You are in your car, driving to your destination, listening to your favourite playlist on your car audio system. You get a call and you glance over to the screen on your car to see who is calling. With just a push of a button that sits conveniently on your steering wheel, you answer the call. Your drive is made seamless with GPS navigation on that same screen that shows what music you are listening to and the calls you get.
Such a smooth and convenient driving experience is possible with what is called an infotainment system. However, it was not all sunshine and roses until 10 years ago. Let’s take a peek into the history of car audio.
Through The Archive Of A Car Audio System
To understand how we have come to the current car entertainment system, we need to walk all the way back to the early 1950s. Allow us to take you on a journey, looking closely into every milestone that got us to the advanced car audio system we know today.
Saying hello to the concept of car radio
It started with the hazy sound of AM stations in the 1930s. The Galvin brothers’ created the first commercially successful car radio. These car radios then cost around $130, which was massively expensive for the time. Until the 1950s, the only entertainment option while driving was the AM radio.
In 1952, the German company Blaupunkt released the first FM radio that was car-ready. Within a year, Becker’s Mexico radio brought in the AM/FM radio, giving people the ability to browse multiple stations. This also turned out to be the standard for the car audio system for years to come.
New Attempts
There was another attempt to bring something new. In 1956, Chrysler introduced something called the Highway Hi-Fi. It was an in-car phonograph equipped with a miniature turntable mounted on the bottom dash on the passenger’s side. However, this attempt did not take off as with every bump on the road, the records skipped. After Chrysler’s failure, there were no new attempts for a while.
In the early 1960s, Earl “Madman” Muntz pioneered a 4-track cartridge system. Post analysing the few issues this car entertainment system met, it was quickly updated to meet rising demands. They developed the 8-track cartridge which also gave users the ability to select their own tracks.
The joy of creating the perfect drive playlist
Don’t we all enjoy creating the perfect on-road playlist right before we start a long drive? This joy did not exist largely until the 1970s as people mostly only had access to AM and FM car radios. Earl “Madman” Muntz’s invention and the rise of cassette tapes gave users the joy and freedom to listen to the songs of their wish.
Slowly, the 8-track cartridge got replaced by cassettes fully. This was the time when in-car stereo set-ups also started gaining popularity. People got the option of having custom stereo systems in their cars. Higher-quality speakers also made their way into this latest car audio system.
Shrinking down cassettes, introducing CD players
Setting another milestone, CD players became commercially available in 1982. Initially, it was Philips and Sony that had developed prototypes and made them commercially available. However, Pioneer managed to create the world’s first car CD player, the CDX-1. This game-changing invention steered the history of car audio to a whole new side. Instead of spending time rewinding and forwarding with cassettes, CDs gave the users the ability to skip tracks seamlessly. Additionally, the CD player also offered much better sound quality. Until the early 2000s, CD players ruled car audio systems.
“Pass me the AUX”
During the late 90’s there were a bunch of experiments to bring in the concept of portable digital audio players. In October 2001, Apple launched its iPod, creating a revolution in the music world.
MP3s were on the rise. Once cars developed the ability to MP3s to existing car audio systems, USBs, Bluetooth & AUX came into play, opening up a whole new world of potential for car audio. In this era, satellite radio and streaming services like Spotify and Pandora also rose.
Touchscreens & onwards
By late 2010, touchscreens became more and more mainstream. Aftermarket customisation also gained popularity with people looking into how they can upgrade their car entertainment with the latest audio systems. Infotainment systems today have an array of benefits. From modern safety features like the implementation of sensors and cameras to GPS navigation, infotainment systems today offer a lot.
In conclusion
Infotainment systems have grown to be a major part people intricately look into when buying a car. Today, this one system is your source for multiple entertainment options. The fact that you can mirror your cellphones with the help of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, giving you access to the many applications on your smartphone while driving is a game changer. There are many models of infotainment systems available on the market today. Based on your needs and requirements, you can choose the best one for you.
Blaupunkt is one of the leading car audio and accessories manufacturers for all your car needs. With an aim to elevate your driving experience, Blaupunkt offers best-in-class car audio systems. We design and engineer top audio systems using the latest technological advancements and offer them to you at a reasonable price. Owing to the rising demand for innovative features, our team of experts work intensively to create audio systems that simply let you experience an elevated driving experience.
From controls in the steering wheel and FM radio with Bluetooth to reverse camera input and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Blaupunkt’s systems are crafted to meet modern needs. Browse through the range of products from the pioneers of car audio systems and give your car a much-needed transformation. For any other car accessories and requirements, check out the Blaupunkt website and get shopping.
