In-flight Entertainment System

In the world of Aircraft Interiors, IFE
and Connectivity go hand in hand with
seats and interiors design, but in its
own right, is a rapidly growing market
segment. In 2010, connectivity will be
a growth business as will be the delivery of in-seat embedded
(portable-based) IFE and associated
in-seat power. This area is probably
the growth area of portable IFE. The manufacturers' holy grail is
Exceptional Reliability combined with
exceptionally low weight. A typical
installation with a high level of
functionality will weigh less than five
pounds per seat even when all cabling, distribution, headend
equipment and kits are accounted for.
That means there will be more capacity
for passengers, cargo and fuel, to
ensure high levels of operational
efficiency. Optimized configurations can be even lower in weight. Seatback units that are not portable,
but stand-alone distributed content
systems (the seat hardware is hard
disk based with content at each seat)
are also in development, using fibre
optics that are already in the aircraft for broadcast solutions like map
features and content updates. Flight Display Systems, the market
leader for retrofit in-flight
entertainment equipment,supplies a
High-Definition (HD) media server that
allows passengers to enjoy an in-flight
digital library of DVDs, CDs, and images.It includes FAA PMA approval. DVD movies viewed over the High-
Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
are enhanced with a proprietary
upscaling system to give crisp, rich
images in 720p and 1080i resolutions.

An aircraft owner could store 100 DVD movies or 500GB of MP3 music. Their
range of products includes Moving
Map displays, LCD monitors from 7- to
42-inches, wireless audio systems,
DVD players, and flight view cameras. Aircell, provider of airborne
communications, is developing a high-
speed Internet system for the business
aviation market. Powered by the
Aircell® Network, the Aircell High
Speed Internet system allows passengers and crews to use their
own Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as
laptops, smartphones and PDAs, to
surf the Web, send and receive in-
flight e-mail with attachments, Instant
Message, access their corporate VPN and much more, all at full mobile
broadband speeds in flight. The Aircell Network utilizes the latest
3G mobile wireless technology,
operating in the U.S. over an advanced
network of ground stations and
Aircell ' s exclusive broadband air-to- ground spectrum. For connecting
passenger devices in the cabin,
customers can choose to install wired
or wireless (Wi-Fi) connections with
their installation. The proprietary Aircell system is a
solution that provides a true high
speed Internet experience that equals
what passengers are accustomed to
on the ground, while being small and
light enough to fit on virtually any business aircraft. It is up to 56 times
faster than a traditional dial-up
connection. In-flight internet benefits airlines. The commercial airline version of the
service - Gogo® Inflight Internet - has
already been selected by airlines
representing more than half of the
North American mainline market.
American Airlines, Virgin America and Delta Air Lines have it, and it is coming
soon to Air Canada, Northwest and
United Airlines. The groundbreaking nature of
Aircell ' s new Inflight Internet services has attracted huge worldwide media
interest. The selling point attracting operators
is that they can tap into more revenue
and passenger loyalty with the top
requested cabin service... true inflight
internet with interactive in-flight
entertainment. By connecting passengers to what they value most,
you can generate new revenue
streams for your airline. Over 65% of business travellers and
one third of all leisure travellers in the
US carry laptops onboard when they
fly. 30% carry Wi-Fi enabled phones
and PDAs. Passengers have always been
prepared to pay for true, reliable in-
flight Internet, followed closely by in-
flight on demand video. 63% of airline
executives believe that charging fees
for services, rather than on a complimentary basis will continue to
grow. We live in a world of rising fuel
prices and dampening yields. Broadband data solutions for
aviation. With a Linux-based operating
environment and standard
connectors, other aircraft components
and avionics can be connected to such
a system. This permits functionality upgrades for
items such as electronic flight bags,
onboard credit card readers and Flight
Recorders.
Generating new revenue streams is
one thing, but reducing operational costs while increasing efficiency
produces eye-watering financial
incentives.