Valor Multimedia DDN-868W Navigation System

I've had this installed for two weeks and so far I have to say that I'm very pleased. There have been no major problems and it's doing its job well.One thing I should point out is that I'm using the stock amplifier in my car (a 2004 Lexus ES330) which means that I'm not using this unit's amplifier. I thus can't really provide any useful input about how it 'sounds'.The unit itself looks good. The buttons and knobs feel good and work well. I like the graphics used with the UI (with many units I found that the UI looked terrible, even if it functioned well). The screen resolution is adequate. As often seems to be the case, it can be difficult to read the screen on a sunny day though as the screen gets washed out (maybe it's time to get my windows tinted).It comes with a remote that works well. My only complaint about the remote is that all of the buttons are the same size and laid out in a grid pattern - good luck finding a lot of the buttons without looking at the remote. Some functionality (like fast forward) also seem to only be available on the remote which is disappointing.I've found the GPS very easy to use. I don't know how old my maps are but so far I haven't run into any problems with what it came with.I haven't tested the Bluetooth or SD card playback functionality yet, although I plan to and will hopefully update this review when I have. I have not tested the video playback, rear video inputs or outputs or rear USB connection and probably won't be doing so any time soon.For all that works well with it, I do have two gripes. One, there is no RDS. For a head unit with much technology packed in, it blows my mind that this unit doesn't support RDS (giving you the ability to see song titles/artists of what's on the radio). Two, sometimes the GPS software crashes on startup. It usually seems to work the next time and I've never had it crash in the middle of usage (which would be a much bigger pain) so it's not really that bad, but it can be annoying.Overall, great unit, seems well built, and I hope it lasts! If it does, it was a great value.

Easy to install once I bought the correct wiring harness that fit my vehicle. The maps aren't up-to-date and they have to be purchased for every update. Wouldn't be bad to purchase the updates but the device should come with the most up-to-date maps available upon purchase, don't really like the fact that they don't and then it's an extra $25-$50 for the maps which sorta defeats the purpose of why I purchased a navigation unit, especially since the maps keep showing my house a block or two down the road. I have emailed the support team and they are great, probably one of the best supports I've had to deal with. They are still currently looking into a my complaint but the support team is why I'm rating this a 4 star instead of a 3 star. BTW I found out after purchasing this unit that there are other unit that are only navigation but they offer free map updates for their units, so if you're wanting a navigation system then I recommend something else but if you want a stereo with cool features and touch screen that has a navigation that will get you close to where you are going then this is for you!

I saw this item on Amazon and was interested in the features it had to offer. I was a little concerned about the price and must admit I thought I would have to spend several hundred dollars to get a unit with all the bells and whistles I wanted. I decided I would try this radio and I have to say, I'm glad I did. I installed this radio in a 2003 GMC truck so you should know that if you have a GM product with OnStar and door chimes you will need a interface cable like the PAC OS-2C to keep those features. You will also need a antenna adapter cable for GM's for after market radios. As for the radio, it has everthing I was looking for and more. Aside the basic features like AM/FM, the Navigation mode has been very good. The CD/DVD player has played several movies without fail. If you like your music, you can load on a SD Card or plug you device into the external USB port. It has input for a wired backup camera. You have a monitor output to connect rear seat headrest monitors so kids can watch a movie in back while you drive. There is a input port for connecting your game equipment, and outputs for amps. A ok unit at a ok price. I did use the Valor customer support a couple of times through emails, and should say that they were very responsive and informative with there product.Update to previous review. After a couple of months the sound quit playing for DVDs and SD/USM music. Returned unit for a replacement unit which I had to pay about $30.00 more for because the price had gone up. It works as stated above for now. One thing I failed to mention is that the radio is suppose to have built-in steering wheel control functions to work with the steering wheel buttons on your car. However the radio's Steering Wheel Control system will not operate GM products steering wheel button, because the wires for the SWC on the radio has 5 volts of power on them and so it interfers with the steering wheel control buttons on GM products and can not "Learn" any button functions. I would not recommend to anyone who needs to have steering wheel control button operate.

The Valor Nav systems is a very solid system with a easy to use clean interface. You get all the standard options including streaming music by way of Bluetooth and text to speech navigation. The screen could be brighter, however it is readable in most conditions. I would have ranked the system higher but it lacks a phone book. If you want to dial out you need to punch in the number in on the screens key pad or use the phone book in your phone. Not a deal breaker, but a very common feature that is missing. It is important to keep in mind that the price is much lower then comparable systems.

The first one lasted about three months and then the screen went totally blank. The second one works ok, however, the screen occasionally blinks and turns on every time the car is started. GPS is very slow to load, however, the map and directions are very easy to follow.