eCars … a mixed bag

A recent review of some new model cars caught my attention.  The article was describing the various digital devices now found in most every new car.  One new model from Ford, gushed the writer, will have more than 70 separate computers and generate some 25 gigabytes of data per hour.  Seems that most every function of the operation of new cars requires some sort of computer.

After reading the article my mind wondered back several years to 2007 and a classic exchange between Bill Gates of Microsoft and executives from General Motors.  Mr. Gates had just made a presentation at a major computer trade show where he mocked car manufacturers for not innovating faster, noting that if the auto industry could mimic the rapid improvements being made in the computer industry, new cars would be able to go 100 miles on a gallon of gas and a new car would cost about $250 each.

This jab prompted GM to issue a rebuttal which has become a classic. In part the response noted that if new cars did indeed follow Mr. Gate’s lead they would also for no reason whatsoever crash twice a day. The press release went on to note that every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car. And of course you'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

Well, of course, most of these predictions have not happened. Nevertheless, with the proliferation of so much digital technology in today’s cars, it does radically change the driving experience.  In some cases it has vastly improved safety.  Rather than fiddling with a paper map and looking for illegible street signs our attention can stay on the road and our GPS can get us to our destination, albeit often with some “recalculations.”

I continue to have some reservations about some computer assisted improvements.  Some functions, such as the heater / air conditioner and the sound system (we used to call it a radio), are getting so complex that the driver’s attention can easily be diverted.   Some new cars rely on a single touch screen on the dashboard to handle some very mundane functions that, in my opinion, are better done with the old technology of a simple on and off switch rather than a touch screen menu item. The good news is that with the improvements in voice recognition most all of these functions will be accomplished by just talking to your car. “Open the pod bay doors, Hal.”

A New Look at Mobile TV

Back at the turn of the century (I really, really like using that phrase) when we were all converting our TVs from analog to digital, there was  group of engineers working on a parallel system that would allow regular TV broadcasts to be picked up by portable devices, especially devices in cars, trains and busses.  It should come as no surprise for anyone who receives their TV programs over-the-air using an antenna, that the new digital channels are much more difficult to receive than the analog signals of a decade ago.  Receiving these regular digital signals in any moving vehicle is next to impossible.

To address this problem, engineers developed a special technology called the ATSC-Mobile DTV standard.  About eight years ago I had the opportunity to serve on the initial engineering committee that developed this system so I have more than a passing interest in how it has developed. 

The short answer is that the development of Mobile DTV has been at best glacially slow.  More than 130 TV stations throughout the US broadcast these special signals.  In our area Channels 5, 9 and 19 are currently among this group.  The issue has not been the availability of channels; it has been the availability of receivers.   Mobile DTV uses a much different technology than the technology that allows watching video on smart phones or tablet computers.  That may soon change.

At the Consumer Electronics Show held last week RCA announced a new tablet computer that has Mobile DTV receive capacity built in.  This device will include a standard over-the-air DTV tuner, along with a mobile TV tuner enabling consumers to watch live, local TV while they are on the go. According to RCA the device is the first tablet to feature an integrated mobile TV tuner.  The tablet has an 8-inch screen and is both a portable TV set and a fully functional high-definition Android touch screen tablet with Wi-Fi, dual cameras, and GPS functionality.

It remains to be seen if this product will jump-start the Mobile DTV market.  I have my doubts that it will take off in cities like Cincinnati where most commuters do not use public transit.  In New York watching the Today Show while riding on a bus on your way to work would be great.  Watching while driving on I-74, not so great.

How We Watch TV Continues to Change

January is always a bellwether month for the electronics industry.  Later this month in Las Vegas, thousands of digerati will convene to review the newest offerings from the world’s technology giants.  This year promises to introduce several technologies aimed at simplifying the single most popular electronic experience: watching TV.

 

In years past the emphasis was on selling the quality and size of the picture and jaw breaking sound for our movies, sports and games.  With 60 inch flat panel TVs selling for less than 1000 bucks, the profit margin for equipment is waning so manufacturers and program distributors are looking to change the way you receive TV rather than sell you a larger, brighter TV set.

 

With more and more of us opting for watching TV on our personal schedules rather than abiding by some arbitrary decision by a New York network executive, there must be a change in the devices we use to view.

 

For years, Netflix, Hulu and others have offered on-demand viewing of programming using a computer or, more recently, a tablet.  The issue has always been connecting the computer to the large TV.  It could be done, but many found it to be perplexing and not always reliable.

 

I have a relative who recently asked for some help as he or someone in his family had inadvertently pressed one or a combination of buttons on one of his several remote controls rendering his TV inoperative.  While he has several devices connected, i.e. DIRECTV, Apple TV, a DVD player and a game or two, none were viewable.  There has to be a simpler way.

 

The new TVs coming to market will continue to have great picture and sound quality with the added benefit of ease of operation.  Rather than several devices connected with cables to the TV, the TVs have high speed wifi connections and integrated software allowing for access to video and TV programs from most any source.  The on-screen program guide will display your options.  Once you choose, the TV will handle making all the connections.  So if you want to watch Downton Abbey the TV will find it for you.  It may come from PBS Online, Hulu, Netflix or even over the air.  It matters not.  You choose the program to watch and the TV will find it and display it.

 

While not widely available yet, look for some models operating in a “Siri-like” mode allowing you to just verbally tell your TV to find your program.  If you activate the parental controls and your teenager should ask for some less than appropriate program, the TV might just respond with, “I’m sorry Dave, I am afraid I can’t do that.”