In-flight Entertainment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In-flight Entertainment (abbreviation IFE) refers to the entertainment available to aircraft passengers during a flight. During the 1990s the demand for better IFE was a major factor in the way airlines designed and retrofitted their cabins. Before then, the most a passenger could expect was a movie projected on a screen at the front of a cabin, which could be heard via a headphone socket at their seat.
Major manufacturers of IFE systems include Panasonic Avionics Corporation, Thales Group, Honeywell, Rockwell Collins, and LiveTV.
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[edit] In-Flight Movies
The first motion picture to be played on an airline, was a silent film shown on a Deutsch Lufthansa flight over Germany in 1925.
[edit] Personal televisions
Most major airlines have now installed personal televisions (otherwise known as PTVs) for every passenger on most long-haul routes. These televisions are usually located in the seat-backs or tucked away in the armrests for front row seats. Many different systems are used and vary from different airlines. There are those that utilise a few channels, or direct broadcast satellite television which enable passengers to view live TV broadcasts. Some airlines also offer video games using PTV equipment.
In accordance with increasing amenities being provided onboard flights, audio-video on demand (AVOD) entertainment has also been introduced. This enables passengers to pause, rewind, fast-forward or stop a programme that they have been watching. This is in contrast to older entertainment systems where no interactivity is provided for.
With the introduction of new aircraft and the rapid advances in aviation technology, it is rare to find new long-haul planes being delivered without PTVs. Lufthansa is the only airline in the world to order new long haul aircraft like the Boeing 747 without fitting PTVs in Economy Class.
IFE is offered on almost all widebody aircraft in service today. Some narrowbody aircraft are not equipped with IFE at all, and some only feature audio. The Boeing 757 was the first narrowbody aircraft to widely feature both audio and video IFE, and today, it is rare to find a 757 without an IFE system. Most 757s feature ceiling-mounted CRT screens, although some newer 757s may feature drop-down LCDs. Many Airbus A320 series and Boeing 737NG aircraft are also equipped with drop-down LCD screens. Some airlines, such as JetBlue and Delta Air Lines, have equipped some narrowbody aircraft with personal video screens at every seat. Some airlines, such as Air Canada, have even equipped some regional jets with audio-video on demand (AVOD ).
[edit] Varieties of in-flight entertainment
[edit] Cabin music
Soft music is often piped through the PA system and is heard in the cabin upon boarding, disembarkation, taxiing and take-off of the aircraft. The music is often chosen to be pleasant and soothing, and exhibits characteristics similar to elevator music.
[edit] Audio Entertainment
Audio entertainment is provided in the form of several selected channels a passenger may choose covering various genres of music, as well as news, information and comedy. Much like radio shows, most music channels are pre-recorded and feature their own DJs to provide chatter, song introductions and interviews with featured artists.
On audio-video on demand (AVOD) systems, software such as MusicMatch is used to select music off the music server. Phillips Music Server is one of the most widely used servers running under Windows Media Center used to control AVOD systems.
This form of in-flight entertainment is experienced through headphones that are distributed to the passengers after take-off. The headphone plugs are usually only compatible with the audio socket on the passenger's armrest (and vice-versa), and some airlines may charge a small fee in order to obtain a pair. The headphones provided can also be used for the viewing of personal televisions, if any.
[edit] Video Entertainment
Traditionally, video entertainment is provided via a large video screen at the front of a cabin section, as well as smaller monitors situated every few rows above the aisles. Sound is supplied via the same headphones distributed for audio entertainment.
However in recent times, personal televisions (PTVs) for every passenger have become more popular, providing passengers with a selection of channels broadcasting new and classic films, as well as comedies, documentaries, children's shows and drama series. Some airlines also present news and current affairs programming, which are often pre-recorded and delivered in the early morning before flights commence.
PTVs are operated via an Inflight Management System which stores pre-recorded channels on a central server, and streams them to PTV equipped seats during flight. AVOD systems store individual programs separately, allowing a passenger to have a specific program streamed to them privately, and be able to control the playback.
Some airlines also provide video games as part of the video entertainment system. For example, Singapore Airlines passengers have access to a number of Super Nintendo games as part of its KrisWorld entertainment system.
[edit] Moving Map Systems
The Moving Map System is a real-time flight information video channel broadcast through PTVs and cabin video screens. In addition to displaying a map that illustrates the current position and direction of the plane, the airshow also reveals details concerning the flight to passengers such as the altitude, airspeed, distance to destination, distance from origination and local time. Moving Map System information is derived from the aircraft's flight computer systems. It is often generically referred to as Airshow, one of the first moving map systems now owned by Rockwell Collins.
