CES 2025: Video in the Dash

Is the car the third screen or the fourth screen? It's confusing especially with suppliers like 3Ready and 4Screen clamoring to deliver in-dash video. Let's just call it the NEXT screen.

CES 2025 will be remembered for the official arrival of in-dash video streaming from a host of suppliers with a wide range of content and innovative applications. While the emphasis will be on driver distraction when charging an electric car or otherwise parked - there is acceptance and recognition of the fact that certain forms of semi-automated driving (Level 3) will enable video viewing when in motion.

Shown and demonstrated for the past two years, in-dash video has been in the works for a decade or more. The onset of EVs generally and Tesla in particular opened the door to viewing while charging and the introduction of in-dash video from a growing number of EV makers and so-called legacy auto makers such as BMW and Mercedes Benz.

But video-in-the-dash is more than Netflix or HBO. Video in the dash can be gaming, social media, podcasting, or videoconferencing. Video in the dash can enable direct video communications with first responders, customer service or help desk assistance, or (as in the case of Turnsignl) live access to legal assistance.

Video in the dash can be traffic camera feeds or emergency alerts. It was only 15 years ago or thereabouts that BMW enabled access to live in-dash video feeds from alpine ski slopes.

What has changed is the onset of 5G connectivity and Wi-Fi, with satellite connections just a year or two away. Facilitating this emerging experience are suppliers of multimodal connectivity ranging from Conekt.ai and floLIVE to Monogoto and others.

This is to say nothing of ATSC 3.0. The Broadcast Standards Association will have a booth at CES 2025 touting the shipment-to-date of 14M ATSC 3.0-equipped televisions ATSC 3.0 enables 4K over-the-air programming, enhanced positioning, and datacasting suitable for automotive applications.?

Content management and metadata supporting these developments has already arrived from the likes of TuneIn, Nielsen/Gracenote, Xperi's DTS AutoStage, SiriusXM, and others. And integrators such as Continental, Visteon, Panasonic, Bosch, Harman International and others are striving to bring these solutions to life in cars.

For their part car makers are finally coming to grips with the car as a self-contained device with its own connectivity no longer dependent upon a projected smartphone solution. Car makers want to own the connectivity and own the customer experience.

Owning the connectivity means altering the relationships with wireless carriers such that the auto makers own that customer relationship, with carriers relegated to provisioning and guaranteeing service delivery. Owning the customer experience means integrating the customer-centric data points to create a holistic experience - rather than one dominated by third parties with their own agendas unrelated to vehicle ownership and operation.

Owning that experience means coming to grips with the customer engagement implicit in today's driving experience with sensors focused on the driver to ensure they are alert and paying attention to the road. Those sensors are simultaneously detecting behaviors and preferences that comprise the driver profile.

Today car makers have an obligation to understand driving context and driver behavior in real time. Away from the car - on a television or mobile device - this may translate to inconsequential alerts regarding sedentary behavior (Time to take a walk!) or calendar appointments (in 15 minutes!). In a car contextual driver-vehicle interactions may be life saving.

Enabling this level of engagement may be expensive and may also have privacy implications. Auto makers have a duty to obtain customer consent (with the help of a partner such as AIden Automotive) before nosing into a driver's behavior, but the rewards may be rich.

The opportunity to safely facilitate transactional activity in a car via a media management platform represents a powerful opportunity. More importantly the in-vehicle media landscape is the last frontier not already dominated by the likes of Meta, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, TikTok, or Youtube.

The fact that the automotive content consumption realm has yet to be conquered is the driving force behind companies as diverse as 3Ready, 4Screen, P3, and Xperi along with multiple startups. As a self-contained device, the car is the equivalent of a browser on wheels. As we, as consumer/drivers motor through our day every move we make is an indication of intent which is of intense interest to advertisers and service providers.

Map providers TomTom, HERE and Mapbox were never quite able to capitalize on this opportunity. Apple and Google have tried, but so far have failed.

Digital assistants and ChatGPT were all the rage at CES 2024 and appeared poised to tackle the car-as-browser opportunity - but these systems are not integrated with the in- and on-vehicle sensor portfolio of the vehicle. Only the car maker is in position to leverage the complete contextual experience to deliver a safe, enriching, and personalized experience.

Video-in-the-dash is the lure to finally close this loop in 2025 and CES will be the launch party. When I charge my EV, I want video in the dash, not on my phone. And I expect a personalized experience that "knows" me and which I control.