Conversations in In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity
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APEX Insight: Thales, Rockwell Collins, Panasonic Avionics chat about the growing symbiotic relationship of in-flight entertainment and connectivity and its impact on the passenger experience.
These days, you rarely hear the phrase “in-flight entertainment” without the word “connectivity” following close behind. We discuss the increasing co-mingling of the two with Thales, Rockwell Collins and Panasonic Avionics.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
The in-flight entertainment market is booming, thanks especially to connectivity, with forecasts predicting that it will reach $5.8 billion by 2020, from $2.85 billion in 2015.
“In-flight entertainment and connectivity services are truly complementary services,” says Glenn Latta, president, Connectivity & TV, Thales InFlyt Experience. “Together they form an ecosystem of services which make up the passenger experience – an experience which we are trying to ensure mimics the experience you have at home.”
Along the same lines, Panasonic views the synthesis of entertainment and technology as something that has the potential to enhance the passenger experience. “Panasonic entertainment is amplified by connectivity,” adds David Bruner, vice-president of Global Communications Services, Panasonic Avionics.
“PEDs complement the embedded seatback systems by offering second screens.”
-Glenn Latta, Thales
Richard Nordstrom, senior director, Global Marketing for Rockwell Collins Cabin Solutions agrees: “Connectivity is a gateway to endless options for entertainment and information… When connected, there is media and content for everyone.”
COMPLEMENTARY DEVICES
While the proliferation of personal electronic devices initially prompted many in the industry to sound the death knell on embedded seatback screens, Nordstrom, Latta and Bruner unanimously agree the PED complements the seatback system.
“It’s interesting to note how, on many flights, you see people multitasking just like they do at home, with both embedded IFE and wireless IFEC services,” remarks Nordstrom.
Echoing the same sentiment, Latta notes that “PEDs complement the embedded seatback systems by offering second screens, which has become a common paradigm for consumers at home.”
Beyond enriching the seatback experience, devices present more opportunities for airlines to strengthen relationships with their passengers. “Engaging passengers through their PEDs provides a tremendous amount of opportunity for personalization, a customized travel experience, and a much greater connection between the passenger and airline,” notes Latta.
Unlike the wired IFE, passenger devices connect the airline with the customer through every step of the journey. “From an airline perspective, the mobile device is extending their brand beyond the cabin,” says Bruner. “We’re providing additional touchpoints for them with passengers, and additional opportunities for revenue generation.”
As for the embedded seatback, “[It] will adapt and offer unique capabilities while continuing to bring value to the airline and its passengers,” Nordstrom assures.
SPOILS OF STREAMING
As Nordstrom notes, not all passengers may be interested in streaming, “but for some in the industry, it is the Holy Grail.” He suggests that the industry would benefit from further studying passenger usage habits. “The universe of interests will drive us to focus on bringing what passengers want and airlines need to stay competitive.”
For Rockwell Collins passengers who would like to stream, the company’s best of class WAPS and dual core server processors provide all passengers with full 730P high-definition tablet screens, with 50 passengers per WAP. “You just add additional WAPS and we can easily provide a consistent performance of streaming HD service to 250 passengers at the same time,” Nordstrom explains.
Thales’ solutions provide streaming onboard from cached content and via the connectivity solution. “This include IPTV solutions as well as streaming from passenger’s home services, such as the recent partnership with Amazon to stream Amazon Prime content to the aircraft,” Latta says.
“Shifting to streaming content rather than relying on onboard servers is bringing more choice to consumers,” he adds. “As streaming content makes it’s way into in-flight entertainment, passengers will seek out programming that keeps them in the loop with the latest news and helps them avoid those ‘spoiler alert’ moments.”
COVERAGE, CAPACITY AND COST
“The debate between Ka and Ku is quickly dissipating as sophisticated new satellite technologies are evolving and each offering benefits to specific market segments – regardless of the spectrum they are using,” says Latta. “The real debate moving forward is going to be about coverage capacity and cost.
Thales employs a flexible approach to connectivity, and leverages ViaSat’s Exede high-capacity Ka-band service in support of its LiveTV solution alongside Inmarsat’s Global Xpress high-speed broadband network. “Our solutions have been built to be modular from the ground segments to the airborne segments, allowing the same services to be provided to our customers across a common platform, regardless of the connection type,” Latta explains.
According to Nordstrom, “Neither frequency, Ka or Ku, can be used to its highest efficiency level when shared under the same radome.” For Rockwell Collins, which also leverages Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Ka-band service and cellular telecommunications architecture, Ka-band is the way forward. “Ka is, hands done, the next generation,” Nordstrom says, noting, “But more importantly, it’s how you deliver the Ka-band links to the aircraft.”
The dual Ka/Ku antenna system has its pitfalls. “[It’s] not providing the best service to the passenger,” Nordstrom says. “Why work with multiple failure points over Ku, when you can work with one single satellite service network under one management roof?”
On the other hand, “Panasonic has made a calculated investment in Ku for a number of reasons, including global coverage, ease of scalability, the maturity of the technology and its high reliability,” says Bruner. “Beyond that, we’re rolling out extreme high-throughput (XTS) capacity in the densest of traffic areas – over North America, Europe and Asia. These regions will be seeing multiple gigabits of capacity – something we’re keeping under wraps at this time.”