'Are We There Yet?' Becomes 'Where's the Barney Tape?

"...These days, the car, or in many cases, the S.U.V., has become a mobile theater, where back-seat passengers can watch television shows or movies, listen to music or play video games, all without disturbing the driver.....

Those who have the systems say they don't know how they survived without them. And they certainly don't long for quainter times....

While none of the car manufacturers offer video entertainment for front-seat passengers, it is possible to buy them from car-stereo retailers and have them installed after buying a car. Some car owners are buying adapters that allow them to convert dashboard navigation systems into DVD players. Others are buying small dashboard-mounted monitors for video entertainment, despite the ideal of actually watching the road while driving." [NY Times: Technology]

We have a VCP in the minivan, and the kids love it. They don't get to watch it all of the time, but it's certainly been great on road trips. Brent hasn't figured out yet that we can plug video game consoles into it. My advice to anyone thinking of getting one of these is to get the ceiling-mounted screen. It's much easier on the neck, and the kids can lean back and look up to watch, instead of straining forward and down. Plus, it's easier for folks in the third row to see the screen.

We've discovered that the second most useful application of these systems is when you have to wait somewhere for longer than a child's patience will last. For example, when we have to take the kids to the doctor or to the hospital and you have to wait for an hour to see the doctor, sometimes it's worth it for one parent to sit in the waiting room with a cell phone and the other parent (with a cell phone) to take the kid(s) out to the car to let them watch a video. If you've ever had to wait forever in the waiting room with two young kids, you know exactly what I mean.

And it's not just kids. On a recent day trip to Springfield for a meeting, some co-workers and I took our minivan instead of a company car because of the number of travelers. As a bonus, the folks in the second and third rows got to watch movies on the ride there and back. One person commented that it had been the most enjoyable such trip she'd ever taken.  :-)

Overall, though, it's strange to realize that my kids will grow up thinking that televisions belong in cars. You can get XM Satellite Radio now... how long will it be before you can realistically (and financially) get XV Satellite TV? The kids don't totally grok the difference yet. Every once in a while, Brent will ask us to change the channel to "4-7" (Cartoon Network in our area). We should be able to accommodate soon enough.