Ultimate RSE (Rear Seat Entertainment) Setup!

[AirRocker]

Hey guys! I’m a long time reader, but just officially joined the forum. We just traded in our 2016 Denali for a 2021 Denali. Since I received a few tips and inspiration from this thread, I wanted to put this together to hopefully help some other folks.

I’ll attach a few pics of our setup, explain it a bit, and link everything down below.

We have a Roku Express HD plugged into HDMI 1. I mounted this to the driver side of the console with double-sided sticky pads. It is low profile enough that it doesn’t seem to interfere with the seat at all. I went with this side because the older kid who will be operating the remote sits behind the driver. We signed up for the unlimited data plan for the in-vehicle WiFi for $15/month through Onstar/AT&T. It works great for the Roku and even an additional iPad connected to it at the same time, even in our small town. With the Roku, the kids can stream shows on Disney Now, Disney +, PBS Kids, Nick Jr., Netflix, Prime, etc. And the quality is great.

I also have a 500GB Sandisk SSD plugged into a USB-C port. I have about ~25 movies on the drive that can be viewed on either screen. The drive is formatted NTFS and works great. I used another sticky pad to stash it above the power plug, but it can also be held in place by the door for the plug.

We weren't really impacted by the removal of the DVD/Bluray drive. The only downside I have found so far is that you can no longer watch the RSE on the front screen when the vehicle is in park. We used that a good bit and are pretty disappointed.

Here is my part’s list:

Roku Express HD - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WVFCVJN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Roku power cable - 12” Right angle micro USB to right angle USB A - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K4HTBSM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Roku HDMI cable - 1.5’ Right angle to right angle - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07332ZBXV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sandisk 500GB SSD - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078SWJ3CF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

USB-C Cable for Sandisk - 8” right angle USB-C to right angle USB-C - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SN9DJ5G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

USB C to Lighting Cable for backseat iPad charging - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V31TX7B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Double-sided sticky pads - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QTR2CF1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hope this help! Sure keeps the kiddos happy & entertained! Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer!

 

[Vannmccullar]

Looks great!

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[Vannmccullar]

I'm not sure about the Roku, but the chromecast we use can be powered by the usb-c port. You may want to try it with the Roku.

If you use the usb-c port for power you don't have to worry about the auto start/stop cutting power to the 110 plug.

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[Eplion1]

Sweet setup!


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[Dpm7471]

I pick up my new Denali today and I’m excited. It has the RSE and I hope I can make it work.

I haven’t used ROKU before, but have been using fire stick/amazon at home. I plan on trying my fire stick in the Denali today for the first time. I’m not totally up to date, but isn’t ROKU the competitor to the fire stick?

BTW, I assume ROKU has a monthly fee?

 

[Bigmanny]

No monthly and supports amazon

 

[Alex Gales]

I'm not sure about the Roku, but the chromecast we use can be powered by the usb-c port. You may want to try it with the Roku.

If you use the usb-c port for power you don't have to worry about the auto start/stop cutting power to the 110 plug.

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That's a great point! I would get my grandson all set up and rolling only to have the power blip at the first stoplight.

 

[PauliePucks]

Again, it just blows my mind that GM is basically forcing you to buy the LTE hotspot for any operability that is worthwhile.

I’ve posted numerous gripes on the RSE, the overall lack of Apple support for airplay is my biggest, but also the placement of the HDMI ports, the power issues with autoshut (I know it can be shut off but...)

Even with all these gripes - the fact that GM didn’t integrate some native OS that allowed apps to run natively and independently on these screens is just absurd.

By the end of the year there are going to be many of us 21 owners with RSE that will have HDMI ports broken from the kids kicking protruding cables or firesticks or rokus. I just don’t get their execution on this at all, I regret the option as my three younger kids would rather use their iPads than the RSE at this point.

End Rant. LOL

 

[Dpm7471]

Pauliepucks, I have read other threads and posts with similar concerns.

I have posted how I am using the RSE with 2 fire sticks, one on each side for each child to enjoy. It has worked really well without any glitches.

In regards to the auto button that turns off the power port in the back.. it can be frustrating as the driver basically has to remember to turn it off. I learned from a different post that there is a solution to this. Instead of powering your devices from the outlet, use a USB to USB-c to get power from the USB c ports in the back. This will work for Firestick owners as you will not lose power if the truck shuts off at a red light.

I am not sure if this works for ROKU as I don’t know how that hooks up.

I hope this helps some.

BTW, my kids are 12 and 14 and have not had an issue with the cords in the back....yet..

 

[Pdagger]

I have a Roku hooked up to mine. I bought a 90 degree HDMI cable because I could instantly see this was going to be a hazard for a kid breaking it off. With the 90 degree cable it’s low profile and the Roku can now sit inside the center console and also get power from the USB-C port.

It just boggles my mind that GM didn’t plan for this.

I used this cable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07333MM7J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For the hard drive I used an M.2 enclosure with a 2TB drive, which holds plenty of movies in high res.

This is the enclosure I used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0827NHNNY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1