September 15, 2007 – JUST when the industry thought it was safe to think of no more than three or four handheld IFE providers, another one has poked a fin out of the water.

San Diego-based WiseDV, founded last year to specialise in wireless viewing terminals, broadcast equipment and related systems for use in closed environments, has announced a new handheld IFE offering called ALvis. It’s said to combine a compact player with a cabin wireless network for content loading.

With storage for eight films plus music, information and games, the device has an eight-hour battery and a 4.3in screen. A more capable version, ALvis Plus, is designed to accommodate inputs from other aircraft equipment, including air-to-ground communications and aircraft-mounted video cameras.

On-aircraft infrastructure comprises a content server, the wireless network, a battery charger and a portable device for the management of player rentals.

WiseDV is due to present ALvis at the WAEA show in Toronto next week – plenty of nervous but curious bathers are expected to paddle by.

Meantime, original market leader digEcor has moved to bolster a flagging sales and marketing effort with two new appointments. Thor Christiansen has been named as VP sales and Bill Kendrick as director of North American airline sales.
Christiansen brings to Utah-based digEcor 18 years of international sales, marketing and business development experience in the computer industry. He has held a variety of executive positions with companies such as Microsoft training provider Certiport, where he was responsible for building worldwide sales channels, and server software supplier the SCO Group, where he served as director of strategic alliances.

Kendrick is re-entering the IFE industry after four years at Atlantic Southeast Airlines as a publications manager in flight operations. He began his career with Delta Airlines in 1980, going on to manage the airline’s IFE and telephone systems. He joined Matsushita (now Panasonic) Avionics as sales and marketing manager in 1994, moving in 1997 to work as a national accounts manager with the former GTE Airfone. In 2001 he joined VT Miltope as director of commercial aviation sales and business development.