Datron, Audiovox to Offer Satellite Car TV

It had to happen. Real-time satellite television reception for your car is about to hit the market.

Simi Valley-based Datron Advanced Technologies Inc., which put satellite TV on airplanes several years ago, said Tuesday that it has licensed its new low-profile satellite reception unit to mobile entertainment specialist Audiovox Electronics Corp. for use in an automotive television system.

The system, which tracks a DirectTV satellite with a 9.5-inch-tall dish antenna mounted under an aerodynamic shell on the roof of a car, sport-utility vehicle or van, would allow passengers in moving vehicles to view up to 200 channels. Satellite reception means programs could be watched with continuity while traveling from city to city or into a different time zone.

Retail pricing hasn’t been set, but by the time Audiovox adds the screen, tuner and cabinetry for automotive use, the system could sell for close to $5,000, said Richard Carter, general manager of Datron’s mobile electronics division.

Executives at Long Island, N.Y.-based Audiovox could not be reached, but Carter said the company expects to market to high-income families in “fairly significant volume” for such a pricey product.

Automotive marketing consultant Jeff Taylor with J.D. Power & Associates said existing videotape- and DVD-based entertainment systems for vans and SUVs “are very polarizing.”

“People with small kids love them; most others don’t and cite the prices--about $2,000--as the main factor. Extrapolate that to a $5,000 system and I’d suspect it’s a pretty limited market,” Taylor said. “But there’s always someone who will want it.”

For those interested--and for those concerned about safety--take note: California and most other states prohibit installation of a television screen anywhere forward of the rear of the driver’s seat, or anywhere else in the vehicle where the picture is visible to the driver.