Music The Road Trip

[Tom]

Its been a few years since I have owned a CD or DVD.
Like 8-Track tapes I put away the old technology and embraced the new.

Recently I have been looking into new car stereos and I see two trends forming.

One trend (which I think is dangerous) is the ability to play DVD movies on your car stereo.
Cell phones distract drivers from the task at hand so why are DVD movies any different?

The other trend is the ability to play USB (which I have been doing for a few years now) and SD memory cards.
You can now take ANY mp3 and play it in your car radio.
Not only can you now have 1,000s of songs you like available instantly without storage issues but you can also listen to any verbal complilation.

From learning new languages to reviewing meetings and everything in between.

I don't take long road trips very often anymore but some people do.
There are 1,000s of books in mp3 format that can be easily transfered to a usb or SD card.
I don't know much about Sirius Satellite Radio - Do they have a station with audio books or radio theater?

Depending upon your preferences you can find very well done audio books to hear as you cross 4 or 5 states.
There are audio blogs that explore just about any passion. I have even obtained old 40s & 50s radio shows that take you into the origins of many of todays hit movies.

There is Scott Sigler who swear but has very good stories and a great voice
Scott Sigler Profile - Podiobooks

A wide range of genre favorites from Sports to Zombies To Combat

Other titles include:

They even have children's stories

At All Categories - Podiobooks there are many categories to choose from:

Science Fiction (196 titles)
Horror (47 titles)
Mystery (31 titles)
Thriller (34 titles)
Fantasy (113 titles)
...And More!

That is only one site, there are thousands of sites with many different styles and production values

WE're Alive is a podcast of a Zombie Apocaylpse that has sound effects included and different actors playing the parts.

We're Alive

There are audio short stories that are just fantastic for lovers of fiction

PodCastle | The world's first audio fantasy magazine.
Fantasy Stories and podcasts

Escape Pod
Science Fiction Stories and podcasts

Pseudopod
Horror Stories and podcasts

Old Time Radio Shows at Archive.org
Old Time Radio : Free Audio : Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

Isaac Asimov - The Foundation Trilogy

Radio Lovers
RadioLovers.com - Old Time Radio Shows

Every night, families and their neighbors would come together and listen to radio broadcasts of Sherlock Holmes, Groucho Marx, The Avenger, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Superman and more. Radio broadcasts were so much a part of everyday life they could influence mass movements, such as the night Orson Welles told millions about an impending alien invasion... a "War of the Worlds." Re-live those times with the largest online archive of vintage radio shows, available to you for FREE!
Enjoy the Greatest Books of All Time Without Ever Reading a Word

Free Old time Radio Shows - Buck Rogers
Click on the Links below to listen for free online:
• Episode 001
• Episode 002
• Episode 003
• Episode 004
• Episode 005
• Episode 006
• Episode 007
• Episode 008
• Episode 009
• Episode 010
• Episode 011
• Episode 012
• Episode 732
• Episode 733

No matter your personal preference you can find hours of entertainment to get you thru your road trip.

 

[Kevin]

One trend (which I think is dangerous) is the ability to play DVD movies on your car stereo.
Cell phones distract drivers from the task at hand so why are DVD movies any different?

Mmmmm.... for some reason I thought most head units were still locked so that DVD video playback was only available when the vehicle was not in drive mode. The units that have remote monitors will work when driving, for monitors in the back seat, but the main console I thought wouldn't be displaying the video.

The other trend is the ability to play USB (which I have been doing for a few years now) and SD memory cards.
You can now take ANY mp3 and play it in your car radio.
Not only can you now have 1,000s of songs you like available instantly without storage issues but you can also listen to any verbal complilation.

Yep, that is what most new vehicles are offering. My 2012 is a bit outdated already because with the factory head unit I can transfer stuff from USB to the unit hard drive but I can't play directly from the USB which is a bit of pain. The newer models that offer direct playing from USB and SD cards are pretty nice. When I was car shopping last year, even something like a CD player was mostly optional because so many of the head units offer USB/SD readers instead.

 

[Tom]

for some reason I thought most head units were still locked so that DVD video playback was only available when the vehicle was not in drive mode.

I was referring to aftermarket. A friend of mine had a Kenwood unit in her SUV more than 5 years ago and we watched movies while driving...from the dash!
I drove a small portion of the way and it really distracted me from keeping my focus on the road.

In addition I might also mention that some of the higher end units come with bluetooth and can sync with your bluetooth device for songs.