"Car Tech Tuesdays: Road Testing the Latest Satellite TV System" Edmunds Daily

Car Tech Tuesdays: Road Testing the Latest Satellite TV System

Any parent will tell you how challenging a long road trip can be with kids. Fortunately, there's now all manner of electronic backseat babysitters to keep them entertained on an extended family drive: DVD-based rear-seat entertainment (RSE) systems, portable videogame consoles, iPods and even WiFi-connected computers.

But if you want live TV to help keep the kids from pinching or punching one another, there's still very few choices. Over-the-air reception is still spotty, with better service always on the horizon. And while some Chrysler vehicles with RSE systems also offer Sirius Backseat TV and the service can also be added through the aftermarket, it only provides three channels. Other aftermarket satellite TV systems for the car, such as TracVision A7 from KVH Industries, offer more channels but require a huge antenna that only fits large vehicles like SUVs or minivans.

RaySat's satellite TV service for the car, AT&T CruiseCast, hopes to fill the gap between these options by offering a system with an antenna small enough to fit on any vehicle and at a lower price than other sat TV systems.

On a recent extended-weekend road trip with the family, I found that CruiseCast worked well and kept the kids quiet and content on a 10-hour drive. But that calm in the car comes at a price.

Since my family car, a 2008 Honda CR-V LX, doesn't have an RSE system, CruiseCast provided a portable setup that's available through Avis Rent A Car at the company's Florida locations. It consists of two 7-inch screens that attach to the front seat headrests and a small satellite receiver, all of which fits into a carrying case the size of a small backpack. A similar sized antenna also comes with the portable system and attaches to the roof via a magnetic base.

Setup of the system took only a few minutes, and it plugged into a car's 12-volt outlet for power. We provided our own wired earbud headphones, which plug into each screen. In most cases, the CruiseCast system would be permanently installed in a vehicle with an RSE system, with the receiver hardwired into the car's electrical system and the antenna affixed to the roof.

Once it was set up and running and we were on the road, my 11-year-old had no trouble navigating the system using the supplied remote control, and both kids were satisfied with switching between Disney, Disney XD and Cartoon Network for the entire trip. But when I got into the backseat on our return, I quickly grew bored with the 22-channel lineup, although I'm not a typical TV watcher. And like most home sat TV systems, the service also offers 20 music channels.

We traveled through the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon-Washington border for about one-third of the trip, and I-84 on the Oregon side features steep cliffs that hug the highway. I travel this route regularly and have found that it wreaks havoc on satellite radio reception since the view to the southern sky is often blocked. But save for a few spots, CruiseCast's satellite reception was pretty stable. And when it did go dark, it was only for a few seconds, and well under a minute at most.

The system definitely got the thumbs-up from my kids, but the price is rather steep. The "manufacturer adjusted price" for the satellite receiver and antenna, which is available through aftermarket retailers, is $1,299 and the monthly subscription is $28.

That's significantly less than the $2,995 suggested retail price of the KVH TracVision system and its monthly $55.99 subscription, although those with a DirectTV at home can add the car service for $5 a month. And it offers 185 channels of TV and music, as well as local programming.

Sirius BackSeat TV costs $6.99 a month, but a Sirius Satellite Radio sub of $12.95 a month is also required. And while I've experienced reception problems while testing the TracVision system, CruiseCast performed on par with Sirius Backseat TV in terms of reception.

The upside to any sateliite TV system for the car is that you don't have to bring along DVDs or portable media players -- and the chargers and batteries they require. And, of course, the big payoff on our trip was the kids were content and quiet -- and my wife and I could actually have a conversation or listen to our own music instead of kiddie pop.

So if silence is golden, the question becomes how much green is that peace, quiet and convenience worth to you in the car.