Panasonic Encourages You to Watch TV in Your Car

Well, they encourage passengers in your car to watch TV, because the driver should have their eyes on the road the whole time, right? In any case, Matsushita Electric — parent company to Panasonic — has just announced a line of “Strada” digital TV tuners designed specifically for use with in-car entertainment systems, particularly those with large GPS navigation screens.

This way, if you already know where you’re heading, you don’t have to stare at just “arrows and 2D maps.” The little black box — 178 x 130 x 27 mm, 670 grams — grabs the 1Seg waves, letting you catch up on your favorite dramas and news programs. They say that this system is 1.6 times more efficient than previous versions.

Prices start at 62,790 Yen (US$535) for the TU-DTV30 and TU-DTX300. Both Panasonic digital TV tuners are expected to start shipping on April 19th.