HARMAN making its presence felt at CES 2013.
The new BMW infotainment system developed by HARMAN and unveiled at CES 2013.
visibility and awareness of their driving environment. We took distance and collision warning as well as lane departure warning and combined it with the blind spot sensor. Last but not least, we showcased at CES our vision for a safe and intuitive premium incar infotainment experience where we took safety even higher by leveraging a heads-up display and gesture technologies so that the driver never has to take the eyes off of the road.
AI: Connectivity is the real buzz word in automotive infotainment. What is HARMAN doing to deliver connectivity today?
Mauser: We unveiled the latest Uconnect ® system for Chrysler at CES which is launching on the all-new 2013 SRT Viper. This latest Uconnect solution safely and securely delivers a broad range of connected lifestyle services, as well as apps such as HARMAN’ s own AHA Radio. They are all supported by automatic software updates delivered via Web connectivity. HARMAN designed the Uconnect 8.4AN to deliver a fully integrated infotainment experience within one solution. All feature components including wireless modem, GPS, voice recognition functionality and more, are built into a single hardware platform instead of delivered as separate components resulting in cost and development benefits.
AI: Are you delivering connectivity across the board?
Mauser: At CES HARMAN demonstrated that connectivity isn’ t just for premium cars. It has to be scalable. We presented our entry-level connected radio platform that can support an unprecedented level of connectivity at this level with USB, SD, and Bluetooth, but most important accesses apps from smartphones such as Navigation or our AHA Radio Service that brings web content into the car. With the entry-level connected radio, OEMs can offer a fully connected internet experience by using the customer’ s smartphone in the price range of current basic radios.
AI: Smartphones have shown that consumers care about customization. How does HARMAN intent to reflect this trend in cars?
Mauser: Personalization is at the heart of the car-centric app platform. HARMAN wants users to make the infotainment experience their own in way that is intuitive, fun and safe. If we look at navigation specifically, some drivers prefer having the on-board navigation application launch when they press the Navigation button but others may want Google Maps instead. HARMAN allows you to customise your options. Looking to the future, the HARMAN system will“ learn” what the driver interacts with the most, and automatically add these choices to the favourites screen. We can offer individual profiles with personalised music preferences, calendars and seat positions for multiple users.
AI: HARMAN made its name in audio. Are there still developments in that area?
Mauser: Absolutely, and CES saw the debut of the first 3D surround sound experience for cars. QuantumLogic 3D accurately identifies and redistributes audio streams that are reproduced via overhead speakers to create an unmatched three-dimensional surround experience. It also demonstrates the value of HARMAN’ s activities in both the consumer and professional environments to bring technologies quickly and robustly to the car. Acoustic professionals are hailing 3D sound as a major landmark and HARMAN’ s QuantumLogic 3D is poised to become the reference standard for music and video in the future. AI
Automotive Industries 9