Partnership puts AT&T CruiseCast in rental cars
AT&T stopped by the Car Tech booth at CES 2009 to give us a look at its CruiseCast mobile satellite TV service. The details of the service haven't changed much since the unveiling just a few months ago at the 2008 SEMA Show, but today we received a bit of news that means you may be able to experience CruiseCast for yourself sooner than you think.
RaySat Broadcasting Corp. (co-creator of CruiseCast along with AT&T) and Avis Budget Group are teaming up to offer Avis and Budget Rent A Car customers the use of AT&T CruiseCast's news, family, sports, comedy, and music channels while traveling.
AT&T's CruiseCast satellite antenna mounted in the Car Tech CES 2009 booth.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)Starting in the second quarter of 2009, Avis and Budget customers can rent AT&T CruiseCast at select locations for $8.95 per day or $62.65 per week. The unit uses the same hide-away receiver and compact, low-profile external antenna offered on the consumer unit to provide 22 satellite television channels and 20 satellite radio channels to a rear-seat entertainment unit.
AT&T CruiseCast utilizes about 1GB of video-buffering technology to automatically store up to 3 minutes of content so that viewers can continually watch programs even if there are obstructions such as an overpass, a cluster of tall buildings, or when passing through a tunnel. The channel line-up includes the Disney Channel, Disney XD, Discovery Kids, Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Mobile, USA, Comedy Central, MSNBC, CNN Mobile Live, and CNBC.
The CruiseCast service will be sold though auto dealerships and 12-volt retailers when it debuts in Spring 2009 at an estimated MSRP or $1,299 with a $28 monthly subscription.
Wow, the Germans have only had this for what, the past 10 YEARS. As an optional TV tuner to go with your 5 or 6.5? screen nav system (yes, they had NAV in their cars THAT long ago compared to the jerkwater states). As always USA, you?re late to the game. Just like fuel efficiency and culture.
Of course there were safetys put in place like needing the handbrake engaged to watch, but of course they found workarounds. Just go to any Euro car forum to see pictures of people installing EURO code nav systems into their US German cars. Notice the little TV/Navigation buttons.
I really wish people in this country would get a clue about all the tech advancements Europe already has, that we somehow think are new when we get them. Oh, but we only want AMERICAN stuff or are cognizant of it when we decide to build it by copying another market.
I suppose you think traffic reports on your nav is new too? Only to the slobs of the US. Yup, Germany had it long ago. It's called TMC.
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