What price mobile TV?
One of the major themes of this year's CES is mobile TV: yesterday, Verizon confirmed it will be bringing live full-length television programming to selected handsets, and then Samsung revealed it had developed a technology to enable local TV stations to broadcast digital programs to cars and mobile devices. For those road warriors who can't wait for either of the these solutions for their fix of Regis and Kelly, the answer might just be KVH's TracVision A7.
Developed in collaboration with DIRECTV, the A7 enables drivers to pick up 185 channels, including local network stations. To do this, the system incorporates a GPS interface that automatically enables regional-specific network channels when you're on home turf. The A7 costs $2,900, excluding in-car displays, although it does work with nearly all manufacturer-installed screens. While the monstrous, 48-pound roof-mounted, dome-shaped antenna is best suited for SUVs or minivans, TracVision reps tell us one driver installed the system on his Corvette. We're all for mobile connectivity, but people who want to watch TV that bad should probably just stay at home.
