IFSA/APEX COVERAGE
Jared Shoemaker of BAE systems at the company’s stand at APEX
HITTING ITS STRIDE
A fast-paced week in the Pacific Northwest saw a series of important announcements and developments at the APEX/IFSA Expo that could see an industry with new capabilities and product offering by RICK LUNDSTROM
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our days of discussions, networking and news in the fastmoving world of inflight entertainment and connectivity concluded under the sunny skies and mild temperatures as the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) and the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) held their the co-events September 28-October 1 in the Rose City of Portland. It was a week when APEX first introduced its new CEO, Joe Leader to the industry. While on the IFSA side, President Pam Suder-Smith of Pourshins ended her term, passing the group’s leadership responsibilities to Jane Bernier-Tran of United Airlines. While the new leaders began a busy schedule talking with members and acquainting themselves with the task ahead, the trade show floor buzzed with news and technological advancements that will set the pace for change, particularly in the world of inflight entertainment, which is riding a wave of interest tied closely to technological advancements in consumer electronics and Hollywood. Preliminary attendance figures for the APEX side of the co-event were announced the opening day. According to APEX, 2,750 people had registered for the September 28 to October 1 event. Among the people attending were 207 exhibitors and representatives from 51 airlines.
Streaming the early window
While some important details remained under wraps for the near term, one company announced during the week an important breakthrough for passengers who stream entertainment content into personal electronic devices while on board the aircraft. BAE Systems’ announced during APEX that its IntelliCabin® wireless IFE became the first product of its type in the industry to get approval from a major Hollywood studio to stream the important early-window content for viewing into a passenger’s smart phone or tablet. “It was a very long process,” Jared Shoemaker, Director of Cabin Systems at BAE Systems tells PAX International. The company first submitted a white paper to the studio, that outlined the process of keeping copyrights safe every step of the way. One of the ways Shoemaker said that content would remain safe is the streaming process, which occurs outside the passenger’s device from a server installed on the aircraft, with none of the contents ever cached within the passenger’s device. BAE worked with its partner Global Eagle Entertainment, which makes the WISE software program for BAE operations. BAE was not naming the major studio that agreed to allow the content to be streamed into PED’s. The company said the early window content available through IntelliCabin® will be movies that are not yet out on DVD release. BAE Systems launched the IntelliCabin® system in April of this
year on Vistara, the Singapore Airlines – Tata Sons, Ltd. joint venture in India. Vistara, operates a fleet of eight A320s with more aircraft on order. For Vistara the wireless IFE solution has been streaming preloaded content to passengers’ PED’s in premium and economy cabins, and includes fully integrated Samsung Galaxy Tab S tablets for businessclass travelers. Interest by the industry will be gauged and evaluated in the weeks to come following the announcement. However Shoemaker and the BAE Systems group generated much of the buzz around the trade show floor. “We are excited to be on the leading edge of this,” he said.
A sweet announcement from Lumexis
Irvine, California–based Lumexis picked up a new customer in Trinidad and Tobago-based Air Caribbean; and its Fiber-to-the-Screen (FTTS) inflight entertainment system will, in the future carry new capabilities through the leading edge Android operating system, called Lollipop. Lumexis was first out of the block in the Monday morning September 29 with announcements and press briefings. Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop’s technical name) will also give Lumexis further capabilities for managing content. One example is the latest Google Widevine digital rights management and video optimization platform that can be used for content protection that is approved by major motion picture studios. One of the first recipients of the new technology will be Caribbean Airlines, which will install the FTTS on its fleet of 737s. In addition to the new operating system, the airline will be the first Lumexis customer for its FTTS Second Screen, ™ which enables passengers to use their own tablets and smartphones at their seat without interrupting the entertainment running in the FTTS HD monitors.
Alicia Cabrera, Senior Marketing Manager at Caribbean Airlines with Jon Norris, Vice President of Sales at Lumexis announce the recent agreement to outfit the airline with the company FTTS IFE system
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