Satellite TV for your car
TracVision A5
The product: The problem: Tuning into a satellite TV signal from a moving car. A traditional dish receiver has to be pointed directly at the satellite to get a signal. It's hard enough to align the dish on your home's roof, so imagine doing it in a moving vehicle. Some RVs and trucks have fancy, motor-driven stabilized dishes, but this isn't practical for a small vehicle (relatively speaking) like a minivan. The solution: TracVision's hybrid phased-array antenna. It's a 5-inch-high pancake a few feet across that mounts on a roof rack. DirecTV has a special automotive programming package for cars, and right now the TracVision A5 is the only antenna system that's authorized to pull it in. Hook the A5 up to an LCD screen, or even a TiVo, in your van or SUV, and you've got all the TV of home--on wheels.

Downside: As slim as this product is in comparison to a home-mounted system, it's still relatively bulky. Also, the A5 doesn't do two-way data--it's not an Internet dish. For that, see competitor RaySat.

The price: $2,295, and it requires professional installation.

The prospects: A big market. KVH claims a third of new SUVs and minivans sold in 2004 came with some sort of video screen. This technology allows these screens to display live TV, not just play DVDs, as most do today. Phased-array satellite dishes will keep getting smaller, and within a model year or two, some auto manufacturers may start to offer them as factory options.

By Rafe Needleman, editor, CNET Reviews