Future Trends in the Rear-Seat Entertainment System Market

In a few short years Rear-Seat Entertainment (RSE) systems have transitioned from a “nice-to-have” feature to a “must-have” feature for many owners of minivans and SUVs. RSE systems are one of the hottest-selling automotive electronics products in the US with a sales forecast at about $420M in 2007 (source: CEA). In a short time the market has migrated from a VHS player combined with a 5.8″ LCD screen to a ceiling-mounted system that includes a 7″ screen and DVD player. What will be the next evolution of RSE systems? What will be the standard playback format? Who will be the “fresh content” providers? The future promises to be quite dynamic.

In this paper we will discuss possible future trends and improvements needed for affordability, vehicle integration and functionality that will realize greater daily usage.