Catering to consumers who increasingly view their cars as “extensions of the living room,” KVH Industries Inc. has launched a mobile satellite TV system thaallows travelers to view up to 185 channels of DirecTV service, plus local network affiliates, on the road.
The new TracVision A7 “sets a new standard for in-car entertainment, provides an outstanding solution to the growing demand for passenger entertainment and makes TV as mobile as our customers,” said KVH President and CEO Martin Kits van Heyningen.
Chris Watson, spokesman for Middletown-based KVH, said the TV system isn’t just for long-distance travelers.
“We’ve had a lot of consumers who have asked about when we would be able to provide local channels,” Watson said. The appeal was “the idea of being able to drive up to Foxboro and watch the pre-game show before going into the [Patriots] game.”
Also last week, the $72.3 million company unveiled the TracNet 100 mobile Internet system, equipped with Microsoft Corp.’s MSN TV service, which uses a high-speed wireless technology from Verizon Wireless called EVDO.
The idea, KVH said in a news release, is to give consumers “an integrated product offering convenient mobile, high-speed access to the same Internet services they depend on in their home or office as they travel throughout the United States by car, boat, or RV.”
The suggested retail price for the mobile Internet system is $1,995, according to KVH’s Web site. It does not include the monthly service fees for MSN TV, $10; or wireless broadband, which costs $79.99, or $59.99 for existing subscribers.
The TracVision A7 has a suggested retail price of $2,995, according to the Web site, not including charges for DirecTV, which Watson said would cost about $46 per month for new customers.
Watson said KVH is taking orders from retailers for both products.
