People nowadays don’t buy cars just because they want to get to their destinations. They buy cars depending on their tastes and preferences, or their wants and needs. For instance, while a single guy with a need for speed would want to purchase sports cars, a family man would choose a sedan or an SUV.
But the choices go beyond just the type of vehicle, as many customers would select a vehicle depending on the features included. For instance, the Ford F-150 is available with the so-called Max Recline Seats. These seats can lift the rear half of the bottom up to 3.5 inches as the seat reclines back, thereby allowing drivers to take a far more comfortable nap
For this year, the Toyota revealed the GR Corolla features the GR-Four All-Wheel-Drive system, which interestingly is the carmaker’s first sports AWD system in over two decades. With the twist of a dial, the GR Corolla can tweak its front/rear torque distribution to 60:40, 40:60 or 50:50.
Other carmakers unveiled cars with equally quirky and strange features. Perhaps, the BMW 7 Series has the strangest car feature that any carmaker introduced in 2022. After all, this feature – the panoramic BMW Theatre Screen — transforms the rear cabin of the luxury vehicle into a cinema on the go.
Strangely Huge For A Rear-Seat Screen Display
Vehicle screen displays are nothing new. Ever since digital infotainment systems became a norm in the 2010s, screen displays have become a vital part of them. At first, the screens were small, displaying only the most vital information that the user had accessed.
But as infotainment systems got more complex and complicated, there was a need for screens that could display more information at the same time. Of course, the driver should be able to view what’s on the screen clearly and legibly. Customers loved this innovation, and were clamoring for larger screens.
Thus, in the more recent years, carmakers are upping the game by introducing larger screen and even placing extra displays on the back of the seats to give passengers a viewing pleasure while on the go. For instance, the Cadillac Escalade features a 38-inch curved OLED display while Mercedes-Benz with its 56-inch Hyperscreen infotainment display. But while these screens are massive, they don’t provide a wholesome entertainment for those sitting on the rear.
Meanwhile, rear-seat screens aren’t now and have been in existence since the 1990s, these are usually small displays fastened on seatbacks or removable tablets. BMW, however, strangely veered away from its rivals and created a massive screen display solely for the theatrical benefit of rear passengers. While the cockpit of the newly unveiled 7 Series and i7 still has its own displays for the gauge cluster and infotainment display, the rear cabin has the BMW Theater Screen to enjoy.
A Massive Display With 8K Resolution
The BMW Theater Screen is essentially an ultra-wide panorama display that measures 31.13 inches in diagonal. The screen spans a good portion of the car’s width and hangs from the headliner. BMW has the massive screen suspended overhead; folding it flat on the roof when not in use. A sophisticated rotary movement on two articulated rails at the sides effects the deployment of the screen, until it reaches the backrests of the front seats.
Interestingly, the BMW Theater Screen comes with a very high 8k display resolution (about 8000 × 2000 pixels per screen column) for extremely detailed visual experience when watching films or show in ultra HD quality. The screen can play or show contents in 16:9, 21:9 or 32:9 aspect ratios using its zoom function. The Theater Screen, however, may crop the content while zoomed, or display thick black bars on the sides, simply because most films and shows aren’t available in 32:9 ratio.
A user can control the screens in various ways. To adjust the tilt of the display, one just has to use the control menu on the in-car entertainment system. The Theater Screen is essentially a touchscreen display that rear-seat viewers can use to adjust the modes, resolution, volume, and more. However, doing the adjustments on the massive from the seats seemed impractical, so BMW also integrated extra touchscreens on the door handles to serve as an additional control panel.
My Mode Theater Transforms Cabin To A Cinema
BMW ensures that the rear passengers can get most of the viewing experience with various extras included in the My Mode Theater. For a more articulate viewing, the carmaker integrated a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System for a high-end sound experience.
Amazon Fire TV will provide the content and technology, allowing users to access various streaming services for watching movies and TV episodes and listening to music. The BMW 7 Series and new all-electric i7 sedan are the first vehicles with integrated Amazon Fire TV, which allows them to support content in 4K through their built-in 5G connection.
Once the passengers activate My Mode Theater, the BMW Theater Screen deploys and at the same time, the roller sun-blinds for the side windows, the rear window closes and the ambient lighting in the rear cabin dims. This sequence results in an immersive theatrical viewing experience.
Source: BMW