Rockwell Collins has launch orders to equip 25 aircraft plus 40 retrofit options from two unidentified airlines for its new eTES (enhanced Total Entertainment System) in-flight entertainment (IFE) system.
The system combines the hardware of Rockwell's TES and the Microsoft Windows-based software platform of the P@ssport IFE system, which Rockwell inherited when it acquired the former Sony Trans Com IFE supplier last year (Flight International, 4-10 September).
Rockwell declines to reveal the identity of its eTES launch customers, but the IFE orders are believed to be part of wider cabin upgrade programmes.
Rockwell's eTES is expected to be flying with the first customer in early 2003 following deliveries to seat manufacturers for installation in mid-2002, says Graham Macdonald, vice-president of marketing and strategic management at Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems.
The eTES is being developed to meet airline connectivity needs, supporting e-mail and internet services, including Tenzing and Connexion by Boeing, and providing full audio- and video-on-demand (A/VOD).
An eTES prototype has been tested for 660 simultaneous users, says Macdonald, adding that Rockwell is in discussions with Airbus to ensure the system is compatible with the A380.
The launch of eTES comes as Rockwell says it has stabilised the performance of the TES, conceding that it has struggled to achieve reliable performance of the system.
"[Reliability of TES] is still not as we would like to see it, but it is improving on a monthly basis," says Macdonald, adding that the manufacturer is meeting its contractual guarantees with airline customers, with the combined reliability figure now at 98.6%.
Source: Flight International
