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In-Vehicle Entertainment Systems

Techstination feature for Tuesday, March 4, 2003

Never mind home theatre systems... what have you got in your car? Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. In vehicle entertainment systems are a growing business. Falling prices for small LCD screens mean more and more of them are being mounted for rear-seat entertainment in SUVs, mini-vans and cars. TV, DVD movies and video games are all part of packages that can be taken to extremes. Tony Billantino is VP at Unwired Technology, a company that makes wireless headphone systems for use in vehicles...

"This is the WhiteFire system. WhiteFire is Unwired's proprietary technology now where it's a digital source of audio, primarily. And we can feed currently in a car, four different sources. So in this particular vehicle, we have two rear seat monitors, for two rear seat passengers and we have a new dual zone front radio unit. And the one headphone, now, can access all four channels."

Two DVD players in a car along with CD audio, standard radio and satellite radio may be a bit much, but Unwired says...

"There are people today that have in large Suburbans or Excursions or vehicles like this, might put four screens, five screens."

It's hard to say if these entertainment systems are a source of driver distraction... or cut down on distraction by keeping the kids occupied. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.