Or you can go down to walmart and buy the same basic setup for $200. And they're removable, in case you want to take a trip in a rental car or on an airplane.

Suck it, dealer-installed profit margins.

You stay classy, Lexus.

What, no connectivity for obsolete Game Boys?

That looks tacky as hell! I would think Lexus would make that look better than a $200 afterthought! Integrate the screens into the headrests or something! Sure the functionality of the units is there but unless those are removable, make them look like they are part of the vehicle!

Where's the Jeeves and Grey Poupon option?

Belted kiddos can't reach the back of the seat in front of them to change DVDs, the players need to be where the front seat passenger can reach them. Plus, that is ugly. Gimme $1000, an eBay account, and a good Saturday and I can top that easy.

Uh. You call that "done right"? That looks terrible. It looks like an afterthought, slapped on as a last resort by parents who have given up. I've seen better installs done with the $149 Future Shop or Walmart "shoulda-bought-the-extended-warranty-cuz-this-sucker's-gonna-break" specials

Want it done right? Fine. Here's what you do. Screen in back of seat. LCDs are cheap now, why fuck around with a 5" screen, get a 9" touch-screen or better. Since when was space at a premium in a luxury car? Hook each screen up to a DVD changer or MyGig hard-drive, or iPod, or whatever you want. Then, from the screen, hit the "source" button, and choose what you want to watch or listen to. Each screen can choose from its own media source, or what their kidly neighbour is watching.

Best of all, all of this equipment can be installed in nice remote, hidden locations. You would then, for a price of about, what, $4000 if you did it yourself, so say $8000 for the OEM, have a system that is integrated, clean, parent-controllable and kid friendly. In addition, most cars have integrated bluetooth. Add in some bluetooth headphones, one for each kiddie, and problem solved. This is software on a level of complexity equivalent to a moderate-to-high-end cellphone. Not rocket science. It's maybe one level of complexity above what's in my car now, and with a couple of good swift kicks, I could probably make mine do what I describe. I just have to read the manual again. Eventually.

DVDs!!! Really the ideal for cars now is PMPs - no jumping media to contend with. The incar market is always SO slow to implement these tech changes. Look how long it took before they started fitting sockets for iPods! and even now the control technology sucks unless you buy a top of the range BMW system! I ripped out my Toyota audio and fitted 1000x better Alpine gear with direct iPod control. No Cds at all. Seems a no-brainer to me!

Better use of $4300:
Buy each kid their own video ipod plus a library of videos.

Best:
Do like mom and dad did when they were kids: Play the licence plate game.

When I was 7 or 8, riding in the back of the car, I honed my reading skills, my map-following abilities, or just generally stared out the window and daydreamed. Sometimes we picked a topic and went through the alphabet, taking turns naming things from the category that began with the next consecutive letter. Until someone was stumped.

I remember seeing ads for the Sony Watchman portable 3" color TV ($900 or so) and thinking how awesome that would be, but even then I knew it would only be fun for a little while.

In closing, what is up with kids today?

Yeah, I'm going to have to side with the craptacular crowd. Next!

I'll mount you two Macbook Air computers on your seatbacks for $4300.

ash78, you are so right! Kids have lost the ability to entertain themselves. It's sad when the only talents they want to develop is to push buttons, and now this LCD (lowest common denominator) mentality has invaded the automotive world. Blame parents for putting their crappy corporate careers over the well-being of their offspring.

Someone I knew 4 or 5 years ago had a GX-whatever (the SUV dealie) with monitors in the headrests and a PS2 tucked under the seat. While it might not have featured independent DVD players, it still looked a hell of a lot better than this. Even the single ceiling-mounted monitor looked better.

I'm going to join the ugly crowd.

Back when I was coming up (starting with my first road trip that I can recall in '79) we had to listen to whatever was on the radio, or maybe the 8-track player was working right. You wanted a movie? better travel at night and catch whatever was playing at the drive-ins. I read a lot, played games with my sisters and my parents, the license plate game, "How far is it" pick some random object far away and see how far it was.

As it is, my Explorer is the road-trip vehicle as it has rear air and radio controls! but you still either suffer in silence if you don't want to listen to what the rear passengers want and they have headphones, or tough out the 50th playing of some unworthy "music".

Ahh the simpler times, now you damn kids get off my lawn!

I don't know how you "execute backseat in-car entertainment," but I don't need no stinkin' DVDs for help!

@JNNRG: Besterest: Do what dad did.
Dad: "IF YOU KIDS DON'T SHUT UP AND BEHAVE, SO HELP ME I'LL BREAK YOUR FU--"
Mom: "HONEY!"
Dad: "Kids, we're going to pull over for a few minutes."

I still don't understand how we all came through our youth without in car entertainment. Will these kids now that there is a place called reality?

What a wonderful thing to see before your head smashes into it.

An even better use of $4300 - buy a good used car that has the new worn off, and teach your dumbass kids to crack open a book, for cryin' out loud.

Playing video games and watching movies in a car is cool. Whether you're 12 or 55.
I think the most hopelessly boring parts of my life were spent in a car as a kid. And I liked reading, but it made me sick.

@ash78: And you'll have a certified unwarranted Wal-Mart piece of crap. And when the pixels start dropping from the screen in 30 days you'll be buying another one.

Yay for Wal-Mart and how they prey on redneck society.

Well for $1395 (and I just googled it up, I don't even know if that's a good price) you can do this:

[www.autobarn.net]

Dual DVD players, one in each headrest. One movie can be watched on both if desired. Headrests are custom for each car, and installation looks pretty trivial. Look is substantially cleaner than the Lexus setup. Oh, and they're available for those Lexus SUVS.

The OEM Lexus setup looks terrible by comparison, and is more than three times the price.