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ATT CruiseCast Brings In-Car TV to 2009
Jul 08 2009 by Kristin Varela
I’ve been a big fan of Sirius Backseat TV, but with only three channels offered (all geared toward kids) and its propensity to black out when a satellite signal can’t reach the car, Sirius TV is, as the Black Eyed Peas would say, “so 2000 and late.” Meanwhile, RaySat Broadcasting and AT&T’s new CruiseCast is paving the way for more functional in-car satellite TV.
For families who practically live in their cars, CruiseCast is a great addition, and not only for kids stuck in the backseat on long road trips. Imagine being able to catch up on your national news for the day while waiting to pick your rugrats up from dance class. With more than 30 channels, there’s something for everyone, including plenty of educational options for kids, such as Animal Planet, Discovery Kids, Noggin and more. And while the satellite signal is still susceptible to blockage from things like trees or tall buildings, CruiseCast says reception won’t often be lost because the system automatically stores a three-minute programming buffer.
CruiseCast can be installed on most cars with existing backseat entertainment systems, and because it works just like your TV at home, it’s intuitive for anyone in the car to use. My kids were able to quickly surf through all the channels, or I could control which ones they could access by adding them to a “favorites” list. And just like my home television, I was also able to institute a variety of parental controls to block out anything I don’t want them watching (I’m so not a fan of SpongeBob).
To every upside, however, there is a downside, and there are a couple with CruiseCast. Not only do you already need to have an in-car entertainment system to get CruiseCast, you’ll have to buy equipment for the service, which will cost no less than $1,299. Ouch. On top of that, the anticipated monthly subscription fee will be around $28. If you’ve ever been on a road trip across Kansas with a car full of bickering kids, you know you’d pay just about anything for a touch of peace, though, so families will have to weigh those upsides and downsides carefully.
The antenna for the system is mounted via brackets or magnetic mounts onto the roof of the car (a slightly unsightly UFO-looking object), but this will presumably shrink with future generations. The satellite receiver in the car is pretty unobtrusive. Smaller than a sheet of paper and only a couple inches thick, it can be stashed out of the way under a seat or along the wall of your cargo space. My test car, a Hummer H3, had the receiver installed completely invisibly under the driver’s seat.
One last minor suggestion: Although the small CruiseCast remote control is in fact perfectly sized for a child’s hand, it’s also perfectly sized for being dropped and accidentally kicked into the scary depths of under-car-seat scariness. I’d suggest CruiseCast add a little belt-like clip to the back so it can be clipped to the car’s back-of-seat storage pocket when not in use.
