Rear view cameras

The Toyota Prius has, as an option or standard, a TV camera at the
rear that presents a
picture of what's immediately behind the vehicle on a screen in the
dash. I would think this would
be an option on other models such as the Avalon, but apparently not.

Has anyone here retrofitted a rear view CCTV to a car?

TIA

Ed

Ed wrote:
> Has anyone here retrofitted a rear view CCTV to a car?
> Ed

Does a pickup truck count? There are kits out to mount to a pickup tail
gate so people can hook up their campers and boats up faster. You
simply watch the screen as you back up
and it allows you to hook up whatever you are towing without always
having to get in and out of your truck. Helps to eliminate the trial
and errors I guess....

Ed wrote:
> The Toyota Prius has, as an option or standard, a TV camera at the
> rear that presents a
> picture of what's immediately behind the vehicle on a screen in the
> dash.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the Toyota Prius also has the kind of ugly
big "ass" that makes it hard to guess how close you are to an object
behind you.

Also, a big chunk of its target market consists of people who need all
the help they can get when it comes to parking.

They're also likely to live in the suburbs, and back that Prius out of
a driveway where children and pets may be playing.

The rest of us don't need a silly CCTV in a car.

Kaz Kylheku wrote:
> Ed wrote:
>
>>The Toyota Prius has, as an option or standard, a TV camera at the
>>rear that presents a
>>picture of what's immediately behind the vehicle on a screen in the
>>dash.
>
>
> Perhaps not coincidentally, the Toyota Prius also has the kind of ugly
> big "ass" that makes it hard to guess how close you are to an object
> behind you.
>
> Also, a big chunk of its target market consists of people who need all
> the help they can get when it comes to parking.
>
> They're also likely to live in the suburbs, and back that Prius out of
> a driveway where children and pets may be playing.
>
> The rest of us don't need a silly CCTV in a car.
>

As much as it pains me to defend quite possibly the only car Toyota has
ever made that's uglier than the Echo, I am guessing the reason for the
big tall ass is aerodynamics. The trunk lid/rear end of cars used to be
typically much lower than it is typically today, but I am guessing that
they are made taller to reduce the amount of separation that occurs at
the rear of the car (and consequently, lift.) It also provides for more
trunk space, which is a nice selling point.

When backing out of a parking space, it is rather nice to be able to
simply look over your shoulder and see where you're going, however...

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

Kruse wrote:
> Ed wrote:
>
>>Has anyone here retrofitted a rear view CCTV to a car?
>>Ed
>
>
> Does a pickup truck count? There are kits out to mount to a pickup tail
> gate so people can hook up their campers and boats up faster. You
> simply watch the screen as you back up
> and it allows you to hook up whatever you are towing without always
> having to get in and out of your truck. Helps to eliminate the trial
> and errors I guess....
>

Hmm, I usually just picked up the tongue of the trailer and moved it the
last few inches.

Of course, my body will probably let me know just what a dumbass I am
when I get old...

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

....

And besides, the rental I had which had one, it was so filthy
from road grime it wasn't useful anyway. No one ever mentions
that little detail of having ot keep the area semi-cleaned.

Pop

Surprised to see it on the Prius, but then again, I can imagine that as
having a substantial blind spot, as cars go. The Dodge Magnum strikes
me as another good candidate.

Vans and up are where you find the real market for such cameras. Our
shuttle buses at work have backup cameras with a 'V' of range dots
printed on the monitor with a Sharpie. The drivers really do refer to
it when they can't avoid backing up, and also to keep an eye on the
bicycle rack. A backup camera also seems to be an increasingly common
RV accessory -- doubtless a factory offering on the nicer ones.

When a full-sized van came into my life, I got one of those "van eyes"
lenses and figured out how to incorporate it into my scan when backing
up. Even though it's a conversion with lots of large windows, backing
up in crowded areas where pedestrians may lurk, such as in a
supermarket parking lot, always makes me feel like the Sorcerer's
Apprentice. A camera, especially one with some low-light capabilities,
is an intriguing prospect now that the prices of cameras and small LCD
displays seem to be coming down.

Kruse,

Thanks. Your remark was the most helpful. I'll check it out.

Ed

"Kruse" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> Ed wrote:
>> Has anyone here retrofitted a rear view CCTV to a car?
>> Ed
>
> Does a pickup truck count? There are kits out to mount to a pickup
> tail
> gate so people can hook up their campers and boats up faster. You
> simply watch the screen as you back up
> and it allows you to hook up whatever you are towing without always
> having to get in and out of your truck. Helps to eliminate the trial
> and errors I guess....
>
>

"Kaz Kylheku" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Perhaps not coincidentally, the Toyota Prius also has the kind of
> ugly
> big "ass" that makes it hard to guess how close you are to an object
> behind you.

Yes, that and a lot of SUVs need them too. To say nothing about the
Chryslers that look like
a chopped '50 Merc with a rake.

>
> Also, a big chunk of its target market consists of people who need
> all
> the help they can get when it comes to parking.

You bet! Otherwise, we back up by radar... when we hear something go
bang
you stop. Then the hearing goes...

>
> They're also likely to live in the suburbs, and back that Prius out
> of
> a driveway where children and pets may be playing.

As a matter of fact, that's our problem. We are 4 houses down from the
elementary
school. So far, we've been lucky.

> The rest of us don't need a silly CCTV in a car.

Well, the Avalon is not selling into the youthful market, is it? The
average age
of an Avalon owner is probably about the same as a Buick Lucern (nee,
Park Avenue).

Look what I found!

http://www.gnetcanada.com/navvideo-overview.htm

G-Net Canada sells a retrofit backup camera made to interface to
built-in NAV systems
for many vehicles. I've asked them if it can be interfaced to the
in-dash screen on
an Avalon w/o NAV. My guess is no, because the screens seem to be
monochrome
when there is no NAV.

Ed

"Ed" > wrote in message
. com...
>
>
> The Toyota Prius has, as an option or standard, a TV camera at the
> rear that presents a
> picture of what's immediately behind the vehicle on a screen in the
> dash. I would think this would
> be an option on other models such as the Avalon, but apparently not.
>
> Has anyone here retrofitted a rear view CCTV to a car?
>
> TIA
>
> Ed
>
>
>