Category: Entertainment

Cabin Entertainment

The BBC is running a story on the advances of in-car entertainment. It's not difficult to see how all of this can be applied to yachts as well. Especially the smaller, multi-cabin, boats will benefit from the economies of scale that are being realized in the automotive industry. It's not difficult, nor very expensive (Amazon), to create a personalized entertainment set-up in every cabin. And in the cockpit or saloon as well for that matter. In case you don't feel like any roof-mounted displays, why not use Sony's new wireless Air Board (LF-X1) which is for sale as of last Friday.

One other nice feature that is discussed by the BBC article is voice-control over all these entertainment devices. Again, the development in the automotive sector will create a precedent for yachting. Voice-control can not only be applied to entertainment, but to navigation as well, even more since PC technology is making a strong entry into the maritime environment.

"We're also building in 20GB hard drives Now you can take your home movies, and potentially other DVDS, record them onto a disc, record them onto a unit and keep them in the car. Now you don't actually have to bring in the DVD or the discs."

"A lot of it is voice-controlled and voice-interactive as well, the navigation systems, for example. But voice technology is far from perfect, and a screen can also be a life-saver. A rear view mirror can be connected to a video camera on the back bumper, or simply show an image of the backseat, obviously of potential use for baby monitoring."

Satellite radio looks to take-off

The BBC reports on the increasing demand for satellite radio in the US. At least Sirius is also planning to offer four video channels that can be received in the same way as the radio signal. More and more boaters are also using either Sirius or XM, although coverage is limited if you're really going offshore (+200 miles).

"We believe we'll be able to put four channels of video into the back seat, so you don't have to schlep your videos or DVDs and set up some gizmo for your kids to enjoy that long ride."

Newspapers direct to your yacht

Cruising the world but can't get away from what's happening at home? If you have a printer on board and a good internet connection, you can enjoy your favorite newspaper on deck in the morning sun wherever you are.

"NewspaperDirect has proprietary technology and compatible print stations that allow the recipient to receive on-demand newspaper service, which offers same-day delivery of complete, 11X17 print editions of more than 185 domestic and international newspapers directly to a luxury yacht."

On board personalized audio experience

To have music all over the boat might not appeal to everyone on board at the same time. Therefore a product has been developed that will make it easier to have a personalized audio experience.

"To enjoy a stereo's full sound in different areas of the boat, additional speakers are normally used. Poly-Planar's new ME-50 Expansion Amplifier is designed for the boater who wants to relax on the back deck and turn up the music-all without waking a sleeping crew member or distracting the captain at the helm."

Easy on-board DVD and CD access and storage

Would you like to have on-board access to your complete DVD and CD collection without losing any valuable space for CD-racks, etc? Molino Media Mogul is a good example of a device that could help you do that.

"Ever wish you could store full, uncompressed copies of all your Music CDs, Movie DVDs, Home Videos, and Digital Photo in one place? Now you can. Molino Networks, a California based company, has just launched their iteration of a true digital media server named the Molino Media Mogul. An A/V receiver sized device that can store and playback up to 50 DVDs, 500 CDs, 10,000s of digital photos or hundreds of hours of home movies, which are available for instantaneous playback through a connected TV, A/V receiver, or home-theater system via an easy-to-use graphical menu system."

Show Time

Some highlights from several recent boatshows include:

-NMEA 2000 is making real headway
-C-Map is adding 1,000 ultra-high-detail�down to slip numbers and restrooms�marina maps to its chart cards
-Digital Antenna now has a repeater intended to improve cellular reception on your boat without making you plug in

"Overall I sensed creative intensity as the big companies work to offer boaters (and builders) bow-to-stern electronics solutions while adopting better common protocols for those who like to mix and match, and while making way for increasing PC technology. Yet ther's still room for new companies with good ideas. All of which is good for us boaters."