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In-car entertainment (ICE), or in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), is a collection of hardware and software in automobiles that provides audio or video entertainment. In car entertainment originated with
car audio
Vehicle audio is equipment installed in a car or other vehicle to provide in-car entertainment and information for the vehicle occupants. Until the 1950s it consisted of a simple AM radio. Additions since then have included FM radio (1952), 8 ...
systems that consisted of radios and cassette or CD players, and now includes
automotive navigation system
An automotive navigation system is part of the automobile controls or a third party add-on used to find direction in an automobile. It typically uses a satellite navigation device to get its position data which is then correlated to a position on ...
s, video players, USB and Bluetooth connectivity,
carputers
A carputer, or car-puter, is a computer with specializations to run in a car, such as compact size, low power requirement, and some customized components. The computing hardware is typically based on standard PCs or mobile devices. They normally ha ...
,
in-car internet, and WiFi. Once controlled by simple dashboards knobs and dials, ICE systems can include
steering wheel audio controls,
handsfree
Handsfree is an adjective describing equipment that can be used without the use of hands (for example via voice commands) or, in a wider sense, equipment which needs only limited use of hands, or for which the controls are positioned so that the ...
voice control, touch-sensitive preset buttons, and even
touch screen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...
s on higher-end units.
Background
Driven by the demand for more connected vehicles, in-car entertainment is getting more and more sophisticated.
Car makers,
electronics and software suppliers, as well as newcomers from the
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...
(such as
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
and
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
), work together and also compete to come up with infotainment systems that are user-friendly and safe to use. ICE systems are increasingly commonplace with newer vehicle models and several auto makers have developed their own systems:
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
with
SYNC and
MyFord Touch
Myford Limited is a British machine tool manufacturer originally based at 10-12 East Parade, Leeds, West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom under its former name of L & P 240 Limited. The company is notable for its continuation of production of Myfo ...
,
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
with
Entune
Toyota Entune is an integrated multimedia navigation and telematics system for Toyota automobiles that provides satellite-based information on traffic, weather, sports scores, stocks, and fuel prices via subscription through SiriusXM. When connect ...
,
Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
wit
CUE(Cadillac User Experience),
FCA FCA may refer to:
Arts
* Federation of Canadian Artists
* Foundation for Contemporary Art, in Ghana
* Foundation for Contemporary Arts, in the United States
Business and economics
* False Claims Act, a United States federal law
* Federal Cus ...
wit
Uconnect etc.
With the
mass adoption of smartphones worldwide, a new issue has emerged: the use of connected devices in the car. According to a 2015 survey conducted by
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
with a sample of over 2,000 US respondents, "7-in-10 people engage in smartphone activities while driving" including
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
(40%),
web browsing
Web navigation refers to the process of navigating a Computer network, network of web resource, information resources in the International World Wide Web Conference, World Wide Web, which is organized as hypertext or hypermedia. The user interface ...
(30%) and even
video chat
Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio and video signals by people in different locations for real time communication.McGraw-Hill Concise Ency ...
ting (10%). This raises safety concerns related to
distracted driving
Distracted driving is the act of driving while engaging in other activities which distract the driver's attention away from the road. Distractions are shown to compromise the safety of the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and people in other vehic ...
and also pushes the automotive industry to integrate those devices in a safe manner. "Traditional" car makers increasingly rely on the software and electronics expertise of auto suppliers and
technology companies
A technology company (or tech company) is an electronics-based technological company, including, for example, business relating to digital electronics, software, and internet-related services, such as e-commerce services.
Details
According to ''Fo ...
to help them design such systems. Google and Apple's mobile OSs'
making the bulk of the market, the two tech companies have developed projection modes (
Android Auto
Android Auto is a mobile app developed by Google to mirror features of an Android device, such as a smartphone, on a car's dashboard information and entertainment head unit.
Once an Android device is paired with the car's head unit, the syste ...
,
Apple CarPlay
CarPlay is an Apple standard which enables a car radio or head unit to be a display and a controller for an iOS device. It is available on all iPhone models beginning with iPhone 5 running iOS 7.1 or later.
According to Apple's website, all ma ...
) to enable mobile devices to be operated in vehicles through the dashboard head unit so that the vehicle occupants don't manipulate their devices directly, use an interface they are familiar with, and spend more time with their eyes on the road.
Safety concerns
Policies regarding in-car entertainment systems are less developed than
cell phone usage laws regarding similar distractions in cars. In the United States, 10 states, D.C., Guam, and the Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving. Additionally, 39 states, D.C., Guam, and the Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers. However, few states have developed laws to limit the content that drivers can view on in-car entertainment systems.
Still, researchers are beginning to analyze the potential impact of distracted drivers on the roads. Charlie Klauer, a researcher at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, says that drivers who look at screens have a much higher risk of crashing. Furthermore, the risk of crashing rises exponentially the longer a driver has taken their eyes off the road.
Automotive companies like Ford and Audi contend that they have tested and revised their latest systems in order to reduce the amount of time that drivers spend looking away from the road.
Security concerns
As car infotainment systems can access more and more functions of the vehicle (e.g. through the
CAN bus
A Controller Area Network (CAN bus) is a robust vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other's applications without a host computer. It is a message-based protocol, designed originally for mu ...
), concerns have also been voiced about potential remote car hacking (see
drive by wire
Drive by wire, DbW, by-wire, steer-by-wire, fly-by-wire or x-by-wire technology in the automotive or aviation industry is the use of electrical or electro-mechanical systems for performing vehicle functions traditionally achieved by mechanical link ...
). Latest models of In-car entertainment systems are coming equipped with rear-view cameras along with side cameras for better safety.
See also
*
GENIVI Alliance
GENIVI Alliance was rebranded as the Connected Vehicle Systems Alliance (COVESA) in October 2021 and operates under that name.
COVESA is a non-profit automotive industry alliance that develops reference approaches for integrating operating systems ...
, now called COVESA
*
List of car audio manufacturers and brands
This list of car audio manufacturers and brands comprises brand labels and manufacturers of both original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and after-market products generally related to in car entertainment that already have articles within Wikipedia. ...
*
References
{{reflist, 30em
Automotive accessories
Consumer electronics
Travel technology