Internet Satellite And Television - Wi-Fi And 500 Channels To Go - Truck Tronics

  |   internet Satellite And Television rear View "If you build it, they will come." Recognize that phrase? It's a guiding principle for consumer electronics manufacturers, who are all about creating demand by harnessing new technologies to build the next big thing. You may not know you want it yet, but when you read about this month's awesome new gadget, you're bound to run right out and get it. That is, if it strikes your fancy and if you still have a little leeway left on your credit card. Pop psychologists might call me an enabler, but this really is the next big thing: RaySat's SpeedRay 3000. It's a low-profile, 5-inch-high, aerodynamic housing that mounts to the roof of your truck or SUV. Inside the case is a phased array of antennae that are constantly moving, back and forth, up and down, to keep track of satellite television signals no matter what direction you are driving. Reception is reported to be clear whether or not your vehicle is moving. The other gadget inside the RaySat's impact-resistant case is a Wi-Fi transceiver, designed to turn your truck into a rolling internet hot spot. What does that mean to you, loyal Truckin' reader? Laptop City, baby! Download speeds of as much as 2 megabytes per second, and upload speeds as much as 128 kilobytes per second, for those wild and crazy wireless Wi-Fi web surfers cruising the information super-highway in your truck. Plus, robust reception of as many as 500 channels of digital satellite TV via Dish Network and other providers, so you're no longer a slave to the moldy stack of previously viewed DVDs in your glovebox. Who knew that having a DVD player in your truck could already be pass? "Dude, that's so 2004. You've gotta get satellite, bro!" OK, how much is the SpeedRay 3000 going to set you back? Only about $3,495, starting this fall-just in time for football season. Of course, subscriptions to TV and Internet services-not to mention laptops and video screens-are not included in that price. It goes without saying, this ain't basic cable. Of course, the purveyors of terrestrial TV refuse to surrender this new front to their orbital opponents. Automotive-electronics leader Delphi and cable television giant Comcast have jointly announced it is working on new applications to download multimedia content to vehicles and replay it over Delphi's Wi-Fi-enabled, rear-seat video systems. Wi-Fi video is definitely going mainstream. KVH is yet another electronics manufacturer that is now offering a satellite TV solution for your truck or SUV: the TracVision A5 low-profile, phased-array satellite TV receiver ($2,295) along with the DirecTV Total Choice Mobile Package ($4.99 a month for existing subscribers, or $39.99 for mobile-only subscribers). No Wi-Fi internet but lots of premier TV action to paralyze your rowdy rug rats riding in the back seat (again, LCD monitors sold separately). Please note that coverage maps show the whole continental United States, but both services specify reception "on open roads with a clear view of the TV satellite in the southern sky." Oh, great satellite, grant us good clear reception and a safe drive. Amen.