BAE Systems Brings Latest Hollywood Blockbusters to Passenger PEDs
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APEX Insight: BAE Systems announced today it has secured approval from a major Hollywood studio to stream movies fresh out of theaters to passenger and airline-supplied devices – a significant milestone for the proliferation of PED-based IFE in the airline industry.
In an exclusive industry first, BAE Systems announced today that its wireless in-flight entertainment solution, IntelliCabin, has secured approval from a major Hollywood studio to stream the latest blockbusters directly on its tablet-based system.
While the studio is yet to be announced, the agreement marks the first time that a major Hollywood studio has agreed to the streaming of early-window content to passenger and airline-distributed devices. “We’re very excited. It’s not often you accomplish a first in this industry,” says Jared Shoemaker, director, Cabin Systems, BAE Systems].
On flights equipped with BAE Systems’ wireless IFE solution, the highly sought after cinematic goods will be streamed from a local server installed on the aircraft. The IntelliCabin tablet-based IFE system comprises of a Linux operating system, wireless access points and tailored Samsung devices, but can also be used on passengers’ personal devices or laptops.
“It’s not often you accomplish a first in this industry.” €” Jared Shoemaker, BAE Systems
In addition to Samsung’s ultra-high-definition screens, a superior battery life and lightweight attributes, Shoemaker tells us that Samsung devices offer superior security features. “We’ve done a lot of work with our partner Samsung to make sure we understand how devices operate and what we can and cannot do there to make the studios feel very comfortable with the security of their content on devices,” Shoemaker explains.
But for the studios, security of their content goes beyond the device. “Studios are looking for end-to-end security from when it leaves their hands, to when it’s displayed on the passenger’s device, and to when it’s disposed of, making sure that whole path is secure,” Shoemaker says.
In securing the pre-aircraft par of the process, content service provider, Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE) has been instrumental: “We’ve been working very closely with GEE… We use their WISE solution in our in-aircraft solution, and they have been a huge help to us,” Shoemaker says.
Earlier this year at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, BAE Systems announced India-based Vistara as its first launch customer for the IntelliCabin IFE Solution. Since then, Shoemaker reports, “We have more activity than I think we’ve ever seen from an in-flight entertainment perspective, and a lot of that is driven by our ability to offer early window content.”
In an increasingly competitive airline market, the ability to offer the latest from Hollywood gives an airline a significant edge. “It’s all about brand differentiation for our airline customers,” explains Shoemaker.
While he couldn’t name specific airlines, Shoemaker tells us that BAE Systems is “engaged with some significant airlines, and this will make a big impact to them in their offering. We expect that post-APEX, there’s going to be explosions of engagement because of this ability.”
BAE Systems’ IntelliCabin, which debuted in 2013, is available for both retrofit and linefit and includes a full suite of products for integrated cabin management, including in-seat power, LED lighting, cabin crew interface.
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