This Kenwood KVT-915DVD features built-in surround-sound decoding for true home-theater-style digital sound.

You can make your mobile theater sound like your home theater

As with your home stereo, it's actually possible to get true 5.1 surround sound in a car! The cozy, enclosed nature of the vehicle makes it easy to hear the distinct channel separation. Your vehicle's front and rear speakers act as the front left and right and surround left and right channels. You'll have to add a center channel speaker (which can present some mounting challenges; consulting a professional is highly recommended, depending on your experience) and an amplified subwoofer to complete the speaker setup.

There are several ways to get surround sound in your car:

• Hook your Dolby Digital® and DTS®-compatible DVD player (or in-dash DVD receiver) up to a separate surround-sound decoder. This is usually done with an optical digital cable, although some brands have proprietary connections that work between their own components. It's very similar to a home setup. The signal from the decoder will then have to go to separate amplifiers. You'll need amplification for your front, rear, and center-channel speakers, as well as for your subwoofer. A four-channel amp will work for the front and rear speakers. You'll then either need separate amps for the center channel and subwoofer, or powered versions of both speakers (both of which are available). A very few in-dash DVD receivers let you loop back the audio signal from the decoder and use their internal amplifiers to power the front and rear speakers (which means you'll still need to amplify the center channel and sub).
• Install an in-dash receiver with built-in surround decoding. These receivers decode the digital surround-sound signal internally, and have all the speaker outputs you need, including center channel. All you have to add in this case is an amplified subwoofer.
• Use a multi-channel theater component amplifier. The mobile video market in 2004 witnessed the debut of five-channel amplifiers that feature built-in digital surround decoding. These offer front and rear speaker outputs, a center channel output, and a preamp output for connecting a separately amplified sub. These make for clean, powerful installations with excellent sound quality.

High-end accessories

Did you know that it's possible to get satellite television in your vehicle? Well, it is. We're not kidding.

The beauty of a comprehensive mobile video system is the number of entertainment options it affords you. In addition to movies and music, you can add video games, local and satellite television, even your camcorder to the mix. What you can add depends on how many audio/video inputs your system has. Some components (video games, notably) might also require items such as power inverters in order for you to operate them in your vehicle.

Adding multiple components makes multi-zone capable video systems all the more fun. For example, if you have two monitors, a game system, and a satellite radio tuner hooked up to an in-dash receiver with multi-zone capability, you can listen to XM over the car speakers, while one backseat passenger watches a DVD, and the other plays a video game. Now that's entertainment.

Whatever you choose to do with mobile video, whether you install a complex, multi-component system, or simply hang a DVD player/monitor combo on your front seat, once you've entered the world of mobile video, you'll never want to leave.