Mercedes-Benz intros SPLITVIEW COMMAND system

It's hardly the first example of the technology -- we saw a very similar system from Delphi in action at CES last year -- but Mercedes-Benz's new SPLITVIEW COMMAND system appears to be one of the first instances of it being used in a production vehicle, and that certainly counts for something. From the looks of it, the system is very similar to the Delphi one, with the 8-inch display able to let the driver keep an eye on the GPS while the passenger simultaneously watches a DVD or something equally distracting on the very same screen. That's done with the use of a special filter that masks the display and only lets the proper pixels slip into view depending on where you are seated. No word on what sort of premium the system will demand, if any, but it'll apparently be available on all S-Class models starting in the summer of 2009.

[Thanks, Ashley]

[Nik @ Dec 10th 2008 8:27PM]

I'll take two please.

[austin @ Dec 10th 2008 8:58PM]

by two do you mean one?

[Johan S @ Dec 10th 2008 8:27PM]

If they can pull this off without an annoying ghosting effect that's pretty cool.

[Ian Whelan (JOIN BAND!) @ Dec 10th 2008 8:28PM]

I'd wait this one out a little while, maybe a generation or two, or until I can even fathom affording one.

[Flashpoint @ Dec 10th 2008 8:39PM]

I swear, every single Benz with this in it better roll off the lot with Distronic Plus.
Otherwise, the most spectacular car accidents in human history will be the result.


(for those of you who don't know, Distronic Plus is an adaptive cruise control which allows the car to bring itself to a complete stop if the next driver does}

[zioncat @ Dec 10th 2008 8:57PM]

Damn I took a nap and woke up and now the future is here.

[MM @ Dec 11th 2008 2:37AM]

Do you think you can concentrate driving while your passenger is watching "Kill Bill", on 5.1 dolby surround?

[PaNiD @ Dec 11th 2008 3:41AM]

sweet now i can watch porn while im driving and my gf can read off the gps map for me

[CHRISMORRIS528 @ Apr 16th 2009 5:07AM]

I have a question.......... what the hell will the passenger in the middle see?

A bit of both?

[josh @ Dec 10th 2008 8:28PM]

they could just use an old laptop screen to make it impossible to see from a certain angle.....

[ducky @ Dec 10th 2008 8:31PM]

The intent is not just to black stuff out for one of the passengers, but to allow two separate feeds to come from a single screen.

[zioncat @ Dec 10th 2008 9:15PM]

Sorry I had to post again, I have a hard enough time trying to drive and use my cell phone. If I could afford this I wouldn't live long enough to make it to work on time not to mention alive.

[Peter @ Dec 10th 2008 8:28PM]

It'll probably be cheaper just to have two screens, but I guess it's more space-saving this way.

[Ian Whelan (JOIN BAND!) @ Dec 10th 2008 8:51PM]

If you're buying an S-Class, then you probably don't need to worry about cost.

[Ian Whelan (JOIN BAND!) @ Dec 11th 2008 1:10AM]

Oh, I forgot. Join Band. That is all.

[Auari @ Dec 10th 2008 8:30PM]

Why not just listen to the radio or talk to each other and save 5k or more

[MARSHAK @ Dec 10th 2008 10:21PM]

because i married him for money, not because i actually like him.

[Mossy42 @ Dec 12th 2008 11:32AM]

Actually, there IS such thing as an SLK-500, its branded under Mercedes-McClaren, and its part of the SLK series. Its quite a stylish car :)

[mrbill @ Dec 10th 2008 8:45PM]

Why.....!

DVD should be an arrestable offense in the front.

I propose the front dash be canted and turned toward the face of the driver with nobs all within arms radius. No center stack facing the passenger or the center. The Passenger is just that.....a passenger.

All electronic or luminescent gauges be banned. They burn out and are expensive to replace.

All gauges will have large 5 inch diameter faces in WHITE with bright RED indicator needles and black lettering/numbers. (think Auto-Meter here)

All gauges and devices are removable and replaceable from the FRONT

[Peter @ Dec 10th 2008 8:51PM]

Might as well have only one exterior paint colour, and limit car speeds at 100 km/h, and ban car radios because they're too distracting.

[nsdcx @ Dec 10th 2008 8:56PM]

Most lighting on the gauges is done from behind, so black numbers isn't viable. Making the dash and gauges entirely removable from the front will make your car a perfect target for thieves.

I disagree with the driver-facing dash for multiple reasons.

1. The driver should be focusing on the road. Giving only the driver control of things like radio would possibly cause the driver to take his/her eyes off the road instead of saying, "Can you change the station for me?"

2. Plenty of vehicles these days have dual climate controls. Orienting the dash towards the driver would impair the passengers ability to adjust their climate controls.

3. Style. While this is a matter of opinion, I believe that driver-facing dashes are extremely ugly. I was test driving a Pontiac Grand Am 2 years ago, and all I can remember about the car was the ugly driver-facing dash. It threw off the continuity and symmetry of the entire interior.

[GETYOID @ Dec 10th 2008 9:09PM]

You got my vote. I've called the cops on many of these jackass kids and their home-grown front-dash DVD players. They THINK others dont notice? I've seen them fold down from the sun visor too. Idiots.

They need to focus on making cars get better mileage. You shouldnt be SO comfortable while driving. Its no wonder we have so many accidents.

[mvp @ Dec 10th 2008 9:45PM]

Yea since so many "kids" drive an s-class mercedes-benz...

[bodomite @ Dec 10th 2008 11:25PM]

I don't know where you live, but i live in Potomac, MD. Every kid at the highschool here drives either a Lexus, BMW, or a Mercedes Benz. You'd be surprised, there are a ridiculous amount of parents that will spend whatever on their kids. The kids are fucking retards and drunk drive all the time, actually last year we had a senior from the high school die in an accident, driving a Mercedes SLK-500, the driver was on ecstasy. Where I am from (suburbs of DC, lots of politicians and fortune 500 owners), teenagers driving a mercedes isn't only normal, it's expected. Disgusting.

[Ian Whelan (JOIN BAND!) @ Dec 11th 2008 1:22AM]

One exterior paint color? Fuck that! We should be all driving the same boring car! That way, we wouldn't get distracted from other people's cars, and automotive styling wouldn't attract our attention whatsoever!

[Davin Black @ Dec 11th 2008 1:18PM]

@mrbill: Take a deep breath...good. Now pay attention to everything Nsdcx said.

@ Bodomite: Mercedes-Benz's target demographic aren't a bunch of kids, so they're not about to change their design logic to accommodate such a small demographic. I live in Bethesda, and understand what you're talking about, but stupid kids will be stupid no matter what they're driving. Anyone who has the same sense of "responsibility" as that kid who died driving an SL(don't know where the K came from)500 shouldn't be driving, period; whether he's driving a high-performance vehicle or a Nissan Sentra is irrelevant. I sure as hell don't want my car lacking of technology because of the stupid few.

[craig @ Dec 11th 2008 10:06AM]

@ bodomite:

Theres no such thing as an SLK-500. Do some research to find out what your lying about.

[Derek @ Dec 10th 2008 8:46PM]

I can't wait to put this in my HYUNDAI :P

[Lowest Ranked @ Dec 10th 2008 11:20PM]

Please God, no.

[qq99 @ Dec 11th 2008 11:14AM]

Hyundai has been putting these in local (Korean) cars for a while apparently...

The Grandeur (Azera) to be exact.

http://www.desinformado.com/index.php/2008/02/20/hyundai-motor-applies-in-car-dual-display-monitor-to-grandeur/

[bi0hazard @ Dec 10th 2008 8:47PM]

Interesting, but what if you're sitting in the back seat and look directly at the screen? Do you see the GPS with the left eye and the DVD with the right? Thats what i call multitasking.

[Valicore @ Dec 10th 2008 8:51PM]

That's what I call a migraine.

[Jon Nelson @ Dec 11th 2008 1:34AM]

That's what I call the kid in the middle seat getting screwed again.

[Kris @ Dec 11th 2008 3:22AM]

Mercedes Ben (Not Daimler-Benz) is part of the parent company Daimler. As is Jeep, Mitsubishi, Smart, Maybach etc...

[Ahmed Alzayani @ Dec 11th 2008 4:12AM]

see this video from 0:17 to 0:18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AuC5-vlqb0

[Al Bundy @ Dec 10th 2008 8:52PM]

not worth wasting money on a Chrysler. definitely worth it on BMW.

[austin @ Dec 10th 2008 9:01PM]

mercedes and chyrsler are no longer affiliated.

but really good try.

[letstakeawalk @ Dec 10th 2008 9:59PM]

Mercedes (rather Daimler-Benz) still owns about 20% of Chrysler.

[CT A @ Dec 10th 2008 10:54PM]

Owning 20% doesn't make them affiliated.

[Davin Black @ Dec 11th 2008 8:32AM]

@Bundy: Mercedes and BMW are analagous in terms of quality - which, really, isn't all that high with the amount of computers doing the actual driving in each car. One's more comfort-oriented and the other is more performance oriented, but neither is more valuable than the other.

@CT A: They're sorta affiliated, but it's in the opposite direction than what Bundy was implying. Chrysler would borrow from the Mercedes parts bin (i.e. the SLK engine in the Crossfire, hardtop convertible technology, etc), but Mercedes was never influenced by anything seen in a Chrysler.

[Adrian @ Dec 10th 2008 10:07PM]

From the idiot behaviour that I see every day as soon as people get behind the wheel, all I can say is that we'll see endless cases of the driver leaning across the car to sneak a peak at what's on the movie.

Its a car, a potential lethal vehicle that requires skill and attention to drive safely. A car is not a mobile phone booth, a makeup room, a reading room, a meeting room or any of the other variations that seem to be used for.

[Davin Black @ Dec 11th 2008 1:19PM]

LOL what? In that case, no front passenger should travel with a laptop or portable DVD player, because of all the cases of accidents caused by the driver leaning over to sneak a peak...

It would be inherently more difficult for the driver to "sneak a peak" in this set-up, so I don't understand your concern.

[Kamokazi @ Dec 10th 2008 8:54PM]

All that technology, and a stupid analog clock right below it.

[Dinesh @ Dec 10th 2008 8:58PM]

The analog clock gives a nice "elegant feel" to it. I love it, rather that there than having to squint and look at the tiny digital one in the corner of the display.

[Arun @ Dec 10th 2008 8:56PM]

wonder what the backseat passenger would see!

[Game_playa @ Dec 10th 2008 8:59PM]

The logo from the Legend of Zelda Series

[Eruh @ Dec 10th 2008 9:07PM]

The future!

[Ian Whelan (JOIN BAND!) @ Dec 11th 2008 1:23AM]

They would see what happens when you accidentally reverse the bits on a Denon Link cable. Aieeeee! All the blood! It hurts my mind just to think of it!

[Shinigami @ Dec 11th 2008 5:09AM]

Passenger on the back seat doesn't see either of two pictures. He/she is the only one who can scream "STOP!!!" out loud when its necessary. If you distract the backseat passenger with something too, we're all doomed.

[GETYOID @ Dec 10th 2008 9:05PM]

There is absolutely no need for this crap. Drivers need to be driving. Passengers need to be paying attention to the road. Another distraction for our idiot drivers these days. As if coffee, makeup, eating, newspapers, cellphones, brat kids and so forth werent enough -- they added GPS and now front seat movies. Nice. Fucking nice. Out wonderful distracted drivers should be allowed to sleep - whats the difference.