Once upon a time it was the VIPs who pushed the boundaries of cabin entertainment. But now a system designed for the lighter end of the market is now setting the standard for video quality and passenger-friendliness, writes Brendan Gallagher.
Individual in-seat screens, high-definition (HD) video, 3D moving maps and iPod docking stations – that’ll be that ultra-luxurious converted airliner out in the static park, won’t it?
Actually, no. It’s the Cessna Citation CJ4 light jet, which from 2010 will come as standard with one of the most capable cabin networks installed in any aircraft of any size.
This is Rockwell Collins’ Venue, which breaks new ground in several ways. “This level of functionality is unprecedented in a light jet,” says Andrew Mohr, the company’s director of cabin systems marketing. “So too are the facts that it’s baseline equipment on the aircraft, and that it’s the first HD-capable system to be selected by a business jet manufacturer.”
Venue is designed as a home theatre for the bizjet cabin. Its hub is the Media Centre, a compact device bringing together a blu-ray DVD player, CD and MP3 players, an audio and video jukebox, Airshow 3D moving-map, games, and a USB port allowing passengers to load their own content on to the system. iPod and iPhone integration means that Apple’s iconic devices can also act as content sources. And everything is delivered to the seat via crystal-clear 1080p-standard high-definition screens.
Venue was unveiled last year, with Cessna announcing its selection for the CJ4. “All system components will have black-label status by the end of this year,” says Mohr. “And first deliveries will be aboard new CJ4s when the aircraft enters service in 2010. Each aircraft will come with the Media Centre, two in-seat screens, provision for extra plug-in screens, and our new organic LED programmable switch panel for system control.
“Customer reaction has been great,” says Mohr. “At last year’s NBAA a number of people with CJ4s on order visited our booth and became very enthusiastic about the Media Centre.”
In developing Media Centre, Rockwell Collins was inspired by the recent torrent of changes in the consumer electronics world. “Individual DVD players and audio players and the like have all been done,” says Mohr. “So we set out to consolidate all the emerging entertainment functions in a single compact unit. With its ability to serve up high-quality video and audio, photo-sharing, games and an integrated moving-map, the Media Centre is a home run in terms of what the market wants.”
Another thing the corporate/VIP market now clearly wants is inflight broadband data connectivity, and the company has been busy there too. Following an agreement finalised at the end of last year, Rockwell Collins is marketing the eXchange satcoms equipment package, designed to deliver up to 2.5Mbit/sec to the aircraft via partner ARINC’s SKYLink Ku-band satellite network.
About 75 aircraft – mainly Gulfstreams, along with a Citation X and a Boeing BBJ – are equipped for SKYLink service, with another 45 shipsets on order, Mohr says.
“That represents a growth of around 60 per cent over the past 12 months. We’re also talking to other business jet manufacturers about making eXchange hardware an option, as Gulfstream has done.” SKYLink coverage is currently available in the USA, the North Atlantic routes and Europe, with the Caribbean and parts of South and Central America due to be added soon.
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Source: Flight Daily News
