Satelite TV for cars

[Ric]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/01/08/tv.car.reut/index.html

The Middletown-based company will introduce a satellite TV antenna that transmits movies, sports and news programming to sport utility vehicles (SUV), minivans, and luxury automobiles equipped with backseat entertainment systems.

Drivers throughout the continental United States can get more than 300 channels of DirecTV satellite TV movies, news, sports and live broadcast entertainment, as well as 50 channels of commercial-free radio. In the future, the antenna system will provide high-speed Internet access. DirecTV is a unit of Hughes Electronics.

[raj2001]

There's already such an antenna:

http://www.techelectronic.com/electronics_distribution/satellite/mobile/stationary.htm

And another one by Datron:
http://www.turbosurf.com/DatronMobile.html

[timf]

The biggest difference between the old ones and the new one is that it is much lower profile and doesn't need to continuously track the satellite. This makes it much more practical than having a big dome on your roof.

[Jacob S]

How does it work then if it does not need to continuously track the satellite? What kind of antenna is it and what is its size? I am waiting for a whip antenna that can do this to come out.

[mnassour]

I just wanna know how we're going to get DirecTV programming for less than $10 per month (as it says in the copy)!!!!

[Brett]

I think it means if you already subscribe to DirecTV in the home, its only an additional $10 in the car.

$5 Second Receiver Fee + another $5 ??

[Randy_B]

This news piece was in my Extreme Tech daily news this morning.

"Sirius Satellite Radio said it intends to offer limited digital video services some time in the future, in addition to its digital audio streams.

In a demonstration at the Consumer Electronics Show here, Sirius executives showed off a clip from a Nickelodeon cartoon which Larry Pesce, vice-president of product marketing and strategic planning said was "real video in real time", without buffering."

Apparently Sirius has a relationship with Nick and Toon Disney. This would probably be enough to get me to put them in the cars.

[ramcm7]

When I would need this the most is on long trips with the kids. On the really long trips, I use a roof-top carrier, which would then block the signal! D'oh!