The World Airline Entertainment Association's (WAEA) technical committee will turn its attentions to live broadcast satellite service once it completes the specification for the in-flight use of digital versatile disk (DVD) next month.
With several airlines interested in offering passengers live television services, the WAEA is keen to resolve any problems in introducing the service. In particular, the complicated programme licensing issue is a concern for airlines.
A number of suppliers are offering or planning to introduce live television, although many of these developments to date have been based on service in North America only. Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems, formerly Hughes-Avicom International, pioneered the service in 1996 in a one-aircraft trial with Delta Air Lines. Sky Media, in partnership with ARINC, is aiming for service launch next year, while Sextant In-Flight Systems' (formerly B/E Aerospace) LiveTV division has recently secured US start-up JetBlue Airways as launch customer for its broadcast satellite television service.
In addition, the AirTV team, which includes Canadian Marconi and Aerospatiale, aims to launch a global television service using a dedicated satellite network for airlines in 2002. Airshow has been offering a live TV product to corporate aircraft users since 1997.
Meanwhile, the WAEA's DVD specification, which will allow the introduction of DVD in-flight, is expected to be completed for next month's WAEA annual show in Salt Lake City, USA. The DVD working group is to meet later this month to consider the one remaining issue, that of the security protocol for early release content. The in-flight market is usually the first to receive video products after the theatrical release in the USA so DVD programming for in-flight use needs to be protected from unauthorised access or piracy.
Source: Flight International
