Thread: Backup Camera
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Old 05-12-2008, 05:15 AM
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H2Finally H2Finally is offline
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Default Re: Backup Camera

For simple reversing assistance, any $40 bumper mount rear-view camera from eBay will do the job. Get the ones with built-in LED for night-time view. It will be color in daytime, b&w at night.

The middle marker hitch-cam has a huge (& dangerous) blind spot right behind & below the 37" spare on my rear-tire carrier. With 2 small kids and a small dog, this was not acceptable. Not a big deal to drill a hole in the bumper right above the rear hitch for regular bullet-type back-up camera.

For off-roading filming and such, you'd want to get ones with true CCD sensor. CCD = More resolution/better quality than CMOS sensor which is cheaper, crappier & form the majority of cameras on eBay.

I use one of those clip-on rear view mirror with built-in LCD to view image. If you buy the one with the LCD on the left side, you might be able to cut a hole in the clip-on mirror's housing on the top right like I did, so that you can still see the oem mirror's LED temperature/compass. Most comes with 2 Video inputs, one for movies & the second will auto-switch-on when you're reversing.

For interior LCDs, I just installed a pair of 10.4" Headrests with independant built-in DVD players. Driving long distance, they are worth their weight in gold with my kids! The gray leather is not exactly the same as the H2's wheat interior, but close enough not to bug me. These are abt $700 & cheap by headrest monitors standards -- which means both headrests are identical -- which means the passenger-side DVD slot also exits to the right -- right into the passenger seatbelt hump. Hence the spacers in the photo below, to make sure the discs can go in & out above the hump without damage. I need to cut the larger chrome post "sleeves" (that came with the LCDs) shorter to use as a much-better looking spacers.

Image quality is superb & the 10.4" size really blows your mind, and I think large enough for 3rd row passangers to see clearly.

The visor LCD was very difficult to install & not for the faint of heart. But my wife loves it.

I connected all 4 LCDs to 4x4 Wireless AV switcher (by Optiview) for independant viewing (from either of the 2 DVD players inside the headrests). So Switch #1 is Driver LCD, #2 Passanger LCD, #3 Rear-view mirror LCD, #4 Wife's Visor LCD.

For when everyone's watching the same movie, I connected audio out #3 (the one for my rear-view LCD) to input to the oem radio head through a PAC GM interface (from Jason at JPCustoms) so the audio comes thru the H2's oem speakers. You might also need to buy pre-amp signal amplifier as the max audio signal volume from my headrests DVDs were low.

When my kids want to watch different movies, you'd need 2-channels IR wireless headphones or wired earphones (backup for out-of-battery emergency in the middle of nowhere).

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