Vehicle manufacturers have been racing to keep up with the rapid growth in the popularity of digital music. Quick wins were achieved with compatible CD players and simple Aux-In solutions but consumers are now expecting sophisticated command and control systems that replicate their PC and music player experience:

* Integration and storage strategies can both satisfy the consumer’s basic desire to access and control their digital music in the car but they will appeal to different user groups.
* Manufacturers have rushed to integrate the market-leading iPod but this still leaves the majority of music player owners unable
to control their devices whilst driving.
* HDD navigation systems are being positioned as digital jukeboxes but the goal of efficiently transferring music to and
from the car remains to be solved.


This compilation of two concise reports from SBD analyses the technical options open to vehicle manufacturers for integrating and storing digital music in the car. It identifies the key trends in the consumer electronics market and the steps that vehicle manufacturers can take to bridge the
widening gap between these devices and the car.


The analysis is broken down into two sections:

Part 1 ~ Integrating portable devices (pages 4 - 27)

The integration section of this report analyses the important
connectivity technologies for portable devices in the car. It also considers the consumer electronics market trends, the typical sources of digital music and it concludes with a review of potential solutions to Digital Rights Management (DRM) and usability concerns.

Part 2 ~ Storing music on HDDs (pages 28 – 49)

The storage section of this report identifies the key features of HDD music systems already launched across global markets and the methods adopted for transferring digital music to the car. It summarises the usability issues that remain to be solved and the
innovative solutions for loading music that could become popular in
the future.