Headrest DVD Players

[Wingfan13]

I am about to pull the trigger on the 2017 Sport and with 2 kids I am considering the headrest DVD players.

1. What are the options if any to play movies digitally through the screens ?
2. If you yourself own the headrest DVD players is it worth it ? I think the dealership is going to charge me $2000 ?

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[peterk9]

I am about to pull the trigger on the 2017 Sport and with 2 kids I am considering the headrest DVD players.

1. What are the options if any to play movies digitally through the screens ?
2. If you yourself own the headrest DVD players is it worth it ? I think the dealership is going to charge me $2000 ?

Thanks in advance for your help

Welcome to the Forum.
There are many existing threads on the DVD headrests. You can find them using the 'Search' feature in the top right corner of the page. These headrests apparently are 'fixed' in that they are not adjustable from what I've read. Several members have foregone these and purchased ipads or similar items instead.
There are also threads on aftermarket units. http://www.explorerforum.com/xenfor...ggestions-for-aftermarket-dvd-players.312903/
Good luck.

Peter

 

[supr squirrel]

I am about to pull the trigger on the 2017 Sport and with 2 kids I am considering the headrest DVD players.

1. What are the options if any to play movies digitally through the screens ?
2. If you yourself own the headrest DVD players is it worth it ? I think the dealership is going to charge me $2000 ?

Thanks in advance for your help

We discussed having the factory head rest units installed in our Ex and decided against it. At $1,800....even though it offers a 'cleaner' look...it's just not worth the price (at least in our opinion.) We ended up buying a couple of mounts that secure to the headrest bars and use them for an iPad mini (since dropped by the wife) and a Kindle Fire. There are plenty of videos, etc out there to keep them occupied. The biggest issue we had (prior to the wife breaking the iPad mini) was trying to 'sync' the videos together as closely as possible so we could turn on the sound on one and mute the other (our kids are 2 and 4 and not quite ready for headphones yet.) If your children/riders are a bit older that wouldn't be an issue for you.

As I said earlier the factory headrest is a cleaner look, but your riders can't take them out to play games on them, take them into a restaurant (or the house, etc) as you can when using 'pads.' We achieved nearly the same results as the factory headrest for about 1/4 of the price and in the end we were happy. Not trying to steer you in that direction necessarily, just expanding on what peterk9 said.
https://1drv.ms/i/s!Ar6C28xqT5INiwTFiW3PSF4grPHZ
https://1drv.ms/i/s!Ar6C28xqT5INiwVkFTswZ-jWD9OW
https://1drv.ms/i/s!Ar6C28xqT5INiwjtFAKYttS8Qevu

Also, there are many different headrest mounts that might offer a 'cleaner' look if you wish. These weren't terribly expensive and we figured if the kids broke them we wouldn't be out much.

 

[Sgt1411]

We discussed having the factory head rest units installed in our Ex and decided against it. At $1,800....even though it offers a 'cleaner' look...it's just not worth the price (at least in our opinion.) We ended up buying a couple of mounts that secure to the headrest bars and use them for an iPad mini (since dropped by the wife) and a Kindle Fire. There are plenty of videos, etc out there to keep them occupied. The biggest issue we had (prior to the wife breaking the iPad mini) was trying to 'sync' the videos together as closely as possible so we could turn on the sound on one and mute the other (our kids are 2 and 4 and not quite ready for headphones yet.) If your children/riders are a bit older that wouldn't be an issue for you.

As I said earlier the factory headrest is a cleaner look, but your riders can't take them out to play games on them, take them into a restaurant (or the house, etc) as you can when using 'pads.' We achieved nearly the same results as the factory headrest for about 1/4 of the price and in the end we were happy. Not trying to steer you in that direction necessarily, just expanding on what peterk9 said.
https://1drv.ms/i/s!Ar6C28xqT5INiwTFiW3PSF4grPHZ
https://1drv.ms/i/s!Ar6C28xqT5INiwVkFTswZ-jWD9OW
https://1drv.ms/i/s!Ar6C28xqT5INiwjtFAKYttS8Qevu

Also, there are many different headrest mounts that might offer a 'cleaner' look if you wish. These weren't terribly expensive and we figured if the kids broke them we wouldn't be out much.

As someone who has had the Ford OEM headrests in all of my 3 Explorers I would have to say this members post is about as accurate as it gets.

If you're considering an OEM solution because you think it ties into front controls, it does not.

The only connection is the FM Modulator audio and it's TERRIBLE!

iPad mounts today are superior, Ford even has an OEM authorized iPad mount.

My recommendation is do not get the OEM DVD's, get two iPad mounts and iPads, then two sets of Bluetooth headsets. I just picked up some really nice ones for $25 on MonoPrice.com

https://accessories.ford.com/catalog/product/view/id/10863/s/docking-station/category/3029/

http://www.levittownfordparts.com/ford-explorer-tablet-cradle-p-3997.html

 

[Wingfan13]

Thank you for the replies and yes I should have done a search first. I did not end up getting them and will go the tablet route. Thanks all

 

[FR8ZILLA76]

Its a nice idea but how are you getting power to the IPADS? The thought of battery and charging in and out seems like a drag. Having cables flop around also doesnt seem very classy either. Let me know..

As someone who has had the Ford OEM headrests in all of my 3 Explorers I would have to say this members post is about as accurate as it gets.

If you're considering an OEM solution because you think it ties into front controls, it does not.

The only connection is the FM Modulator audio and it's TERRIBLE!

iPad mounts today are superior, Ford even has an OEM authorized iPad mount.

My recommendation is do not get the OEM DVD's, get two iPad mounts and iPads, then two sets of Bluetooth headsets. I just picked up some really nice ones for $25 on MonoPrice.com

https://accessories.ford.com/catalog/product/view/id/10863/s/docking-station/category/3029/

http://www.levittownfordparts.com/ford-explorer-tablet-cradle-p-3997.html

 

[supr squirrel]

Its a nice idea but how are you getting power to the IPADS? The thought of battery and charging in and out seems like a drag. Having cables flop around also doesnt seem very classy either. Let me know..

We take ours out every night. I live in the country and have a pole barn it parks in, but less reason to break into it when they're not in there. They hold charge long enough for most trips we take and when we go on vacation we just use the USB chargers to keep them going. Of course on vacation there are six of us (me, Mrs. Squirrel and 2 and 4 year old baby squirrels, along with in-laws) so it's pretty crowded and messy in there, anyway.

Seems like I've seen one out there (did a quick search and couldn't find it at the moment) that had a charging port built into it that could be hard wired into the car. So basically you could run the wire behind the seat cover and have a more 'permanent' solution. I'll look again when I have more free time and see if I can find it again.

Edit: This isn't the one I was talking about, but it could be hard wired, too. (The other one had a bit 'cleaner' look to it.) Anyway, just showing that there are ways to give it a cleaner look.

http://macenstein.com/default/2012/05/review-scosche-backstage-pro-headrest-mount-for-ipad/