Airline Inflight Entertainment and Communications (IFE) Industry Fact Sheet ( Edigital mention )

(updated 23 Feb. 2007)

http://www.waea.org/Press/Latesttrends.pdf

Airline Inflight Entertainment and Communications (IFE) Industry Fact Sheet

(updated 23 Feb. 2007)

Current/Emerging High-End Inflight Technologies:

• Personal “Distributed” Video:

at-seat individual monitors (located in seat-back or arm-rest) that offer dozens of audio and video

channels distributed on a pre-established cycle to all passengers from a central system; quickly becoming the standard on long-haul

aircraft. Manufacturers of this equipment include: Panasonic Avionics Corp., Rockwell Collins, Thales Avionics Inc.

• Audio/Video-On-Demand (AVOD):

a wide selection of digitally stored audio, video, and interactive (web-based) content that

passengers may independently "order up" at any time (as opposed to “Distributed Video,” which provides a pre-established

cycle/schedule of programs) from their personal video monitors; passengers may also stop, start, pause, rewind programming and

access other interactive features. Touch-screens and/or handsets lets passengers navigate “menus” and choose from a variety of

features and content including feature films, TV programming, children’s, sport, news, documentaries, destination information, flight

schedules as well as video-games, web-based content, music play-list creation, and more. AVOD is beginning to become the standard

in premium cabins (first/business-class) on long-haul aircraft. Equipment manufacturers include: Panasonic Avionics Corp., Rockwell

Collins, Thales Avionics Inc., Delta Belta In-Flight, Inc., Lumexis Corp., Phantom Media.

•Airlines Offering AVOD on Long -Haul Aircraft

(not an official list; AVOD not necessarily offered on entire fleet;

typically offered only in premium cabins): Air Canada, Air China, Air Europa, Air France, Air India, Air Mauritius (Dec.

’06), Air New Zealand, Alitalia, American Airlines (mid ’07), ANA, Austrian Airlines, British Airways (installations in

progress), Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, EgyptAir, Emirates, Etihad

Airways, EVA Air, First Choice Airways, Icelandair (late 2007), Jazz, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways India, Kenya Airlines,

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, LAN, Lion Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Philippine Airlines,

Qantas Airways, Qatar Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Jordanian Airlines, SAS, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Singapore

Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines (planned for Q4 ’07), US

Airways, VARIG Brazilian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways. Some airlines offer AVOD cabinwide on some or all of their

fleet (Air Canada, Air India, Air New Zealand, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, EVA Air, Jet Airways India, Korean Air, LAN,

Malaysia Airlines, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, Thai Airways, US

Airways).

• Inflight Satellite TV:

real-time and/or live audio/video programming fed directly to the aircraft via satellite; passengers may

independently access 24 or more channels of digital-quality audio/video (similar to, or identical to, the programming they receive via

home satellite dishes).

• In April 2000, New York-based JetBlue Airways launched in service with 24 channels using DirecTV Satellite service (now

36 channels). Frontier Airlines was the second airline (in 2003) to offer this service cabinwide on its 17-aircraft Airbus fleet.

Song—Delta Air Line’s low-cost carrier—began offering 24 channels of DISH Network programming (through Echostar) in

October 2003. WestJet (Canada) launched its satellite TV service on 4 July 2004, using Bell ExpressVu, Canada’s direct-tohome

satellite television service. Virgin Blue introduced 24 channels of live TV in August 2006.

• Qatar Airways (in Aug. ’06) began providing eight channels of live broadcast television, via the Rockwell Collins

“Tailwind 560” multi-regional satellite TV system.

• Singapore Airlines in July 2005 introduced four channels of live television (BBC World, EuroNews, Eurosports, CNBC) on

international flights via an inflight broadband connection (using the Connexion By Boeing system) wirelessly to passengers’

notebook computers. JAL, Lufthansa, and El Al Israel launched this live TV service early in 2006.

• Panasonic Avionics Corp. announced that it will offer international direct broadcast satellite (DBS) television service,

available later in 2006.

• Inflight SMS:

passengers may send/receive e-mail and SMS (which is forwarded/received periodically or instantly via an air-toground

or satellite link to the Worldwide Web).

• Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Lauda Air, Austrian Airlines, Qantas Airways, China Airlines,

Malaysia Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, KLM, Iberia Lineas Aereas De Espana, EVA Airways.

• Inflight ‘Real-Time’ Internet/E-mail Access:

using passenger’s notebook computer or an installed interface, the passenger may

directly access the Worldwide Web and send/receive e-mail, all in real-time, via an air-to-ground or satellite link to the Worldwide

Web. Currently this service is offered in revenue service through Connexion By Boeing (CBB); however, Boeing announced that CBB

will be discontinued by the end of 2006. Companies offering or developing service include: OnAir (Airbus, SITA, Tenzing

Communications), AeroMobile, AirCell, Inc., AirTV, ARINC Inc., ASiQ Pty., Delta Beta In-Flight, Inc., LiveTV, LLC, Panasonic

Avionics Corp., Starling Advanced Communications, Thales Avionics Inc.

-- more on reverse --

• On 17 May 2004, Lufthansa German Airlines launched the Connexion By Boeing real-time, wireless-based high-speed

Internet connectivity service on an A340-300 flying the Munich-to-Los Angeles route. Other Airlines that have installed the

Connexion By Boeing service: All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, El Al Israel Airlines, Etihad Airways,

Japan Airlines, Korean Air, SAS, and Singapore Airlines.

• On 17 August 2006, Boeing announced it would discontinue the Connexion By Boeing service by end of 2006.

• OnAir, AirCell, and Aeromobile have announced that their Internet connectivity solutions will be in service in 2007-08.

• Handheld Audio/Video-On-Demand (AVOD) Units:

portable, individual, hand-held digital audio-video units offered to

passengers; content is stored and played back on-demand from the unit’s hard drive. 15-30 or more full-length films, extensive shortsubject

programming, 100 music albums, digital newspapers, text news bulletins, e-books, video games, and more. Manufacturers and

Airlines in use include:

• Wencor “digEplayer”: Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, CanJet, KLM, Aeroflot, North American Airlines, Monarch,

SilkAir, Independence Air, Midwest Airlines, Pacific Blue, Pakistan International Airlines, Jetstar, Icelandair, MaxJet

Airways, Martinair, L’Avion, and others

• IMS “Personal Entertainment Appliance”: American Airlines, VARIG Brazilian, Jet Airways, Harmony Airways, Air

Sahara, EOS Airlines, SonAir

• Panasonic Avionics Corp: “eXpress Portable Media Player”; launch customer is All Nippon Airways (late March 2007)

• eDigital Corp. “eVU Mobile Entertainment Device”

• Airvod Entertainment “MACH5”

• Phantom Media “bluebox lite”; launch customer is bmi

• Inflight Satellite Radio:

XM Satellite Radio offered on: AirTran, JetBlue Airways, Air Canada, United Airlines (trial service)

• Other Premium-Cabin IFE Features:

Video games (often also featured cabinwide; multiplayer games), inseat power, noise-cancelling headsets, dolby headphone sound,

larger PTV screen-size (up to 19-inch or larger); flat-plasma monitors for main -screen video; portable DVD-players + library of films;

view from externally mounted came ras; ‘graphical’ map showing aircraft’s progress on flight route, air-speed, distance/time to

destination, etc.

Trends in Development

• Inflight Cell-Phone Use:

service and technology that enables passengers to use their personal cell-phones and PDAs (both voice and

text/data functions) while inflight; onboard technology limits cell-phone signals to eliminate possible interference both with the wider

ground cellular network and with cabin electronics. Companies offering or developing service include: AeroMobile, AirCell, OnAir,

Altobridge, ASiQ Pty Ltd., LiveTV LLC, QUALCOMM, Starling Advanced Communications.

· In June of 2006, AirCell was the winning-bidder (in the FCC Auction) for three of the four MHz of air-to-ground radio

spectrum (allocated for inflight voice/data). LiveTV, LLC won the remaining one MHz.

· In June ‘06, Verizon announced it would close its commercial inflight seat-back telephone service before the end of 2006.

· Aeromobile expects to launch in 2007: Qantas Airways (domestic trial: data only), Emirates (voice and data).

· AirCell expects to launch passenger inflight air-to-ground data connectivity in North America in Q1 2008.

· OnAir expects to launch passenger inflight air-to-ground voice/data communications/connectivity in Europe in 2007.

· ASiQ expects to make its hardware platform available in 2007.

Innovative Programming

•Blockbuster films, classic films, sporting events, news, nature/documentary, comedies, children's programming,

educational/instructional programming, music videos

•Made-for-TV/Made-for-Cable programming, syndicated television series, locally-produced regional “route-specific” programs

•"Video Magazines" incorporating short subjects, news, documentaries, sports, informational/instructional programs—often produced

and “branded” specifically for the airline

•Live/near live daily news (delivered/uploaded to aircraft via satellite) from major news outlets

•Language lessons (interactive video/audio)

•Route-specific programming (local news, music, sports, etc.), multiple -language channels

•Destination city guides; local current event calendars

•Inflight Audio: Region-specific music channels; featured recording artists, new albums, interviews; featured music genres; comedy;

news/current affairs; destination information; business information/interviews.

Inflight Editing Standards

Varies somewhat by airline and by region, but generally inflight editing standards (for main-screen exhibition) are similar to, but more

conservative than TV-editing standards. No airline crash scenes or references to airline disasters; careful about terrorism or references

to terrorism; no nudity/sex scenes (U.S./Asia more conservative than Europe); no profanity; no images of/references to other airlines;

no racist comments or denigrating references to culture, religion, or nationality; careful about violence and bloodshed (U.S./Asia less

sensitive than Europe); careful about references to guns, drug abuse, physical abuse. Most ideal inflight film genres: comedy,

romantic -comedy, light adventure.

# # #