PSW

We already have satellite radio and satellite GPS, and plus the Nav to TV/DVD conversion, so I would think that this is theoretically possible.
Does anyone know anymore about this, or has anyone actually been able to do this mod?

Sorry if this is a re-post. I did a quick search and didn't see any previous posts.

datmrman

I am assuming you asked because the TV module from TVandNav2Go.com is not satellite?

edit: Found this on their website:

HiTEC

They have auto tracking DirecTV dishes but auto's, but they belong more on the roof of an SUV or Semi. I don't think you'd want the antenna on your car.

HiTEC

This is the direcTV dish for car/suv/truck (more suv/truck)

Web site

Dish is bigger than it looks in this picture

jupitersolo

XM and Sirius both have talked about doing video in the future.

dampfnudel

In 2000, I was riding in my brother-in-law's Audi A6 in Germany and it had satellite TV (installed at the factory). I wondered how long it would take to get here.

TerminaderTL

I was able to mount it on the right rear. Looking to upgrade to HD later this year.

[img=http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/2475/tlwithdirectvqu5.th.jpg]

Kennedy

iTrader: (2)

A LONG Time...

1) Over the air antenna's don't come from the factory today, and probbaly never will because of the American letigous nature. Noone wants to get sued becasue dumbass kids srive around watching TV and crash.

2) German sattelite TV is not DirectTv... Lots of mergers and deals before that would ever happen...

PSW

Yeah, actually the reason I brought this up is because I was in Japan last week and I thought what I saw was satellite TV in a cab. I hopped in and saw that the driver was watching a talk show. At the time I assumed it was live TV but now thinking back, I guess it could have been a DVD.
I don't know much about satellite radio/GPS/TV but I am assuming from the discussion here that we can't just use the antennas we have already built into the rear windshield?

VtecMW

I don't think anyone caught that little detail. Pretty funny though!

As far as satellite TV, i think the antenna we have on our cars now would be too small to handle the bandwidth of a video broadcast. After all, look at the standard dish most people have on their homes.

Then again, our cars could support a low bandwidth feed through the antenna, something reasonable for output on the navi monitor. Only time will tell!

HiTEC

You sure it was satellite TV? I installed a Euro Navi system in my wifes Mercedes and it was able to receive regular TV (with an add-on tuner). This was just regular broadcast TV, and not satellite. My last 4 cars we Audi's and I'm pretty familiar with the cars. The Euro Audi NAV system has the same capability as the Mercedes one I described.

dampfnudel

Yeah, it was most likely regular TV (ARD or ZDF probably) using a tuner. The reception wasn't too good, there was some snow in the picture.

To be honest, I don't think satellite TV is worth the extra expense (sometimes, I'm not sure if XM Radio is worth it).

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

No joke, that $hit is huge!!

Desert_TL

As an electrical engineer, I can say this: The bandwidth required for TV is a LOT higher than the bandwidth required to listen to XM. As a result, the gain of a satellite TV antenna has to be a LOT higher than the gain for an XM antenna.

I would estimate the peak gain of an XM antenna to be about 3dB. On the other hand, the peak gain of a TV dish is about 40dB in-band, AND it has to be pointed DIRECTLY at the satllite in orbit. That's the gain you need to be able to recieve the high-bandwidth TV signal. So the fact that no one has satellite TV in their car is strictly a technical limitation; so unless you can break the laws of electromagnetism (or install one of those HUGE antennas pictured earlier in the thread), you just ain't gonna get it. In Europe or Japan they may have TV in their cars, but I guarantee you it isn't satellite. It's probably a terristrial-broadcast type of system (similar to how XM has terrestrial repeaters in large cities, where buildings can block the direct line of sight to the satellite). The cost required to install a terrestrial repeater for something like directv would be astronomical - you'd be paying like $1000/month for service like that, if it was ever offered.