Chrysler to Offer Satellite TV in Minivans, Other Models ; Teams Up With Sirius to Provide 3 Channel

Mar 30, 08:37 PM

Current Headlines: By Tom Krisher

Coming soon to a minivan near you: Satellite television.

DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group on Thursday announced limited satellite TV service for its 2008 Dodge and Chrysler minivans and several other models, continuing its plan to turn the family cruiser into a living room on wheels.

The company, which invented the minivan, is teaming with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. to bring three channels -- Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network -- to the next generation of minivans, as well as the 2008 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum, Jeep Commander and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Chrysler said it has the channels exclusively through the 2008 model year, after which Sirius can offer it to other partners.

The feature comes with a price tag, though. It costs $470 and will be packaged with Chrysler's rear seat entertainment system and Sirius Satellite Radio. The cost includes the first year of service, after which the TV channels will cost $7 per month, plus the satellite radio fee of $12.95 per month.

It's possible that in the future, more channels and even full satellite service could become available, but for now, it's limited by bandwidth allocated to satellite radio, said Frank Klegon, executive vice president of product development for Chrysler.

Sirius, he said, has figured out how to send a limited TV signal within the airwaves allocated to satellite radio.

But Tom Libby, J.D. Power and Associates' senior director of industry analysis, questioned whether people would be willing to pay for it.

His company recently found that the average new vehicle price has passed $28,000. With the initial cost plus the monthly bills, he wonders whether the feature might only appeal to high-end customers.

Still, he said the feature would be attractive for people who travel with children, and it will help Chrysler differentiate its minivans in an extremely competitive market.

The TV service has been in the works for several years, and Sirius has demonstrated it at trade shows in the past.

Sirius' satellite radio rival, XM, is exploring backseat video with its automotive partners but has no plans for an announcement, spokesman Chance Patterson said.

Chrysler and Sirius ran a demonstration of the service Thursday morning in New York's Times Square.

In a Dodge Grand Caravan, the TV system easily was able to switch channels, with a slight delay, and delivered good quality sound and pictures.

The driver or front-seat passenger can switch between the TV service, Sirius satellite radio's audio service as well as regular AM and FM radio via a small video screen installed in the dash. That system, which also includes a navigation service and a hard drive for playing music from MP3 files, is called the MyGIG.

The vehicle has three screens -- two 8-inch screens for the rear- seat passengers, and the smaller screen in the dash.

Having the Sirius TV service installed in the vehicle requires an additional antenna in order to improve reception, and also a separate video tuner in addition to the satellite radio tuner for audio signals.

It also works on a screen in the dashboard, but don't think for a minute that you'll be able to watch SpongeBob while driving.

For safety reasons, the TV channels won't show up in the front unless the vehicle is in park.

(c) 2007 Buffalo News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.