DirecTV is now offering the same experience in vehicles as is offered in homes: live local news, weather, traffic, sports and other programming. Mobile customers with vehicles that have been equipped with a TracVision A7 mobile satellite TV system (launched today by KVH) can now receive the same local programming they get at home (which varies by market).

DirecTV Total Choice Mobile, launched back in August of 2004, is still the only satellite TV package created for use in cars, and delivers over 185 channels of DirecTV programming - plus live satellite radio via DTV's partnership with XM Satellite Radio.

While a cool idea - the $2,995 pricetag (which doesn't include the $45/month subscription cost), plus the enormous size of that disc, will prevent this thing from landing on Joe Sixpack's roof anytime soon. 

[Press Release via TRN] 

In today's conference call, SIRIUS Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin provided some color on the much discussed mobile video initiative. SIRIUS has talked about providing video to automobiles for quite some time now, as far back as Jan 2004 where they promised video by mid-2005.

"We are close to signing deals to offer the best video programming for kids as part of our OEM offering in the second half of the year," said Mel Karmazin at the conference call.

This is a more aggressive timeline than previously indicated back in April 2006, when SIRIUS' Senior VP Bob Law stated that SIRIUS will unveil the satellite video technology at January's CES and launch shortly afterwards.