SoundMan Car Audio - Vea Link upgrade or IPAD?

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Vea Link upgrade or IPAD?

Derek Shoemake
- 33 posts
December 27, 2011 5:49:45 AM PST

I have been running a vea link set up in my Chevy Show Truck for a while and the internals of the computer either need to be updated or i just need to go another route all together. Has anyone ever worked with a vea link computer? I have thought about chaning the 10 inch touch screen out with an IPAD and just using that but I have five other computer monitors and a 42 LCD TV in the bed. Can I get a high quality video out to all the monitors?
Brad Stolberg
- 486 posts
December 27, 2011 9:32:05 AM PST

Dude, you've actually got the perfect setup for an iPad. All you need is the apple digital av connector that gives you a 30pin dock connector for charging, plus a1080p mirroring HDMI out (mirroring only on iPad 2) then if you have a processor with a digital optical in you can just grab the audio from the tv's digital optical out and you've got hi def audio and video, as how to get the video to the other screens without hdmi, you're going to have to get creative
Brad Stolberg
- 486 posts
December 27, 2011 9:41:51 AM PST

I've worked with in car pc's of all sorts and the iPad is leaps and bounds better suited for use in e car cause of original intention to be a mobile device, if you don't have a processor, Gefen sells a 24 bit DAC for $50m or the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic literally sounds magical but it's $300 and youd be better off going for a Bit Ten D for just a bit more and having the DRC among the processing

Or I forget if it's scosche or PAC but they make an iPad cable with composite rca's out and with charging for around $60 but the digital route doubles SQ and the Bit products solve half the problems just by plugging them in
Derek Shoemake
- 33 posts
December 27, 2011 10:20:51 AM PST

I actually have an eight way VGA splitter that is going to all the monitors. I know they make a cable for the IPAD that goes to a VGA plug but I don't think it would charge it too. But then I couldn't get the audio from the IPAD.

This post was edited by Derek Shoemake at December 27, 2011 10:24:44 AM PST
Derek Shoemake
- 33 posts
December 27, 2011 10:26:28 AM PST

I wonder if I could split the HDMI signal. One end going to the TV and one going to a HDMI to VGA converter.
Derek Shoemake
- 33 posts
December 27, 2011 10:27:13 AM PST

Getting audio from the TV also means it would have to be on all the time doesn't it?
Brad Stolberg
- 486 posts
December 27, 2011 11:12:08 AM PST

Yup the tv would need to be on for the audio to work, but that's the only way to get digital A/V out of the iPad and have full charging

I would maybe swap out that monitor you have on the passenger side of the dash fora little 19" LED and use that

You would need an HDCP certified HDMI repeater, which is available but make sure it's version 1.4 or 1.3

There is the VGA adapter which would let you have trickle charging with a breakout board like with the camera connector, and if the iPad is going to stay in the car at all times then you could just grab audio from the headphone jack, but it won't be the best sq you can get

IMO...I'd do the iPad 2 with the digital A/V out to an HDMI splitter then to a tv with optical out to either a Bitten D or Bitone...they seriously are the best thing that's happened to car audio in years
Derek Shoemake
- 33 posts
December 28, 2011 5:28:25 AM PST

Well I have put the wheels in motion. I have pulled the touchscreen out and put it on ebay and plan on putting my IPAD on ebay and hopefully I will be able to get an IPAD 2 with the money I get from both of them.
Brad Stolberg
- 486 posts
December 28, 2011 5:42:29 AM PST

Sounds reasonable,

What is the rest of your audio system, are you running anything active, do you have a processor
Brad Stolberg
- 486 posts
December 28, 2011 5:44:38 AM PST

You can have the video from an iPad 1 be on the other screens, but it won't be on the iPad screen then

And the ipad 3 is expected to launch within the next 2 months, I'd wait and snag an iPad 2 for cheap
Derek Shoemake
- 33 posts
December 31, 2011 8:08:08 AM PST

So i got my dash ripped out and about have all the hundred miles of cables that go along with vea link out and i realized i forgot to mention a piece of equipment that is handling all the sound right now. all my amps are going to an AudioControl 3.1 . Could I leave that in there and just run the IPAD through it and still get video out to all my monitors? Maybe an Istreamer is an option?
Brad Stolberg
- 486 posts
December 31, 2011 12:39:50 PM PST

the problem is conncecting the istreamer and something for video out...I'm not sure if it would work but you could use the Apple gidital A/V adapter and use the hdmi for video, then plug a "pocket dock" (with usb charging and headphone out ports) into the "charging port" on the digital AV connector

Or If the Ipad is going to stay in the car you could just use the digital A/V adapter for video and charging, then use the regular headphone port for audio

Honestly going digital out from the ipad to a Bit ten D or Bitone is the best sounding source for car audio I've seen in years, besides maybe the Mcintoch of which I have limited expirence with

I'm assuming your running passive, I'd snag a bit ten D and ditch the audio control piece, the Bit Ten D comes with the DRC (digital remote control) and controls every part of the sound and gives you 2 custom preset EQ/TA settings to switchbetween on the fly...with the bit one you get 4 presets
Derek Shoemake
- 33 posts
February 6, 2012 7:59:09 AM PST

I have most of the pieces for the project except for the bit ten which is on its way. I bought an HDMI splitter, and an HDMI converter that converts the HDMI to either vga or component and has a L/R audio out as well as an optical out. I know we talked about using the optical audio out on the back of the tv but do you think the signal from the converter will be just as good? If i can use it I woudn't have to have the tv on to get audio, on the converter.
Brad Stolberg
- 486 posts
February 6, 2012 11:05:36 AM PST

I couldn't really say which one would be better without testing it for myself, I'd assume that it would be the same signal, do you have a link to the HDMI box? And you did get the Bit Ten D right? The regular Bit Ten doesn't have the controller or a digital input!
Derek Shoemake
- 33 posts
February 7, 2012 4:16:47 AM PST

Man I might have just gotten a regular bit ten. Any way I could use it? Or maybe I will just put it back on Ebay and get a Bit Ten D.
Brad Stolberg
- 486 posts
February 7, 2012 4:44:48 AM PST

I think if I remember correctly, you needed the DRC for volume control...plus you DO NOT want to give up that digital input