November 24, 2006 – THE ranks of handheld IFE providers with operational product were swelled yesterday when UK-based Mezzo Movies anounced that British low-cost carrier Jet2 had introduced its turnkey service following a trial earlier this year.

Branded the “Mezzo Player,” the handheld unit now being offered in limited numbers on selected Jet2 medium-haul flights is in fact the eVU from e.Digital. The Californian company is thus the fourth handheld IFE supplier, following digEcor, IMS and Panasonic, to see its hardware enter commercial service with an airline.

The Jet2 decision marks a breakthrough for Mezzo, which has been promoting its retail-driven concept of turnkey IFE services to potential customers for a couple of years. The company carried out trials with easyJet based on the now discontinued Astronics YES! tablet PC unit last year and has since chosen e.Digital to provide the equipment element of its service, which also includes content acquisition and management and daily onboard operations.

Established in 2002, Jet2 is based at Leeds Bradford Airport and has additional bases at Manchester, Belfast, Blackpool, Edinburgh and Newcastle. It operates a fleet of 21 Boeing 737-300s and five 757-200s to 38 holiday destinations across Europe.

The airline is offering the player with headset for hire at £5 per flight; passengers wishing to share may buy a second headset for £2. Programming for adults includes hit British television shows such as Little Britain, Planet Earth, Dr Who, You Are What You Eat and Top Gear. For children there are old favourites such as Postman Pat and Basil Brush. Music comprises over 50 music videos and a hundred CDs.

With the eVU player, introduced earlier this year, e.Digital is striving to maintain a presence in inflight entertainment following the cancellation of a supply contract from handheld market leader digEcor at the beginning of the year. The relationship came to an end when e.Digital failed to deliver to Utah-based digEcor an order for 1,250 first-generation digEplayers entrusted to Korean contract manufacturer Maycom.

e.Digital says that the order has since been fulfilled. In the meantime, however, the development of eVU has prompted a messy legal battle, with digEcor alleging breach of a non-compete agreement with e.Digital and the latter counter-suing for patent infringement.