AYN Advice

Mobile Video…The Cool Factor

MOBILE VIDEO ... The Cool Factor
By Adrian Davids

It’s no secret that the fastest-growing mobile electronics product these days is video entertainment. Ask any salesman what the most requested option is when buying a new truck or minivan and they’ll undoubtedly answer “mobile video”.

The mobile video market can be broken down into two main groups. Front seat entertainment and rear seat entertainment. Families with SUVs, trucks and mini-vans are the typical clientele for rear seat entertainment systems. They acknowledge the fact that a DVD player coupled with a video monitor can be a driver’s best friend keeping the kids entertained during what can otherwise be a long and excruciatingly painful road trip.

In their most primitive form, these systems are commonly referred to as “Video-bag systems” and are simply a small LCD screen hinged to a VCR or DVD player all bundled into a bag that is strapped to the back of driver or passenger seat. They’re readily available at almost any major retailer, feature universal-fit and are relatively inexpensive which makes it a natural choice for first-time video purchasers. The disadvantage is that they are really suitable for only one viewer at a time, have poor picture quality and are bulky.

A more permanent and popular option to rear seat entertainment are overhead drop down monitors mounted to the ceiling behind the driver and passenger seats. Of the 5.2 million SUVs and minivans that rolled off the assembly line last year, nearly one third came equipped with an overhead video system from the factory. This figure is constantly climbing.

Overhead systems are considerably more expensive than video bag systems. One of the factors to their higher pricing is that you need a separate DVD or VCP usually mounted away from the screen which complicates the installation both in time and materials. These higher prices have been somewhat of a deterrence to many first time buyers who want to step up from ordinary video bag systems. A few manufacturers have noted this and the latest trend for rear seat entertainment are all-in-one systems that combine the overhead monitor , DVD player, FM modulator and IR transmitter into one single overhead chassis. A handful of manufacturers introduced these units for the first time at CES 2004 this year and it’s forecasted that these units will account for 50% of all overhead video sales.

Unfortunately overhead video isn’t for everyone. Technical obstacles like sunroofs and roof shape can make installation impossible and if you own a car then an overhead system isn’t practical. The only viable solution is a headrest or visor monitor.There are a handful of specialty video companies who recognize the need for vehicle specific applications away from the norm of overhead systems. SAVV, based out of California specializes in manufacturing aftermarket headrests with built-in LCD monitors that match the factory colour and texture of popular vehicles interiors. Not only does this save time but it’s a great video solution for leased vehicles where permanent modification of the interior is frowned upon.

Custom installations of monitors into factory headrests have become increasingly popular. Mr. Steve Bowers from Total Auto Glass, an OEM expeditor in Toronto states “There’s a number of vehicles where overhead monitors just aren’t an option. For example, Ford’s new 2004 F-150 uses a new rail based overhead console making it impossible to mount any aftermarket drop down monitors to the roof, headrest monitors are the only way to go in this case”. Front seat entertainment customers who quite often use the ‘cool factor’ as the deciding factor when purchasing a video system are far from being forgotten.

Practically every major head unit manufacturer now offers in-dash video screens and DVD player combos integrated into their head units. If you want to compete in the ‘cool factor’ game the rules are very simple. The goal is to out-do your peers by acquiring the latest and greatest in gear (in this case mobile video) with the most sophisticated advanced features they can find (cool). Many of theses features will never be used but the fact it’s a feature makes it extra cool. Intermediate players gain extra points for merging rear seat and front seat entertainment together and having larger and/or more quantities of gear, while advanced players are rewarded further if when they cram as much gear as they can into inpractible locations. In the end, the person with the coolest toys wins.

All joking aside, you may wonder why stigma on Front seat entertainment purchasers? The majority of it has to do with the realistic practicality of having a video system up front in the driver’s view. Realistically, what does the driver need a DVD system for while he/she is driving? Many would argue that it’s only for use when the car is parked and almost every manufacturer has implemented ways of deterring drivers from watching movies while they drive but many irresponsible owners and installers choose to work around these provisions and bypass them. The key reason behind this is because the customer wants video up front not because he needs it but rather because he seeks the ‘cool factor’.

For manufacturers however, the ‘cool factor’ is about highlighting their technology and pushing the boundaries. For example, Pioneer’s AVIC N1 is an AM/FM/XM tuner and DVD player with a 6.5- inch touchscreen LCD. We’ve all seen these before but take it a step further by integrating navigation that calculates driving routes and prompts the driver with turn by turn voice prompts and most would consider this a great package. Getting back to the ‘pushing the boundaries’ part this unit provides full-colour Vehicle Dynamics Displays so you can monitor your vehicle’s performance on screen. Digital gauges showing acceleration, cornering and speed. Multi-zone capability lets your passengers in the rear watch a DVD while you listen to the radio. All of this rolled up into one unit and suddenly that front seat entertainment system seems a lot more useful and practical and better yet, way cooler than just watching a DVD in the front seat. Mobile video has come a long way and is a possibility for everyone no matter what they drive.

Some owners will be content with the ability to just pop in their child’s favourite movie during a drive, while for others, what technology may hold just around the corner may make the movie watching part of mobile video just a perk.

Source: C.E. BIZ, April 2004