Mobile Video Suppliers Escalate Product Intros
By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 2/7/2000
Now that Mobile Video has proved itself as a booming market, suppliers are branching into new segments of rear-seat entertainment and differentiating their product strategies.
In addition, manufacturers that have never sold to the retail aftermarket are entering the segment to capitalize on what is expected to be a $100 million-plus business this year.
Among the new entrants into the market are TMI Products, Corona, Calif., and Rosen Products, Los Angeles.
TMI is an aftermarket car video OEM that recently decided to sell direct to retailers under the sub-brand of Back Seat Theater. Claiming it is offering the first wireless mobile video system, TMI said that its Back Seat Theater has a minimal installation time of 30 minutes to one hour.
The system consists of a wireless, 6.8-inch LCD monitor with built-in speakers. The unit attaches to the car's headliner by two clips, and it receives audio and video signals by a built-in 2.4 GHz receiver, eliminating the need for wires.
Video sources such as a VCR, DVD or game console plug into an RF transmitter with RCA jacks, and the entire system is powered by the car's dome light through wires built into the overhead mounting brackets. TMI said the system slips easily out of the brackets so it can be transported from one car to another. For larger vehicles, an unlimited number of additional screens may be added.
The Back Seat Theater also comes with a built-in IR transmitter for optional headphones, deluxe speaker grilles and automotive fabric covering. Shipping is planned for mid-February at a suggested retail price of $699.
"We had been doing a lot of OEM business for other companies, and we decided to do some research," said VP John Tuccinardi. "We have our own staff of four full-time engineers, and we felt the industry needed something simple to install." TMI said it is in the process of signing retail contracts.
In addition, the company will offer a warehouse club/ discount store version of the system, called Family View, without the deluxe speaker grilles or the premium automotive fabric covering, at a suggested price of $599. A step-up version for distributors will also ship with a pair of wireless headphones. Called the Travel Theater, it will have a suggested retail price of $849.
Rosen is another newcomer to the retail aftermarket. Originally an aviation supplier, Rosen branched into the car OEM business in 1998 and will begin selling through Best Buy this spring. The company is also in talks with several regional chains, according to president Terry Melvin.
"We did a pilot with Best Buy in November which was successful, and we'll launch a series of products with them in March or April," said Melvin. "Our background is more in aviation and automotive, so this whole retail notion is a little bit of a change.
"We've had a very successful experience in the automobile market, and as we learned more about retail, we figured there was a broad opportunity out there. We found Best Buy to be a great experience, and that opened our eyes up."
Some of Rosen's new products include a 10-disc DVD/CD changer, an in-dash DVD player, a large 8-inch flat-panel display, and an all-in-one video floor console.
Rosen's new single-DIN, in-dash DVD unit (without tuner) will be available at Best Buy in March, followed by a ruggedized OEM version six months later. The company is also shipping a 10-DVD changer that accepts CDs in the fall.
The new 8-inch flat-panel display is a 16:9 aspect ratio model with a sleek profile. It has integrated DVD changer controls for Rosen's DVD player or the 10-DVD changer. It also has built-in lighting and is intended for SUVs, extended cab trucks or minivans, and other vehicles.
Rosen also offers a series of vehicle-specific kits for the monitor, which is slated for shipping in March.
Several aftermarket companies also jumped into mobile multimedia with both feet at CES. Companies showing their first DVD players, due later in the year, included Accele, Audiovox, Clarion, Eclipse, Kenwood and Pioneer.
Clarion said it used the CES forum to recommit to the mobile media market. "Five or six years ago we drove a stake in the ground and said we want to be the leader in mobile multimedia," product planning director Jack DeBiasio said. "And then we lost our focus, because, honestly, the AutoPC was taking a lot of energy and time. So now we have a full line, and we're back with a vengeance."
Clarion debuted a full series of products, including three in-dash monitors and eight rear-seat or monitor consoles, in addition to a Hi-Fi VCR and a full line of customized OEM-style enclosures for a simpler, factory-style installation.
The housings are primarily designed for SUVs, said DeBiasio, who explained that "50% of the population typically leases their vehicles, and over 50% of vehicles purchased in the U.S. are SUVs. With our custom enclosures you simply swap the original piece for ours, and when you are ready to return a leased vehicle, you can remove the monitor and swap the piece back."
Accele Electronics is shipping one of the first DVD players to accept MP3-encoded discs as well as CDs. Called the DVD2000, the unit has a "heavy-duty" vibration damping system so it can be dropped from 2 inches in the air and continue to play, according to sales manager Howard Potvin.
The DVD2000 has an infrared repeater eye so the wireless remote can control the VCR from anywhere in the car or the trunk. The unit comes with a Dolby Digital AC3 processor and claims to offer six-channel output (including a subwoofer).
A ballpark retail price for the DVD2000, which ships in March or April, is $1,100 to $1,200. Accele's current retailers include Al & Ed's, Boomer McCloud, Car Toys, Circuit City, Good Guys, Sound Advice and The Wiz.
Audiovox fleshed out its lineup at CES this year with new DVD models and its first in-dash head unit with VCP controller.
Audiovox showed at CES its first DVD models, including an in-dash DVD player (without tuner) slated for shipment around June at a $599 to $699 suggested retail price. It will be preceded in April by a 10-disc DVD/CD changer, also at $599 to $699. In addition, Audiovox showed its first 7-inch LCD to support DVD.
Said Tom Malone, mobile electronics group VP, "Our concept has been rear-seat entertainment, and now that we have established that, we are creating some head units to give consumers the ability to control from the dash."
Audiovox's first in-dash video controller is the P-110, an AM/FM/CD that functions as a VCP and CD changer controller. It has a fold-down detachable face, 4 x 50-watt amp, and a Q-Sound virtual surround system. It can also decode Dolby Digital (AC-3) and Dolby Pro Logic stereo.
Kenwood said it will be one of the first (along with Panasonic) to offer DVD Audio as well as DVD Video. The new in-dash player will have a built-in TV tuner and a 6.5-inch LCD touchpanel. The screen will be a motorized semiautomatic version (the user flips it up).
Kenwood expects the unit to ship in the second half at a ballpark price of $2,300. It will be accompanied by an outboard Dolby Digital AC-3 and DTS processor with digital crossover and 5.1-channel preouts at an estimated price of $650.
National product manager Steve Berry said Kenwood will focus on DVD exclusively, rather than VCPs, and it expects to offer dedicated vehicle application kits and accessories in the future.
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