[opendtv] Internet TV Will Let You be a Couch Potato in Traffic
- From: "James Albro" <jalbro@xxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 10:28:58 -0400
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/05/in-car-live-tv.html
Internet TV Will Let You be a Couch Potato in Traffic
Television has invaded just about every facet of life from, airport gates to
supermarket checkout lines, but the car has remained the one place beyond its
reach.
Until now.
USTelematics is skipping the satellites that KVH Industries and Sirius Backseat
TV rely upon and betting on WiMax wireless technology to bring TV to your car.
It will deliver IPTV to its Voyager in-car entertainment systems and has
announced a "mobilecast" program called 4VDO that will deliver broadcast and
video programming.
It's a big step forward for in-car entertainment, where there's more at stake
than keeping the kids quiet during a long drive. Big names like Hughes
Telematics and Microsoft are diving into the market alongside upstarts like
USTelematics, and they all want to keep you informed and entertained while
you're stuck in traffic.
"I call these field of dream technologies, where if they build it they will
come," says Avi Greengart, research director for mobile devices for Current
Analysis.
The global automotive telematics market is booming, with revenues expected to
jump from the $37.5 billion it saw in 2006 to $48 billion by 2012.
A lot of this growth will be driven by the rollout of Intelligent
Transportation Systems, a traffic management and safety system based on WiMax
connectivity, but the market for consumer safety, communications and
convenience services is expected to see double-digit growth. Services such as
real-time traffic, safety monitoring and vehicle diagnostics already are
available, and it's only a matter of time before we're downloading data and
streaming music in our cars.
And while 4VDO service is designed to deliver live TV into moving vehicles, the
long-term payoff for the company is leveraging the technology to become the
primary pipeline into next-generation wireless devices and Web-connected cars
that will soon roam the road.
Other related posts:
