Mobile TV with MediaFLO headed for the SUV's backseat

Qualcomm today brought the era of video entertainment on the road one precarious step closer to reality...thankfully for the backseat. As if typing on your BlackBerry and eating yogurt while driving wasn't enough of a pre-occupation.

At NAB in Las Vegas, Qualcomm is showing off a proof-of-concept display of a MediaFLO in-car entertainment system.

Now that Qualcomm's MediaFLO technology has been adopted by both AT&T and Verizon for their mobile television services, dedicated mobile TV systems are closer to becoming a marketable reality. For now, Qualcomm is hoping to spark imaginations with its concept media vehicle.

In the display vehicle, an audience-appropriate SUV, the MediaFLO receiver is mounted in the rear center console, allowing the backseat passengers to control the 9" VGA monitors mounted on the back of the headrests in front of them.

The controls are similar to a standard TV remote, allowing passengers to adjust volume, change channels, access the Gemstar-TV Guide program guide, or use additional features such as parental controls. There is also a remote control that has the same features, presumably so the parents up front can maintain some control.

MediaFLO works on a dedicated mobile broadcast network, streaming QVGA (320 x 240 @ 15-30 fps) resolution without need for a line-of-sight connection, making broadcasting to a quickly moving receiver a simple task.