested out at and the blooming and overall performance was improved.