May 9, 2007, Tokyo, Japan - Pioneer Corporation announced today its renewed lineup of the HDD-based CYBER NAVI car navigation systems. The new lineup consists of eight models: The AVIC-VH099MD and AVIC-VH099 are 1-DIN+1-DIN DSP-control AV navigation auto servers with built-in 7-inch wide VGA touch-screen monitors. The AVIC-ZH099 is a 2-DIN DSP-control AV navigation auto server with a built-in 7-inch wide VGA touch-screen monitor. The AVIC-XH099 is a 1-DIN navigation auto server with an on-dash 7-inch wide VGA touch-screen monitor. The AVIC-H099 is a 1-DIN navigation auto server (without a monitor). In addition, terrestrial digital TV tuner set models, the AVIC-VH099MDG, AVIC-VH099G, and AVIC-ZH099G, will be launched as its flag-ship models at the same time. These new models will be available in between late May and early June, 2007 at suggested retail prices of 336,000 yen, 315,000 yen, 273,000 yen, 283,500 yen, 210,000 yen, 409,500 yen, 388,500 yen, and 346,500 yen (including tax), respectively.
In 2006, Pioneer put forward its Smart Loop Concept*1 for the Cyber Navi car navigation series, and proposed the Accumulative Probe*2 utilizing home networks as the first embodiment of this concept. This spring the company launched also its "Smart Loop Dot Log," a free blog creating service that allows participants to efficiently share word-of-mouth information and their driving experiences.
Early summer in 2007, Pioneer's new Cyber Navi systems will realize the" Real-time Probe," as another embodiment of the Smart Loop Concept, to share real-time driving information among the Smart Loop participants. By sharing the data provided by a so-called hybrid probe - a combination of the Real-time Probe and Accumulative Probe, the new navigation systems will provide the latest traffic congestion information beyond areas covered by the VICS service to achieve route guidance of higher-than-ever quality.
By further pursuing embodiment of the Smart Loop Concept, Pioneer continues to add a new dimension to the Cyber Navi car navigation series.
Main features:
Real-time Probe - an embodiment of Pioneer Smart Loop Concept;
and further advances in navigation capabilities
1 ) "Real-time Probe" and "Smart Loop traffic congestion information"
The new Cyber Navi models employs the newly developed"Real-time Probe", as an embodiment of the Pioneer Smart Loop Concept. This new function is a real-time data-collection/feedback system via mobile communications, where Smart-Loop participants' driving histories are sent to the Pioneer dedicated server, and the latest traffic congestion data called "Smart Loop traffic congestion information" is fed back to the participants almost in real-time*3.
The Smart Loop traffic congestion data is optimized by adding on-demand VICS information and the information gathered from the Real-time Probe and the Accumulative Probe.*4 This enables the users to search the optimum route to the destination and know more precise estimated time of arrival.
The data compression technology helps to reduce users' communication costs when the data is sent or received via mobile phone. *5
2 ) Spot information on "Smart Loop Dot Log"- a free blog creating service
Smart Loop participants*6 can download spot information attached to blog articles from the "Smart Loop Dot Log" to their PCs and transfer the information to their Cyber Navi systems using a dedicated software "Navi Studio Ver. 2.1*7." By using this spot information including entrance locations of the parking lot of the destination, the new Cyber Navi systems will guide the drivers right to the entrance of the parking lot.
3 ) Further enhanced map data to realize high-quality route search
The new systems' further-improved map data allows more comfortable driving to the destination:
- Entrance location data for another 1,500 parking lots has been added to the map data stored in the hard drive by using the Auto Parking Memory data collected via the Accumulated Probe.
- Data on 1,100 "bottlenecked" railroad crossings*8 nationwide are also included. The accuracy of the travel time is further improved by calculating the time to pass through the crossings based on the volume of traffic blocked.
- The Arrow Guide function intuitively shows the distance to the intersection ahead or the direction toward which the drivers should turn, when they drive along the route.
- The map shows the distance to the destination or the place where the drivers want to drop by, the estimated arrival time, and the elapsed time from the starting point.
4 ) "Link Gate Play" - a new style of enjoying music in a vehicle - provides quick access to desired music.
The Link Gate Play enables users to reflect their intention on the Random Play function - a feature that the users can easily enjoy a large amount of music stored in their navigations' hard drives. During the random play mode, the users can change to only the music performed by the artist they are listening to, only the music in the same play list, only the music in the same genre, only the same music exuding the same mood, or only the music with the same tempo by touching the desired button from 5 selections: Artist, Play list, Genre, Feeling, and Tempo.
5 ) Newly-developed "Security Lock" to protect private information stored in the hard drive.
The new Cyber Navi models are equipped with the Security Lock. When this function is set to ON, the new systems will prevent the navigation function from being activated unless the right password is entered if:
- The car batteries are replaced;
- The navigation systems are reset; or
- The navigation systems are reinstalled.
Improved terrestrial digital reception performance and ease of
operation (only for terrestrial digital-tuner models
AVIC-VH099MDG, AVIC-VH099G, and AVIC-ZH099G)
1 ) Vehicle-mount-specific design achieves superior reception performance
The new Cyber-Navi terrestrial-digital tuner models employ a "4-tuner Carrier Composite" system that makes optimal use of the 4-tuner x 4-antenna technology. In addition, through the multiplier effect of a new-type tuner especially designed for moving vehicles and a newly-developed demodulator LSI, the new models boosts their basic reception performance as well as suppressing reception errors and noises to the utmost limit. As a result, their reception area covered by one broadcast station tower is expanded by about 1.5-fold, compared with that for the previous models.*9
2 ) Newly-employed "Automatic Relay Station Search"
When the car moves out of the area covered by a broadcast station tower, the Automatic Relay Station Search, applying Pioneer's proprietary algorithm, can automatically switch to the appropriate channel from the next, nearest relay station and keep the same program tuned in. This new function expands the area where the same program can be received without interruption by around 2.7-fold, compared with that for the previous models.*9
3 ) Further improved Digital Revise Engine-Pioneer's proprietary error correction technology
The company's proprietary technology Digital Revise Engine corrects errors peculiar to digital TV broadcasts such as block noises and intermittent sound, and enables the viewer to enjoy clear images with high-quality sound even in a moving vehicle or in areas with weak electrical field strength. Plus, when receiving one-segment digital TV broadcast, this further-improved technology creates pseudo intermediate frames and set the frame rate at 30 frames/second, which is the same as 12-segment broadcasting, to deliver smooth images.
4 ) Easy operations via touch panel and voice recognition
All terrestrial digital TV tuner operations can be controlled via the touch panel. Easy operations via voice recognition are also possible.
A comprehensive lineup, including terrestrial digital tuner models,
to meet a diversity of user needs:
The new lineup comes in eight models including three terrestrial digital models with a 4-tuner x 4-antenna design which realizes high reception performance and high-quality picture. Users can select from four types of Pioneer optional TV tuners (terrestrial digital TV tuners GEX-P09DTV and GEX-P07DTV, analog TV tuner GEX-P03TV, one-segment digital TV tuner GEX-P01DTV) and combine with their new Cyber navigation systems to configure a system best suited for their needs:
< New Cyber models without a TV tuner >
- AVIC-VH099MD and AVIC-VH099: 1DIN + 1DIN main units that can be installed in a variety of ways
- AVIC-ZH099: 2DIN main unit that can be installed in a way that looks as though it is a seamless part of the console
- AVIC-XH099: 1DIN source unit equipped with an on-dash TV that offers flexible location of the monitor
- AVIC-H099: 1DIN source unit that can add navigation capabilities to the newly-introduced AVH-P900DVA, 1DIN DVD main unit equipped with a built-in monitor
< New Cyber models with a terrestrial digital TV tuner >
- AVIC-VH099MDG, AVIC-VH099G, and AVIC-ZH099G
Notes
- The space of time interrupted per hour is 40 minutes or more.
- The volume of traffic interruption per day
(the value calculated by multiplying the traffic blocked time by the volume of traffic per day) exceeds 50,000.
