OMAHA, Neb. In recent years, new technologies have been introduced to the motorcoach industry that have vastly increased the number of entertainment options from which operators have to choose.

In-motion satellite dishes, satellite radio, LCD flat-panel monitors, navigation systems, and DVD players are just some of the products introduced.

In fact, DVD players have totally replaced video-cassette players. This is due to cassette tapes becoming more difficult to locate and the increased reliability of DVD players over cassette players.

The new technologies have not only produced new products but also added a new level of flexibility and reliability.

For example, REI has developed a digital MP3 player that provides eight independent channels of audio simultaneously. With this new technology, audio content is recorded onto a compact flash card and inserted into the player.

In addition, REI offers a digital audio/video player that can operate without driver intervention by using GPS coordinates to activate the system. When drivers want to override the automatic GPS feature, REI offers a keypad that can be placed in the driver area.

This system also uses a compact flash card for data storage.

A major advantage of this type of digital technology is the reliability it provides. There are no moving parts to wear over time. In addition, software programs can be designed into digital products making them a universal solution.

They can be used to play safety announcements, provide audio/video for tours, make stop announcements or provide standard video entertainment.

To incorporate these new technologies into a convenient and user friendly solution, REI developed its Elite-model entertainment system, the culmination of REI being the leading supplier of motorcoach entertainment systems for the past 25 years.