The improvements in automobile aftermarket accessories market in the last decade that have been nothing short of astounding. Some of these players, for example, can do things literally unheard of just a few years ago. They can run a GPS navigation system, play music and display a television picture all at the same time. They do this by splitting operating functions in order to display all three at once, which is why answering the question What is a picture in picture car DVD player? might be something worth exploring. For those who are thinking of adding one of these versatile and highly entertaining players to a vehicle, it can be helpful to think of how a car DVD player displays all three functions as being similar to how a television makes use of PIP or picture in picture capabilities to show not only a currently-running television show but also, perhaps, a TV program over on another station, both at the same time. Picture in picture in a car DVD is similar to this, though the intention is more to provide different screens at the same time to operate the player itself. This isnt to say that it cant display a television program through its standard analog TV tuner, because it can do that. What it (PIP) more has to do with is giving the operator of the player a way to set up the GPS navigation, get it running, select music that is going to be played or a radio station that will be listened to and then task the player to also run a movie or show a TV program. It does this through use of embedded software and tuners contained within the players memory, operating system (usually Windows CE) and microprocessor chip. The software that CE makes use of will task the picture-in-picture function without a user needing to know much about how it works. And once the picture-in-picture is pulled up, all of the different multitasking applications can take place. Usually, picture in picture functionality is most often found in what are called 2 DIN car DVD players, which are players that take up about 100 mm or 4.25 inches of height in a cars dashboard. DIN is just a way of denoting whether the height of the player is 50 mm or 100 mm. A 1 DIN player is usually half the height of a 2 DIN player. Most 2 DIN players can accommodate picture in picture as well as a number of other functions that wont be found in a single DIN player. For people who may be more comfortable with operating a television set than a car DVD player, picture in picture can come in quite handy. It can help to eliminate any sort of button on the player other than a simple on-off and a few other basic functions, placing everything else, instead, on a touchscreen display that a user can simply touch and then task. The operating system and the software in the player will take care of everything else. For those considering going with an upgrade to a vehicle manufacturers sound system in a car, one of these new car DVD players can make for a great aftermarket accessory. They are relatively affordable and can add a great deal to most any vehicle, making long trips and short trips alike more pleasant and even fun.