Tag: 5G audio streaming

AutomotiveConnected car

8/. IN-VEHICLE INFOTAINMENT: THE KEY TAKEAWAYS

Posted on by ACCESS Europe

This is the eighth part of a series of blog posts we’ve been publishing over the last couple of months on the topic of “The In-Car Roadmap: A Definitive Guide to IVI.” A complete eBook will be published soon. Subscribe to our Automotive Newsletter to be notified when it is available. A PDF version of this blog can be downloaded here.

Executive summary

  • The In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) function will evolve from an optional to a fundamental element of the in-car experience. Investment in this area will grow, as will the sophistication and the feature set needed to meet the use cases that drivers and passengers want and will come to expect.
  • As connected cars become the norm, IVI will benefit society through increased safety, improved navigation, faster journey times and, as a result, a reduction in pollution levels.
  • IVI offers valuable real estate to enable new value-added mobile services and build incredibly strong relationships with car owners and users.
  • Branded IVI allows OEMs to own the relationship with car owners and users and to control the in-car experience, which is crucial as Internet giants that are moving into IVI threaten to beat them to it.
  • A dual strategy of supporting key mobile device brands – such as Google and Apple – while still retaining control through IVI technology such as ACCESS Twine™ for Car offers the most benefits for the automotive industry.

    This blog is a summary of the previous seven in the series, which explain how in-car entertainment will progress from today through to the next generation of cars and onwards to level 5 autonomous driving. This summary explains how automotive OEMs and tier-1 technology suppliers can get there.

Maximise 4G networks – start preparing for 5G

4G networks are already widely deployed and provide a pathway for high-speed connectivity across audio, compressed video and two-way communication for BYOD and on-board apps. In Europe, all new car models approved for manufacture after 31 March 2018 must have the 112-based eCall system installed which uses a cellular modem within each vehicle.

Although 4G is ideal for streaming low bandwidth content, the cellular connectivity that will be fitted into all new cars is likely to be 5G ready – allowing a software / SIM upgrade to take advantage of new networks as they arrive to the market.

This move to 5G is more than just a gimmick; due to the short wavelength of 5G radio signals, cars, which have capacity for larger and better integrated radio antennas, will offer far superior reception than that of smartphones. With the car acting as a reliable 5G access point, the ability to project a Wi-Fi hotspot for occupants provides increased reliability and performance across the entire journey for driver and passengers alike.

Key takeaway: Cars that embrace 5G will hold a big advantage when it comes to purchasing decisions.

Don’t forget radio

Audio is still the most favoured infotainment option for drivers and passengers alike and is going through an evolution with the addition of streaming. The first generation of connected cars have yet to fully integrate radio, streaming and BYOD services, leading to lower consumer satisfaction. IVI will increasingly act as a primary interface for audio service aggregation and integration including control pane functions such as voice recognition.

Value-added features – such as audio search and caching to overcome connection outages – enabled through IVI integration are a considerable consumer benefit. A software and cloud-based approach to in-car audio increases flexibility for consumers and allows OEMs to make service and feature enhancements without requiring a dealer visit.

This shift is most evident in the IVI platforms that are increasingly acting as the connection point between car manufacturer, consumers and additional services. The modern generation of IVI provides anything from connected entertainment and audio offerings, to navigation, parking and payment services. In the future, IVI will enable services such as streaming video and location-based advertising. The opportunity is broad and increasingly global from Netflix to Youku Tudou with consumers looking for localised content and IVI services that have the flexibility to change as markets evolve.

Key takeaway: Simplicity matters. As IVI grows in service offerings, OEMs will need to replicate the ease-of-use of traditional radio.

Get ahead in automotive: Deliver a unique IVI offering

Catering to the connected consumer is not a goal that can be achieved in isolation. OEMs will need to work with telecommunication service providers to build data plans that cater for differing levels of content access. Additionally, new content and data models in which certain services are already included in the cost of the car will be appealing to car buyers.

As we enter this inflection point for the automotive industry, we believe that successfully designing cars for three and six years out is an incredible challenge. This is why ACCESS is simplifying the route to premium content by functioning as a one-stop shop for OEMs. We enable this through securing content rights for TV, VOD, audio, games and apps for global usage in combination with the ACCESS Twine™ for Car IVI platform. By providing OEMs with a single point of contact for multiple markets, it is our belief that we are bringing a unique IVI offering to the market.

Key takeaway: OEMs have an opportunity to differentiate through IVI. Long-term planning is challenging in the automotive industry but IVI systems like ACCESS Twine™ for Car can help them bridge the gap.

Embrace the autonomous future

Ask any two senior executives within the automotive industry when autonomous vehicles will arrive to market, and the answers will almost certainly differ. What is clear is that it’s a race that everybody is keen to win!

By 2040, there will be over 2 billion cars in use and it is likely that autonomous vehicles will make up most, if not all, new car sales. Brands that can deliver true value-added benefits to drivers and passengers will be able to capitalise on an untapped market. Those that don’t will be letting a great opportunity slip through their fingers. For IVI, the arrival of autonomous vehicles is a game changer and shifts the perception of the technology from luxury to necessity. The big question is when will this happen? If the tech industry has taught us anything, it will probably be sooner than you think.

Key takeaway: Autonomy will turn IVI into a necessity, and it may arrive sooner than you think.

IVI: the route to success

We think there are 7 critical steps to IVI success:

  1. Launch connected IVI in your next generation of cars.
  2. Make sure you provide compelling and super easy to use connected audio and rear seat video experiences.
  3. Deploy a dual strategy of launching your own app store while supporting key mobile device brands – such as Google and Apple – through your own branded IVI. Retain control of the in-vehicle experience through an IVI solution such as ACCESS Twine™ for Car.
  4. Integrate a dedicated app store for cars that provides audio, video and journey specific apps.
  5. Make sure you provide great experiences wherever you sell cars – this will require local content and apps.
  6. Listen to your customers – and what they listen to and watch. If they want Netflix and Spotify, provide it to them.
  7. Implement your connected IVI strategy as soon as possible.

If the automotive industry does not embrace next generation IVI, someone else will: however given its 150 year history of anticipating change and finding new ways to make the most of advances in technology, I’m sure the OEMs, Electric Vehicle (EV) & Automated Vehicle (AV) companies and Tier-1’s will drive next generation connected IVI experiences. Given the rise of EV and AV, we can already see today how there is a foundation for the automotive industry to realign its offering and capitalise on the exciting new opportunities and recurring revenue business models on offer. So embrace the future. Combine your existing app store, alongside a solution such as ACCESS Twine™ for Car which is designed to support key mobile device brands, and operate a winning strategy that will protect you brand and drive it towards an exciting new future.

I hope you’ve found this blog and the entire series informative. If you’d like to know more about how we can help car manufacturers and Tier-1’s create breakthrough new services using ACCESS Twine™ for Car, along with guidance on critical considerations such as security, privacy, technical integration and emerging standards, then please get in touch.

Yours truly,
Dr Neale, Foster, CEO at ACCESS Europe

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AutomotiveConnected car

4/. Next generation radio and audio streaming

Posted on by ACCESS Europe

This is the fourth part of a series of blog posts we’re publishing over the next few months on the topic of “The In-Car Roadmap: A Definitive Guide to IVI.” Subscribe to The Multiscreen Blog to be notified when the next instalment of the series is available. A PDF version of this blog can be downloaded here.

Executive summary

  • Audio is still the most favoured infotainment option for drivers and passengers alike and is going through an evolution with the addition of streaming.
  • The first generation of connected cars have yet to fully integrate radio, streaming and BYOD services, leading to lower consumer satisfaction.
  • The IVI will increasingly act as a primary interface for audio service aggregation and integration including control plane functions such as voice recognition.
  • Value-added features – such as audio search and caching to overcome connection outages – are a considerable consumer benefit and enabled through IVI integration.
  • A software and cloud-based approach increases flexibility for consumers and allows OEMs to make service and feature updates without requiring a dealer visit.

The car radio is still the most widely appreciated form of in-vehicle entertainment. First installed in 1924 by Kelly’s Motors in New South Wales, Australia, the earliest branded car radio was marketed by Motorola (a combination of “Motorised” and “Victrola”, a leading brand of phonograph) in 1930, for the equivalent of $1,500 in modern terms. The popularity of the car radio continues to endure.

Today the in-car AM/FM/DAB/satellite radio and CD-player is still loved by drivers who, by law, must not be visually distracted while on the road. However, it’s now possible for new techniques to enhance the in-car audio experience with customisation and location-based services, ensuring that in-car video won’t completely kill the radio star for many years to come.

Bring your own audio

At present, consumers can access most of these new capabilities via bring-your-own-device (BYOD) options such as smartphones and tablets. However, as drivers will attest, integration between these devices and the capabilities within the car are limited at best. In most cases, users will link via Bluetooth to interface a smartphone audio input and output to the car. In this scenario, audio functions such as radio, streamed music, telephone call handling, turn-by-turn driver navigation, and traffic warnings are managed in a sometimes difficult to use ad-hoc manner.

However, as more rear seat passengers begin to access their own audio and video services via built-in screens, the current BYOD position is much less desirable. This ad-hoc solution makes it very difficult to guarantee reliable operation due to the differences between devices and operating systems within a growing diversity of services.

With the rise of the connected car including built-in 4G/5G connectivity, OEMs are moving towards an integrated IVI solution that offers the ability to blend their own services alongside audio offerings from the likes of Amazon and Apple within a seamless experience.

Next generation Radio & Audio Streaming usage and UX complexity
Next generation Radio & Audio Streaming usage and UX complexity


Radio continues to dominate

According to research from Rajar in the UK that split out in-car listening:

  • Live radio took 83.9% of all in-car listening
  • CDs trailed far behind on 7.6%
  • Digital tracks (downloaded MP3s) were on just 5.3%

The pattern is similar in the USA, according to 2017 Edison Research:

  • AM, FM and satellite radio accounts for 71%
  • CDs and digital music collections are on 15%
  • Online radio is at 9%

We believe car drivers are choosing linear radio over MP3s, CDs or streaming services because of convenience, along with the fact that radio offers variety and spontaneity in its curated mix of music and information (such as news, traffic updates and weather). Even more importantly, the radio still provides an unrivalled user experience – you just press a button and it plays.

Streaming future

The importance of digital audio playback and Internet streaming should not be underestimated. According to the 2016 IHS Auto Tech Consumer Survey, over half of millennial drivers (58%) listen to music from a BYOD device and are also twice as likely (44%) to listen to streamed audio services than the average. However, with over a dozen major streaming radio and audio service providers including Audible, Kindle, Pandora and Spotify, plus regional specialists, OEMs need to ensure that consumers can integrate their chosen service into the in-vehicle experience.

In-car entertainment: 58% of millenial drivers listen to music from a BYOD device
In-car entertainment: 58% of millenial drivers listen to music from a BYOD device


To meet this requirement, the IVI acts as a service abstraction layer to manage secure access to audio services as well as an in-car distribution platform for main speakers and headphones/screens for rear seat passengers. Through an open API, the IVI can manage either direct connection to cloud-based interfaces or as a host for downloadable apps. These services utilise the current 4G, and future 5G connectivity within each vehicle and overcome the traditional challenges of regional radio reception by providing services wherever there is a cellular network.

The IVI is a natural layer for the delivery of value-added features such as audio caching, so that as vehicles move through connectivity black-spots, audio streaming remains uninterrupted. The IVI is also increasingly used as the control plane for managing audio including dynamic search and control through practical methods such as voice recognition, using cloud-based technologies such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri.

In-car entertainment: 44% of millenial drivers are twice as likely to stream audio
In-car entertainment: 44% of millenial drivers are twice as likely to stream audio


Audio content search is likely to be a killer app for many drivers. The ability to request an artist, album or song and have it played instantly from a subscribed service is commonplace for home users. This is increasingly being built-in to the connected car as standard.


Flexibility and choice

This voice control integration is crucial; it provides the driver with the freedom to access not just content but also control over dynamic services such as traffic updates, rerouting navigation services and other common tasks. As there is no single standard for all these options, the IVI needs the flexibility to allow the car owner to mix and match apps and services – and to adapt to emerging technologies.

To put this into context, Amazon Alexa has sold over 100 million devices in just four years and by 2020, experts predict its voice recognition technology may be used in half a billion homes. Consumers expect that a modern car will be able to integrate with emerging platforms like Alexa, which requires an IVI solution designed with flexibility in mind.

At present, the larger content gatekeepers such as Amazon, Apple and Google are vying for control of media distribution to the car. However, it could be argued that car manufacturers and consumers want both choice and the ability to change their minds. In a future in which cars have a subscription package for cellular connectivity and content, the ability to pick from a collection of audio, video and infotainment services seems like the best option to meet the needs and budgets of the widest range of consumers. This will replicate the way the Pay-TV industry has evolved its different bundles.


Audio becomes video

With the emergence of autonomous vehicles on the near horizon, the infrastructure and systems put in place for audio offers a natural bridge for a future move towards video. The process steps of validating users, streaming digital data and playing back onto a device are similar for both types of media. In many cases, the changes required are simply interface updates that are maintained within a cloud portal. This approach makes it easier for OEMs to update entire brands and models of vehicles across every country, without having to apply any physical updates to the vehicle that could require a visit to a dealer.

The ability to remotely enable video, integrate services and charge a monthly subscription fee that includes cellular data plans offers OEMs and dealers an upsell potential for not just primary buyers but across the entire lifecycle of the vehicle.


ACCESS Insight

ACCESS Twine™ for Car (Twine4Car) offers a platform to augment traditional radio services with streaming audio and video that goes beyond technology. ACCESS can help automotive OEMs build business relationships and create profitable and successful multi-device systems and media services. ACCESS has already established – and is extending – multi-broadcaster content agreements that allows OEMs to offer a baseline in-vehicle content subscription that can be upgraded and regionalised as required.

Twine4Car enables OEMs to index audio and video content from multiple sources and content partners. The result is an embedded content service through one aggregation source but controlled and managed by OEMs – enabling them to provide the entertainment services their customers are asking for and maintain brand engagement through a truly multi-device experience.

It is important to recognise that Twine4Car is service, device and brand agnostic. This is a vital element in helping OEMs to deliver the most flexibility to their consumers and hedge against the issues that can arise as content providers and communication carriers vie for dominance in the future. As a pure platform operator with no advertising or data monetisation business model, ACCESS is ideally suited to helping OEMs solve the service delivery challenge while working within the broadest ecosystem of partners.

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