Matrix Orbital Corp

I'm currently building a computer into my car, primarily for mp3/ogg playback, and part of my plan is for an LCD or VFD mounted on the dashboard displaying the currently playing song. My question is, which type of display is the best for use in direct sunlight?

Second question: Is there software out there that can read lines from a text file and display it on the LCD/VFD? I currently plan to use foobar2000 as the media player in my car, since I don't care for Winamp's interface to much, but near as I can tell, these displays are geared towards Winamp and not foobar. Foobar has the ability to output song information to a text file though, which I plan to use.

Third question: How are the displays powered? If they're using USB, are they powered via the USB cable? Or do I need to run a seperate power cable?

Finally, is there some sort of case I could buy for the LCD/VFD? Since it's going to be mounted on my dashboard, I'd rather not have it exposed. I'm looking for an OEM/professional look.

Hello, I can not help you out with your software question(s) but I would suggest to use the VFD units for direct sunlight applications. With the VFD units you have a various selection of filters...see link below:

http://www.matrix-orbital.com/pages/accessories.asp

The displays are powered via the USB cable. As for a case design that is something that we can not help out with. but, depending on how much you would like to spend, I can suggest you look at a MFG based out of Germany "OKW Enclosures" or alittle less expensive..possibly "Digi-key".

Regards,
Bernadine