Pioneer Electronics (NYSE: PIO) today announced the launch of the AVIC-9DVD, the company’s first DVD-based navigation system for the U.S. and Canada. The DVD-based navigation system has exclusive features such as real-time traffic information and DVD video playback capability.

Pioneer’s new navigation system demonstrates the increased speed and improved performance offered in the DVD format. The AVIC-9DVD features an 8.5 GB dual layer DVD-ROM that stores a detailed map of the U.S. and Canada on a single disc. The system runs 10 times faster than conventional CD-ROM-based navigation systems and provides instantaneous re-routing when guidance is not followed. It also includes a built-in 3D Hybrid Sensor, an exclusive technology to provide more accurate positioning.

“The Pioneer DVD navigation system can route the user to any destination in the country within seconds, ” said Keith Burnett, vice president of Marketing at Pioneer Mobile Entertainment. “Our goal was to design a navigation system that is practical and easy to use. By offering applicable functions such as real-time traffic and DVD video playback, the AVIC-9DVD offers consumers unique features not available in other navigation systems.”

A new technology that has been implemented into the AVIC-9DVD is the built-in 3D Hybrid Sensor, which is used as an altitude correction device. The 3D Hybrid Sensor allows the navigation system to monitor all three dimensions of the vehicle: height (up/down), speed (distance) and direction (left/right). The sensor acts as an inclinometer, sensing and correcting distance errors to provide pinpoint accuracy while the system’s algorithm detects areas such as tunnels and multi-level parking structures.