Satellite TV Goes Mobile in Cars

Car owners are adding satellite TV units that allow them to pick up channels from back home while on the road. With the popularity of Satellite radio it was logical that Satellite TV would be added to new model cars. General Motors started offering satellite television as an accessory in new Cadillac Escalades in June.

The rental car agency Avis is making Satellite TV available beginning in July as an option for travelers who rent Hummer sport utility vehicles at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Also, the systems are available at electronics and auto supply stores for retrofitting in existing vehicles, and many Cadillac dealers will install systems in non-Cadillac autos.

The technology is very popular with SUV and minivan owners. It frees passengers from reliance on video tapes and DVDs for in-car video entertainment.

DirecTV Satellite TV provides a programming package for TracVision with more than 125 channels, including ESPN, CNN, Fox News, Disney Channel and others.

The technology is ideal for keeping backseat passengers entertained on that cross-country family outing. "It's an accessory for the open road," KVH spokesman Bob Ochsner said.

A similar mobile satellite TV system called the SpeedRay 1000 is offered by Virginia-based RaySat, which is available online and at electronics stores. An upgraded version will be available by the middle of next year that also will provide Internet access, turning the vehicle into a rolling wireless hot spot, said RaySat spokeswoman Lynette Henley.

The RaySat system operates with programming from Dish Network.

Satellite TV makes sense since you can get endless programming throughout the U.S.

Satellite radio, meanwhile, is standard on many models of new Cadillacs. Marvin Hofberg, a sales consultant at Ed Morse Cadillac on South Federal Highway, said the feature was especially popular with new Floridians interested in commercial-free programming.