An in-dash monitor can do a lot more than show your movies, like displaying in-car navigation maps, back-up camera images, MP3 and WMA file tags, and a wealth of satellite radio channel information.

In-dash monitors are one of the most exciting new mobile electronics products to come along in recent years. The simple fact that engineers can fit a 7" widescreen monitor into a standard (single-DIN) size car stereo is a marvel in and of itself. But watching the screen motor out horizontally from the stereo chassis, extend, and then flip-up into a 90° position for viewing is a thrilling spectacle. As Advisor reporter Matt Freeman notes, "There's something inherently cool about watching a monitor automatically slide out when you start your car."

As mobile video has grown in popularity, in-dash monitors have become an essential component for many in-car video systems. Most new in-dash monitors are now packaged with a built-in DVD/receiver, giving you an all-in-one mobile video package for the front of your car. Watching a DVD on your in-dash monitor within the cocooned space of your parked* car can be an impressive experience, especially if you've got a subwoofer and good quality speakers driven with enough power to reproduce sound effects and dialogue effectively. (*In-dash monitors do not allow you to view a movie when the vehicle is in motion.)

But you can use an in-dash monitor to do a lot more than just watch movies in your parked car. An in-dash monitor can add a whole new level of safety, convenience, and (yes) flash, to your car stereo system. You can't watch a movie on your in-dash monitor as you cruise down the road, but you can use it to do some pretty cool stuff:

    * An in-dash monitor is an essential component of an in-car navigation system, an increasingly important feature for more and more drivers these days.
    * An in-dash monitor provides a vivid and often interactive display of all sorts of system information in a large and legible format.
    * An in-dash monitor will display MP3 ID3 tags and WMA folder and file information, for easy navigation through hundreds of songs.
    * An in-dash monitor will display channel, artist, and song information for satellite radio.
    * Drivers of large vehicles like SUVs and RVs, and those who often tow a trailer, can use an in-dash monitor to display back-up camera images.