Emma Kelly/LONDON
The in-flight entertainment (IFE) industry's wish list just keeps on growing. No sooner have airlines and IFE system and service suppliers implemented a new capability to entertain, than they are eyeing up the next service enhancement.
Not that long ago, audio- and video-on-demand (A/VOD) was the latest IFE fad. Although only a handful of airlines has implemented A/VOD, carriers are targeting the next IFE must-haves, which include, in the short term, the delivery of IFE via digital video disks (DVD), e-mail in the not-too-distant future, and, further ahead, Internet-based services and global live television.
A/VOD took some time to get right. The service provides passengers with complete control of their audio and video entertainment by allowing them to stop, start, rewind and fast-forward video and audio programming. It was pioneered by Swissair in early 1997 on its Boeing 747s and MD-11s.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) followed Swissair to A/VOD in September 1997 with a one-aircraft trial of its Wisemen service on a Boeing 747-400. During the two-year experiment, the technical reliability improved, but did not reach the level required to allow the service to be added to more aircraft. The airline dropped Wisemen late last year and relaunched it in June this year following upgrades to its Matsushita System 2000E hardware and software.
Accelerated programme
In an accelerated retrofit programme, costing $1.3 million per aircraft, SIA aims to offer A/VOD in the first- and business-class cabins on all of its long-haul services by the end of next year. The latest generation of Wisemen offers passengers a choice of 25 film titles, 50 short features and 50 audio CDs. This is in addition to the 21 video channels, 12 stereo audio channels, 10 Nintendo games, news, information and communication services already available as part of the airline's KrisWorld.
Fellow Asian carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) recently added A/VOD - dubbed Select - to its IFE/communications product, also operating off the System 2000E. A/VOD, which is flying on one Boeing 777, will be progressively introduced across the entire 777 and 747-400 fleets. "It's just like having your own personal video and music collection on board," says MAS, with 15 films and 10 CDs available on demand to passengers in first and business class, in addition to the 12 video channels, 18 audio channels, games, information services, a news service updated via satellite, and communication services available throughout the aircraft.
While many airlines are still aiming for A/VOD, others have moved on to DVD, which is set to revolutionise the delivery of IFE. DVD promises improved picture and sound quality and greater capacity and durability, compared with tapes. DVD hardware is also expected to be more reliable, compact and lighter than traditional players.
The IFE industry body - the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) - had hoped to complete its DVD specification, paving the way for its widescale in-flight implementation, by the end of September, in time for its annual conference and exhibition.
The issue of security is holding up the specification's completion, however. DVD programming for in-flight use needs to be protected from unauthorised access or piracy as the in-flight market is usually the first to receive movies after theatrical release in the USA.
Virgin Atlantic Airways has already tested passenger reaction to DVD. The airline conducted a six-week trial of consumer Panasonic L-10 DVD players at the beginning of this year (Flight International, 5-11 May). The units were available in the Upper Class cabin of a 747-400 operating between the UK and the USA. The airline received "fantastic feedback" from passengers, according to Dave Tharp, product development executive.
Waiting for wider choice
But Virgin has decided not to offer DVD-based IFE until the industry specification is completed and there is a wider choice of films available. "We want to go into DVD, but not if our film choice is going to be limited," says Tharp. In all of its IFE developments, Virgin will put programme choice ahead of new technology. "We differentiate ourselves through our programming. We won't follow technology to the detriment of programming choice for our passengers. We want to make sure that, when the technology is there and can be of benefit to our passengers, we will do it," he adds.
American Airlines introduced DVD in-flight players in the first-class cabin on selected flights between the USA, Europe and South America at the beginning of this month. First-class passengers receive a Panasonic personal consumer DVD player, which features a 150mm (5.8in) high-resolution liquid crystal display, with a library containing up to 20 DVDs of popular films, changed on a regular basis.
"DVD provides excellent quality, better than anything being installed by the [IFE] hardware manufacturers and better than anything planned," says Mark Smith, American's manager of IFE. American is not concerned that first-release films are not yet available for DVD use. The airline conducted extensive focus group studies before the DVD launch and determined that a choice of film genres is more important than the latest blockbusters.
Hot on the heels of DVD, in-flight e-mail trials are likely before the end of this year. British Telecom has three airlines lined up for trials of its "Plug and Play" e-mail service by the end of the year, says marketing manager Paul Murton. The service will allow passengers to send e-mail in-flight from their laptops via BT satellite communications using the Inmarsat system and the ground-based Internet infrastructure. The Plug and Play e-mail service is likely to cost passengers $3-5 per e-mail, depending on the size of the transmission, according to Murton.
E-mail is expected to attract considerable passenger interest. According to research conducted last year by BT and Inmarsat, 66% of the international travellers questioned carry laptops on their trips and 40% said they would use an in-flight e-mail service if it was available.
British Airways, MAS, SIA, Swissair and Virgin Atlantic have been evaluating e-mail services for some time. MAS hopes to introduce e-mail to its long-haul fleet by March. The airline already offers an extensive range of communication services including telephone, facsimile and "faxgram".
Faxgram, which is also in service with Austrian Airlines, Sabena and Swissair, is considered as testing ground for e-mail, allowing passengers to send short fax messages - five lines of 40 characters per line.
Virgin plans to conduct an e-mail trial before the end of this year. Although the airline declines to confirm that it will test BT's Plug and Play service, BT already provides satcom-based communication services on the airline's wide-bodies. "We are looking at all of the e-mail products out there. We are heavily evaluating all aspects of e-mail and communication services," says Tharp, adding that Virgin expects e-mail to be "an important part of next-generation [IFE] systems".
The airline is due to make a decision by the end of the year on the IFE system vendor for its new Airbus A340-600s, scheduled for March 2002 delivery. Tharp says that e-mail, along with Internet-based services and live television, are likely to feature on board.
E-mail handset
BT's second e-mail product - ALIS IP e-mail - will be a screen-based service operating off its Airline Interactive Services (ALIS) platform, which is in operation with Austrian Airlines, Lauda Air, MAS, Sabena, SIA, Swissair and Virgin. The service will allow passengers to send text messages to any Internet address by using the IFE system handset to enter data on to the passenger's IFE screen.
The introduction of ALIS IP e-mail is dependent on the introduction of Inmarsat's higher-speed data service - 64kbit/s - which was approved by Inmarsat's governing council earlier this year. BT's ground earth stations are ready for the high-speed data service, while satcom avionics manufacturers are developing their products to support the service. BT's Internet-based plans are also tied in with the higher-speed data service, which is not expected to be available to airlines for another 18 months.
BT is not alone in its e-mail/Internet ambitions. Honeywell and Matsushita are concentrating on these services as the first joint products of their alliance, formed last year. AT&T, meanwhile, is set to unveil its e-Plane services, comprising airborne Internet, e-mail and e-commerce, at this month's WAEA show.
In addition, Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems is committing development resources to e-mail and Internet-type services. "Airlines are looking more at business-type functionality in the re-focus on their premium passengers - for example, e-mail and Internet functionality. Much of our development work is focused on this," says Alan Pellegrini, vice-president of marketing and sales at Collins.
The manufacturer's IFE division is exploiting work conducted by the avionics giant in its Integrated Information System (I2S) project. The I2S project is testing technologies linking an aircraft-based intranet to airline terminal area databases.
American Airlines believes the next focus of activity will be data services in response to passenger demand. "Some airlines are especially keen to do the latest and the greatest, but it may not necessarily be what the passenger wants," says Smith. "It is great if you can exceed customer expectations, if it works. We are trying to be particular and cautious in picking features that passengers want and which will work."
Despite extensive research by airlines, the problem is, says Smith, that "you can rarely glean what passengers really want. One thing that they definitely want is a power source for their laptops - we heard this over and over again, it was at the top of the list." American Airlines' programme to equip its fleet with in-seat power supply will be completed by the end of this year. Many airlines have introduced in-seat power, with the leading manufacturer of such systems, Primex Aerospace, expected to have more than 1,600 aircraft equipped with its EmPower by the second quarter of next year.
"We expect passengers will want connectivity on the data side, and we are looking at the best way of doing this," says Smith. True Internet cannot be expected in-flight for some time, however. "We won't see it [Internet] as it is on the ground, but it will be some kind of hybrid. Intranet is a good first step. Passengers will understand it is a completely different task putting Internet on an aircraft," he says. Virgin's Tharp agrees: "There is a whole grey area in how it [Internet/intranet] will work."
Meanwhile, although airlines are interested in live television, issues have hampered its development. Problem areas include control of the content and what programming passengers want and would be prepared to pay for. "The only two things that really make sense [in live TV] are news and sport," says Smith.
The biggest issue to be resolved, however, involves licensing. "Nobody has worked out the licensing issues," says Smith. One airline adds: "There is a great deal of concern out there that the [live TV service] suppliers are over-committing to airlines on what they can offer." To resolve the issue, the WAEA plans to focus on live broadcast satellite service as soon as it completes its DVD specification. "The licensing issues are a real concern for airlines when it comes to live television. We [WAEA's technical committee] will probably establish a group to look at these issues," says a board member.
Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems, formerly Hughes-Avicom International, pioneered in-flight live broadcast television service in a one-aircraft trial with Delta Air Lines in 1996. Rockwell was followed by Airshow, which has aimed its service at corporate aircraft operators; B/E Aerospace, now Sextant In-Flight Systems; and Boeing, which is also targeting corporate operators.
Launch customer
After persevering for some years, Sextant In-Flight Systems has secured its launch customer in the form of US start-up JetBlue Airways. JetBlue, which will launch domestic services from New York Kennedy early next year, will offer passengers 24 channels of live satellite television.
The JetBlue experience will be watched with interest by a number of airlines. "We're interested in live television, but we have not committed yet. I wouldn't be surprised if we do a trial in a year," says Mary Rogozinski, manager of onboard systems at United Airlines.
Sky Media, meanwhile, has been working on its live broadcast service plans since 1996. The company, which is working on the project with communications specialist ARINC, purchased the assets of Sky Radio, which provided live radio service to major US carriers until it ceased operations in 1994. Sky Radio equipment is still installed on aircraft operated by Delta Air Lines, Northwest and United. Sky Media's concept of live broadcast television is based on advertising revenues paying for the service.
Although live television developments to date have been largely based on regional service, long-term airline interest is in a global product.
The AirTV consortium, which includes Canadian Marconi, Aerospatiale and Alcatel Space, is planning to meet this global need with a dedicated network of satellites specifically for airline live television service. AirTV will provide airlines with 30 channels, including news, sport, children's programmes and movie channels. The first of four satellites will be launched in the third quarter of 2001, with the final satellite to be added in the fourth quarter of 2002.
Whatever IFE innovations are next in line for airline product development departments, enough carriers have had their fingers burned by ambitious IFE programmes to tread more carefully.
Virgin's Tharp says: "We want to steal as much time against our competitors as we can, but we won't jump into technology at the cost of diminishing the quality of our product."
Source: Flight International
