After years of blissful silence (or disruptful screaming) in your minivan, thanks to the built-in DVD player that's standard in many models these days, another advancement in technology has popped up to put your children into a further catatonic state. On Thursday DaimlerChrysler announced it was pairing with Sirius Satellite Radio (?) to begin broadcasting limited satellite TV service in its 2008 Dodge and Chrysler minivans.

According to the Associated Press, Sirius will broadcast three kid-friendly channels -- Cartoon Network, The Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. This deal will be exclusive between Sirius and the automotive company until next year (or until Sirius and XM merge, I guess.) After that, the satellite company can sell there wares to other organizations. This little addition doesn't come free, however. An extra $500 will be added to the cost of the vehicle for this service and, after one year, you will need to pay $20 a month for the Sirius radio service and TV channels. In the future more channels may be added to the lineup.

What I don't understand is why Chrysler didn't sign up with someone like DirectTV to provide their service. They certainly could've have made a bit more money in the deal if they could provide 100 channels rather than a measly three. There are people other than children who sit in those rear seats, you know. I guess you could say that the agreement between the two was made in desperate times, as both Chrysler and Sirius are struggling to maintain their market share in today's economy.