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Back when he was still with Tesla, I had a nice conversation with George B at the initial Fremont Get Amped event about that topic. At the time there was no plan to offer an integrated rear seat entertainment system (RES) because kids basically just use their iPads now days. I was quite skeptical at first. I have little kids and the two year old couldn't really operate an iPad. That was several years ago and I've learned that the "can't operate iPad" and "wants to watch a movie" circles only overlap for a short period of time. We have RES in two cars now and almost never use them.
Anyway, they may have changed something but I'm not expecting any kind of RES in Model X for now.
AustinPowers
Total Smeghead
Provided, as others have pointed out, that kids are old enough to operate a tablet (why does everyone have to call them iPads? Apple is just one of many manufacturers of tablet computers and from my experience over here, the others are far more common than iPads. End rant.) in the first place. Personal experience shows that those kids that would benefit most from RES's are too young (<3) to operate and safely handle a tablet. And those that are old enough don't care as much for a RES as they do for their tablet/smartphone/other entertainment option - even classic "analog" ones.
Plus, RES's from OEMs are usually hideously expensive anyway. Most people I know who are in the same boat as us did the same thing - buy some aftermarket DVD players to install on to the front seat headrests. But that wouldn't work in Model X by the looks of those headrests, at least with the connecting systems I have seen up to now.
And as for factory option? I don't think so. I remember how annoyed I was when the Model S came out and didn't offer a CD player. The consensus at the time seemed to be "who needs such an antiquated device in a car this futuristic?". I still disagree with that sentiment and think it is one of the main drawbacks of Tesla's design philosophy to omit useful and proven features like CD player, grab handles/coat hooks/center consoles etc., but given that it is their mantra I don't expect to see a factory option RES in Model X.
AustinPowers
Total Smeghead
Well, I haven't seen a phone with a 9 inch screen yet (and that in itself isn't really a very large screen for a DVD image, but seems to be about standard at the moment). And I would be really concerned if my kids would have to spend all of a five hour drive trying to watch a movie on the tiny screen of a phone. Plus the hassle/cost of trying to obtain the same amount of films/episodes as we have on the hundreds of DVDs we have. Either we would have to download everything in advance or hope to have a good connection for streaming. But data connections in many of the areas we drive through are spotty at best. Not really good conditions for a great viewing experience.
So no, we prefer the advantages of being able to just pop in a DVD that we like whenever our kids feel like watching one.
Factory installed control for rear-seat features would be nice. A touchscreen like on the front. Audi uses rear-seat entertainment for navigation viewing and even control (passenger can enter destination), for example. Operating seat features etc. from the rear would be useful.
Also, if no rear-seat entertainment, at least factory-installed seatback docks with power for most common tablets would a great option. Keeping a tablet in your hand for movies in an extended trip is not optimal.
I am expecting neither on the Model X, though. The precedent in Model S executive rear seats suggests Tesla is going down the smartphone app route for additional rear-seat control.
Also, if no rear-seat entertainment, at least factory-installed seatback docks with power for most common tablets would a great option. Keeping a tablet in your hand for movies in an extended trip is not optimal.
I am expecting neither on the Model X, though. The precedent in Model S executive rear seats suggests Tesla is going down the smartphone app route for additional rear-seat control.
It's 2015. Imho, a DVD player and built in screens has no place in a newly designed car. Buy some tablets. Cheaper, more convenient, and easily upgradable unlike a built in system. What I hope tesla has done is place USB ports around the vehicle for charging.
Replacing elegant integrated rear screens with dangling USB cables and hold-it-yourself tablets in a $100,000+ car is hardly optimal, in my books.
At the very least a good tablet integration would have some cradling system for the most common tablets, including integrated power (say, connection points in the car and buy custom adapter from Tesla for your particular tablet).
At the very least a good tablet integration would have some cradling system for the most common tablets, including integrated power (say, connection points in the car and buy custom adapter from Tesla for your particular tablet).
My wife fancies her friend's Buick Enclave as it has the rear seat DVD player and she can control it from the front. While it's a temporary thing, it is important when you have toddlers. For one, the entertainment can be for multiple kids without multiple tablets, and secondly, you don't need to pull over to fix something when they inevitably hit the wrong button or end up locking the device accidentally when you use that gesture lock thing.
Perhaps DVD isn't the answer, but some sort of rear seat entertainment that's controllable from the front isn't a bad idea. Perhaps Tesla can bring back the storage drive and let folks load movies that can only be viewable from the rear seats.
Perhaps DVD isn't the answer, but some sort of rear seat entertainment that's controllable from the front isn't a bad idea. Perhaps Tesla can bring back the storage drive and let folks load movies that can only be viewable from the rear seats.
AustinPowers
Total Smeghead
Ok, it's 2015. So what? What has that got to do with DVD players as viable, practical and easy to use solutions for rear-seat entertainment?
All this talk about "get used to buying a tablet if you want to or not" really gets on my nerves big time. And as to your assertions:
Cheaper? A tablet with a usable screen size and a processor powerful enough to be usable for watching movies costs at least 200+ Euros over here. For that I get a double DVD player set incl. a proper headrest connection set, two headsets and two remote controls. And still have some money left over. Plus having to buy all the films/shows we already have on DVD again over a streaming service? Yeah right, that is what I call cheaper.
More convenient? Having two kids fiddling with tablets, trying to get the connection to run and stay stable during a long drive. And holding the damn things all the time. Or trying to get them somehow to stay attached to the headrest. Etc. etc. etc. That is convenient? Versus simply putting in a DVD and having quiet kids for hours?
And finally upgradeable? When companies want to sell you ever newer and better hardware. I have never seen anything less easily upgradeable than tablets. It's easier to upgrade our smart tv.
So yes, it's 2015. And at least over here in the old world, many people are happy to stick with their tried and trusted old-tech entertainment solutions, thank you very much.
Red Sage
The Cybernetic Samurai
Honestly...? Sometimes it seems as though anything labeled as 'Luxury, Comfort, and Convenience' features are actually meant as 'Old, Fat, and Lazy' support systems.
The absence of DVD players, CD players, analog input, iPod®/iPhone® integration, Apple® Carplay® (or whatever) and other forms of 'Rear Seat Entertainment Systems' as built-in functions of Tesla Motors vehicles makes perfect sense to me. Their strategy of using more up-to-date means of media integration is correct. It is not at all hard to add a custom system if you want one, but it is far from absolutely necessary for the reasons already noted in this thread.
That said, some of you might consider setting up a mini-itx computer in the car as a WiFi server to tablets and phones in the car. You may also be able to set it in such a way that you control the server from the driver's seat, and stream content to the children. For those using the rear facing jumpseats in a Model S, you can set it to switch between cameras that are viewing children, and use it as a sort of video intercom, where the kids can see your face and you can see theirs. That can be done perhaps with your phone on a mount, and a tablet set up for the kids, with the mini-itx computer being used as a server in between.
Yes, it would be cool if this came with the cars by default, or as an integrated option. But as technology advances it would end up seeming as stale and antiquated as a VCR system in a 1995 Dodge Caravan seems today.
mini-itx.com - news
Car PC, 12V Vehicle Computers, the makers of VoomPC
The absence of DVD players, CD players, analog input, iPod®/iPhone® integration, Apple® Carplay® (or whatever) and other forms of 'Rear Seat Entertainment Systems' as built-in functions of Tesla Motors vehicles makes perfect sense to me. Their strategy of using more up-to-date means of media integration is correct. It is not at all hard to add a custom system if you want one, but it is far from absolutely necessary for the reasons already noted in this thread.
That said, some of you might consider setting up a mini-itx computer in the car as a WiFi server to tablets and phones in the car. You may also be able to set it in such a way that you control the server from the driver's seat, and stream content to the children. For those using the rear facing jumpseats in a Model S, you can set it to switch between cameras that are viewing children, and use it as a sort of video intercom, where the kids can see your face and you can see theirs. That can be done perhaps with your phone on a mount, and a tablet set up for the kids, with the mini-itx computer being used as a server in between.
Yes, it would be cool if this came with the cars by default, or as an integrated option. But as technology advances it would end up seeming as stale and antiquated as a VCR system in a 1995 Dodge Caravan seems today.
mini-itx.com - news
Car PC, 12V Vehicle Computers, the makers of VoomPC
The 'Cheaper, more convenient, and easily upgradable’ comment you quoted is in reference to the incredibly over-priced built-in entertainment systems (usually well north of $1,000 US) which usually end up obsolete within a couple years. And the ‘more convenient’ part is in reference to the fact that most media these days is available digitially and not via DVD, which includes games, etc… These are things you can’t do with a DVD player. So.. all-in-all, I’d say an iPad (or other tablet) is a much better overall solution.
as a side note, most content here is not available on DVD any more.. it’s moved to digital download and blu-ray (which is probably going to be short-lived as mediums go).
I agree with jhs_7645. Furthermore, who has actually stopped and closely observed their kids recently? I have a 6 year-old nephew who slightly prefers interacting with a tablet (e.g. both educational games and simple games) over watching a film on the tablet. My 9 year old niece is about 50/50 between interaction and watching. My older kids definitely prefer interaction over watching, probably 75% interacting vs. 25% watching. Both these two activities can be done on a tablet, but only 1 can be done on a DVD player.
If you were to ask your kids what they prefer or simply observe them with a tablet, I think you'd understand that DVDs are truly becoming outdated. And my nephew has been interacting with a tablet since he was 3 years old, so DVDs IMHO have only a useful period of a few years before they can/should be replaced by a tablet.
I'm not going to get into the discussion about limiting kid's screen times, that's a whole different discussion.
If you were to ask your kids what they prefer or simply observe them with a tablet, I think you'd understand that DVDs are truly becoming outdated. And my nephew has been interacting with a tablet since he was 3 years old, so DVDs IMHO have only a useful period of a few years before they can/should be replaced by a tablet.
I'm not going to get into the discussion about limiting kid's screen times, that's a whole different discussion.
Red Sage
The Cybernetic Samurai
Precisely. There was a point where there was some interest in playing home videogame consoles while on the road. That aided in the adoption rate of rear seat entertainment systems in SUVs and minivans that had A/V input via RCA jacks. Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System primarily... Then television shows on MTV popularized having a PlayStation console in your pimpin' ride. Eventually this spread to other systems, such as the Xbox.
But even as Barney videotapes had begun to be popular with preschoolers, older children had begun to become immersed in GameBoy. I didn't understand it, still don't, because the technology in a GameBoy has always been crap from its first introduction... But that seems to have been a harbinger of times to come.
Because as time passed, and mobile phone technology became less expensive, texting simultaneously became more popular. Then you could play rudimentary games on phones, that were actually worse than GameBoy, but people were still enthralled. Once viable, fully interactive, full color touch screens were available, full blown games could be played on phones, and it was over.
The mobile platforms are now more lucrative than either videogame consoles or PC gaming. Since tablets are based on the same technology and have larger screens, they too have seen a revolution in mobile gaming. The ability to stream video from YouTube, Hulu, and NetFlix has been a revelation. And being able to take along your favorite movies and television shows without a stack of DVDs has been a boon. The fact these devices can also be used to communicate with audio (as a phone), video (via Skype), photos (Instagram) or good old fashioned text (e-mail, Facebook) is for all intents a bonus.
So, yeah. Recognizing that everyone in the backseat will have their own personal screen in front of them, as a phone or tablet, goes a long way toward eliminating the rear seat entertainment system option. Much like other luxury appointments, they are a matter of times past, that can be added for nostalgia by willing automotive custom shops.
But even as Barney videotapes had begun to be popular with preschoolers, older children had begun to become immersed in GameBoy. I didn't understand it, still don't, because the technology in a GameBoy has always been crap from its first introduction... But that seems to have been a harbinger of times to come.
Because as time passed, and mobile phone technology became less expensive, texting simultaneously became more popular. Then you could play rudimentary games on phones, that were actually worse than GameBoy, but people were still enthralled. Once viable, fully interactive, full color touch screens were available, full blown games could be played on phones, and it was over.
The mobile platforms are now more lucrative than either videogame consoles or PC gaming. Since tablets are based on the same technology and have larger screens, they too have seen a revolution in mobile gaming. The ability to stream video from YouTube, Hulu, and NetFlix has been a revelation. And being able to take along your favorite movies and television shows without a stack of DVDs has been a boon. The fact these devices can also be used to communicate with audio (as a phone), video (via Skype), photos (Instagram) or good old fashioned text (e-mail, Facebook) is for all intents a bonus.
So, yeah. Recognizing that everyone in the backseat will have their own personal screen in front of them, as a phone or tablet, goes a long way toward eliminating the rear seat entertainment system option. Much like other luxury appointments, they are a matter of times past, that can be added for nostalgia by willing automotive custom shops.
Run, do not walk, away from the that CUV. My wife has the GMC version (Acadia) and, while the layout is good, the vehicle is underpowered, poorly geared, loud (road noise) and gets miserable gas milage. Seriously, it's worse than our Yukon XL Denali w/ 6.2 V8.
Back to topic: yes, having an RES that's controlled from the front by the passenger while en route is really nice and I think it's a miss for Tesla not to have one as an option because some folks won't buy Model X because of it. I think that's probably a low percentage but it will happen. That said, I understand that they needed to prioritize their time/money in developing this car and I understand why this item got cut out.
MartinAustin
Active Member
This is somewhat similar to the "Model S does not have a CD player" discussions that bubbled up a lot around 2-3 years ago and seem to have subsided.
In the Model S, Tesla installed the the absolutely most inexpensive audio source solutions they could - which is, two USB sockets (which you could say were already going to be included) and some software built into the car (that uses the definitely-already-included internet hardware). Pretty cheap! In fact you could say that the audio source solutions cost Tesla NOTHING on the assembly line. Only back in the software department.
I see no reason why they would deviate from this tactic in the Model X. I think they will still attempt to spend NOTHING during manufacture. The solution will be for you to bring your own movies into the car.
Streaming movies into the car would use massive amounts of the internet data Tesla that currently provides to us at no cost. (It would cost Tesla a fortune) If Tesla introduces a monthly internet data package, where we pay a monthly fee to stream any amount of data into the car via its LTE connection and offer it via wi-fi to devices brought into the car by occupants, that could be a solution.
I was thinking about this internet data package recently while pondering the long-talked-about SDK for the car. If you installed a 3rd-party app into your car that uses tons of internet data, Tesla won't want to be paying for that data!
In the Model S, Tesla installed the the absolutely most inexpensive audio source solutions they could - which is, two USB sockets (which you could say were already going to be included) and some software built into the car (that uses the definitely-already-included internet hardware). Pretty cheap! In fact you could say that the audio source solutions cost Tesla NOTHING on the assembly line. Only back in the software department.
I see no reason why they would deviate from this tactic in the Model X. I think they will still attempt to spend NOTHING during manufacture. The solution will be for you to bring your own movies into the car.
Streaming movies into the car would use massive amounts of the internet data Tesla that currently provides to us at no cost. (It would cost Tesla a fortune) If Tesla introduces a monthly internet data package, where we pay a monthly fee to stream any amount of data into the car via its LTE connection and offer it via wi-fi to devices brought into the car by occupants, that could be a solution.
I was thinking about this internet data package recently while pondering the long-talked-about SDK for the car. If you installed a 3rd-party app into your car that uses tons of internet data, Tesla won't want to be paying for that data!
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