2002 | 2001 | Future Calendar

WAEA 23rd Annual Conference & Exhibition
24-27 September 2002
Washington State Convention & Trade Center
Wrap-up Coverage

WAEA Annual Conference News Briefs-Key WAEA-Member/Industry News Emerging during the Conference Week

Global Aviation Contracts With Intersound & Atlas Air
Global Aviation Services in a non-exclusive agreement has engaged the services of Intersound Inc. and Atlas Air to provide a full spectrum of encoding, integration, and content distribution services for Global Aviation's SkyMediaCenter "infotainment" system.

Intersound will assume a prominent role in the encoding and integration of the digital content by hosting integration hardware and software traditionally not handled by labs.

Atlas Air currently is facilitating SkyMediaCenter customers by providing content programming services and support.

MAS Opens Asia Facility
Matsushita Avionics Systems Corporation (MAS) in September opened its Application Development and Integration Center (ADIC) in Singapore.

The facility, which offers a simulation environment for evaluating and testing inflight applications, will allow MAS to better support its Asian customers, leverage the region's skilled IT labor and provide easier access for companies who wish to offer their products on MAS platforms, according to Takashi Mizuma, President of MAS.

Starling Completes Ku-Band Development Phase
Starling Advanced Communications has completed a critical phase in development of a Ku-band solid-state antenna system, which the company says proves the capability of receiving broadband communication channels and providing global coverage at a competitive price.

Starling's solution is based on experience gained from defense systems programs and patents developed especially for commercial applications where equipment cost, low antenna profile, and efficient transponder use are primary considerations.

Cathay Pacific Tests Oh2 Service
Cathay Pacific Airways on 1 October is launching a three-month test of Oh2's full management intelligence system. Oh2's researchers worked with Cathay to develop an electronic survey, which will go to all passengers traveling on the airline's AVOD-equipped aircraft to and from Hong Kong.

The questionnaire is on a voluntary basis, and all data collected remains anonymous.

Oh2's ground-based infrastructure will collect the survey responses and data from the IFE usage statistics and conduct in-depth analysis. Results are presented to the airline's management over a secured website.

EMS To Fly Inmarsat Swift64
EMS Technologies Inc., which designs and manufactures wireless solutions, received Inmarsat approval to fly Swift64 Mobile Packet Data Service (MPDS), an "always-on" connection that allows users to pay for content used and not for the connect time.

The service will be on the HSD-128 Aeronautical High-Speed Data terminal, which eliminates the need for an external ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) terminal adapter, and provides a direct connection to the Swift64 ISDN.

Rockwell Chooses EMS Components
EMS Technologies Inc. has entered into an exclusive agreement with Rockwell Collins to deliver 33 HST-900 high-speed transceivers, with delivery to begin early fourth quarter 2002. The integral component adds a single channel of Inmarsat Swift64 service to the Rockwell Collins SAT-906 system.

AirWorks Receives STC and PMA Approval
AirWorks this month received the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) and Parts Manufacturing Approval for MD-11 in-seat power, which the company installed on Finnair. AirWorks has STCs for in-seat power on MD-80, F100, B727, 757, 767, DC-10, and A300 aircraft.

UAL Renews Discovery Channel Agreement
United Airlines has renewed its agreement with Discovery Channel OnBoard to provide the carrier award-winning programming cabinwide on all routes through 2004. The agreement also includes new dual-language programming to service flights in Central and South America from Discovery Channel Latin America.

Discovery will maintain production of the dedicated branded Discovery Channel for the personal television systems on all flights worldwide. Discovery will continue to provide branded short-subject programming and will continue to take advantage of the monthly half-page color print ad in Hemispheres magazine to promote upcoming specials and series on television.

Pace Communications helped facilitate in the agreement.

MASMedia™ Offers Country Briefings
Matsushita Avionics Systems (MAS) has added Country Briefings, a leading online monitor of international markets and issues, to its MASMedia™ suite.

Country Briefings enables airline passengers, through their seatback IFE systems, to review significant business, economic, and political developments from the previous six weeks in each of 32 leading economies worldwide.

MASLink™ Provides Pax Usage Data
Matsushita Avionics Systems (MAS) debuted MASLink™, an Internet-based tool that provides airlines with on-demand access to, and analysis of, passenger IFE usage information, IFE system performance data, and maintenance information. MAS is providing this service to airlines through an agreement with Innovative Media Solutions (IMS) of Anaheim, California.

"Customers can upload their IFE system's data from anywhere in the world," according to Alan Pellegrini, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Operations for MAS.

MAS said airlines could use the data to fine-tune content selection by class of service, routes, and destinations, and provide an exact, verifiable count of advertising impressions to potential advertisers.

Data Downloaded Wirelessly With TCB
Passenger usage data gathered by MASLink™ can be downloaded off the aircraft and new information can be uploaded wirelessly using MAS' Terminal Cellular Bridge (TCB). "This removed the need to tie IFE data transmission into other aircraft systems," stated Paul Margis, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Quality for MAS.

Operating at 900, 1800, and 1900 mhs, the tri-band GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) telephone is able to interface with existing cellular systems around the world to create an end-to-end digital supply chain for data. With the integrated General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) capability, TCB can achieve actual data transfer rates up to 288 kbps, depending on local service.

The unit weighs less than four pounds, and its power supply consumes a maximum of 25 watts with an average consumption of 17 watts, according to Margis.

TCB and MASLink™ are expected to be available to airlines beginning 1st quarter 2003.

Discovery Channel Expands IFE Program Offerings
Discovery Channel Onboard has added more than 1,260 new hours of IFE programming, introducing 400+ of these hours at the WAEA Conference & Exhibition.

The new content comes from the family of Discovery Networks, including The Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, Travel & Adventure, People & Arts, Discovery Sci Trek, Discovery Wings, and Discovery Civilization.

SITA Launches FlightLink
SITA's Inmarsat Swift64-based service, AIRCOM® FlightLink is now fully operational, enabling a range of new applications for passengers and crew including corporate e-mail access, Internet browsing, and graphical weather uplink.

AIRCOM® FlightLink's 64kbps Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) service supports both Swift64 service options. The circuit-mode ISDN is available as a commercial service, and the packet-mode Mobile Packet Data Service currently is open to beta test users. Aircraft fitted with Swift64-capable equipment have access to AIRCOM® FlightLink worldwide and are not constrained by local coverage issues.

George Cooper, Vice President, Aircraft Communications for SITA calls AIRCOM® FlightLink the cornerstone of SITA's aeronautical IP services strategy.

SITA Launches Inflight SMS Service
SITA introduced a Short Messaging Service (SMS) that allows passengers to send text messages from aircraft inflight to e-mail addresses or cellular phones on the ground.

The service allows messages of up to 160 characters to be sent from inflight, and reply messages to be channeled to the passenger's seat. The SMS is accessed via the IFE or the in-seat or bulkhead telephone handset. Passengers can pay for the service using their credit card or SITA's AIRCOM Mobile Charging Card, which passes charges through to the user's cell phone account or company.

Singapore Airlines is trialing the system as a send-only service free of charge to their passengers during a three-month trial period. Matsushita Avionics Systems' Inflight Communicator is being used in the SIA trial, and SITA is working with a number of IFE suppliers.

SITA's AIRCOM® SMS is available worldwide, supported through SITA's SATELLITE AIRCOM which links SITA satellites into SITA's global network solution.

AA Renews Contract With SITA
American Airlines, effective immediately, has extended its contract for SITA's SATELLITE AIRCOM services for Passenger Telephony, Cockpit Voice, and SATELLITE AIRCOM ACARS across AA's fleet.

Passengers can access onboard telephony by using an internationally accepted credit card, a SITA AIRCOM pre-paid calling card, or an AIRCOM charging card.

Iberia Selects MAS 3000
Iberia Airlines has selected Matsushita Avionics Systems Corporation's (MAS) System 3000 providing AVOD for the airline's three new A340-600 aircraft to be delivered in the summer of 2003.

The aircraft will fly long-haul routes from Madrid to Mexico City and Madrid to Buenos Aires.

MAS To Provide Tape Provisioning Services to DAL Delta Air Lines has selected Matsushita Avionics Systems to provide movie tape provisioning services for all of Delta's in-seat and overhead IFE video systems, including non-MAS systems.

Under the terms of this three-year agreement, services will include daily change-out of movie tapes for all international and long-haul domestic flights, and change-out of tapes twice a month for domestic and Latin American routes. MAS also will handle on-call replacement of videotapes due to flight changes or damage, as well as missing tape replacements.

"Matsushita has exceeded Delta's expectations with their response to our video provisioning program," said Shelli Keagle, DAL's General Manager, OnBoard Media and Amenities. They created a program that proactively applied technology to streamline a previously labor intensive task. They stepped up to the plate with a thoroughly planned implementation."

Alan Pellegrini, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Operations for MAS, said MAS is "actively exploring other innovative provisioning and maintenance possibilities."

MAS Adds Destination Content
Matsushita has added WCITIES, a location-based information service provider, to offer destination guides for more than 300 cities and 70+ countries worldwide on the interactive MASMedia™ system. The guides provide business and leisure information including landmarks, day trips, guided tours, nightlife, shopping, sports, and recreation compiled using local researchers, reviewers, and editors around the globe.

MAS Plans To Add AcrossFrontiers Content
Matsushita expects to add AcrossFrontiers International's Global BusinessNavigator web content to MASMedia™, providing passengers with in-depth knowledge of a specific country's local culture, business practices, and protocol.

Rockwell Collins Launches New Website
Rockwell Collins launched a new interactive website,www.encompassinflight.com, providing enCompass™ customers with a new real-time communications tool.

The site offers detailed descriptions of enCompass™ services, online registration for industry meetings and events, and provides contact information for enCompass™ representatives worldwide. Planned upgrades will add customer-only, password-protected secure access to the online version of Preview, an IFE guide to current feature film offerings from all the major studios.

"enCompassinflight.com is designed to enhance our customers' ability to access the information they want, when they want it," said Dan Bergen, Director IFE Product Marketing for Rockwell Collins.

China Eastern Selects Rockwell PAVES® System
Rockwell Collins has signed an agreement with China Eastern Airlines, which will allow for installation of the PAVES® IFE system on 20 Airbus A320 aircraft, to be delivered between January 2003 and November 2005.

The PAVES® system features Rockwell's digital audio distribution system, combined with a retractable Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) video system.

Vietnam Airlines To Install Rockwell AVOD System Vietnam Airlines will install Rockwell Collins' Total Entertainment System (TES) AVOD system and avionics on six Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, with deliveries scheduled from mid-2003 through 2005.

Vietnam Airlines has selected two IFE configurations for their fleet. Two aircraft, with a three-class international cabin configuration, will feature TES AVOD functionality and telephones for both business and deluxe economy-class passengers, offering 10.4-inch in-seat LCD displays. Throughout the rest of the cabin, digital overhead video will be available on 15-inch and 10.4-inch LCD displays.

The two-class regional cabin configuration provides passengers in business class with AVOD functionality using a 10.4-inch in-seat LCD display. Economy class will be outfitted with digital broadcast overhead video and audio capabilities.

Rockwell Collins also is providing an integrated communication, navigation, and surveillance sensor package.

Rockwell Demos Wireless PAVES®
Rockwell Collins is demonstrating wireless connectivity with its PAVES® IFE system for single-aisle aircraft.

The system uses Rockwell's Integrated Information System (I²S) to connect airline passengers using real-time data streams between air and ground. The open architecture system enables bi-directional wireless distribution throughout the cabin.

When interfaced with a third-party air-to-ground connectivity service provider, the wireless cabin LAN (local area network) can offer airline customers Internet access, intranet functionality, and e-mail. Passengers can browse the Internet using their own 802.11 wireless-compatible laptops and personal electronic devices, without phone or Ethernet ports. The system also supports airlines' administration with crew scheduling, fuel records, and passenger manifests by incorporating those functions into a single data management system.

AA Offers Free IFE
American Airlines is offering complimentary IFE on all audio/video-equipped flights system-wide to passengers who bring their personal headsets onboard.

AA's current US$5.00 entertainment charge will be eliminated on all flights within the continental U.S., Canada, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. Main cabin customers without headsets can purchase headsets inflight for US$2.00, and they can keep and use these headsets on future flights. International and premium class customers will continue to receive complimentary IFE on all audio/video-equipped flights.

All AA audio/video-equipped aircraft have a standard audio jack, compatible with most traditional headsets, including the Bose® Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headset, currently provided in first and business classes on select flights.

"This change will allow us to greatly reduce headset distribution costs while continuing to focus on services our customers tell us add value to their travel experience," stated Veronica Lopes, Managing Director-Inflight Products.

Thales Licenses IPlug™
Thales Avionics In-Flight Systems has licensed Silicom Ltd.'s patent-pending IPlug™ self-install technology, which Thales will deploy as a standard iSeries™ software product. iSeries™ facilitates access to connectivity service providers for Internet and e-mail capabilities. Integrated into the system, the IPlug™ automatically provides the needed communica -tion between the passenger's laptop and the iSeries™ head-end servers.

According to the terms of the agreement, Silicom will customize its IPlug™ software to make it compatible with the iSeries™ solution. Silicom has granted Thales exclusivity for the use of IPlug™ technology in aircraft applications.

ScreamingMedia To Develop Verizon Onboard Portal ScreamingMedia will develop and manage an onboard portal software platform for Verizon Airfone as part of Verizon's service.

The multi-year agreement calls for ScreamingMedia to provide an onboard portal software platform that integrates content and applications from a variety of vendors and manages the onboard presentation layer. The service will provide Verizon with user statistics. ScreamingMedia's onboard portal will provide passengers with top news, stock quotes, scrolling ticker, major indices, weather, and sports news.

BA Extends Dedicated Discovery Channel; Airs Discovery at JFK
British Airways extended its commitment to include a dedicated Discovery Channel in its IFE offerings through 2004. All long-haul flights will offer 2 hours and 15 minutes of travel, adventure, history, culture, nature, and science programming from Discovery.

BA also will feature Discovery Networks programming at New York's JFK International Airport Terminal 7 through 2003. The 60-minute branded block of programming will change monthly.

TEAC Launches 3-D Software
TEAC debuted its new AirTrack 3-D Flight View Software, the first module of TEAC's Advanced IFE system (TAIFES) offering passengers dynamic, computer-generated 2-D and 3-D topographical route maps inflight. The program continuously updates the topographical maps and aircraft position indicator following the flight's progress.

The airline can pre-program a selection of up to four 3-D-simulated topographical views, plus flight and in-route informational displays. The simulated aircraft image can be customized by aircraft type and airline décor, and the airline can present branding messages on behalf of itself or advertisers.

TEAC also demonstrated its line of digital file servers and DVD video reproducers, which are plug-and-play compatible with existing tape-based video systems, for installation without rewiring.

With file servers using a combination of DVD, hard disk, and solid-state memory, "now it is possible for airlines to acquire and use a variety of digital content including DVD and MPEG1/MPEG2 content, plus the reliability of digital architectures," stated Al McGowan, Marketing Manager for TEAC Airborne Products Division.

Air France is the first to install TEAC's corporate DVD player, which offers dual-language playback simultaneously from the same DVD.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) will be the first to install TEAC's DVD/Solid-State File Server on a Boeing 747-400.

Atlas & Stellar Form Alliance
Atlas Air Film + Media GmbH and Stellar Inflight have formed an alliance to provide a full range of services globally. Atlas Air, which provides film and video programming to airlines, has offices in Europe and the US, while Stellar provides audio and video production from offices in the Asia Pacific region.

As airline budgets are cut, "this alliance makes good logical sense because between us we can be a one-stop shop," stated David Peterson, General Manager for Stellar Inflight.

Joerg Schiffmann, Managing Director of Atlas Air Film, said: "Adding audio programming by Stellar to our video programming and adding a facility down under in the Asia Pacific region, makes sense in regard to establishing our services all over the world."

AirTV Licenses Bloomberg Television
AirTV announced a licensing agreement with Bloomberg Television to distribute Bloomberg Financial News programming to commercial airlines around the world.

AirTV plans to implement a direct-to-aircraft (DTA) service through a dedicated network of four geostationary S-Band satellites, set to be operational in 30 months. In addition to Bloomberg Television this satellite network also will offer airlines e-mail and Internet connectivity and 60 channels of live satellite television.

"Our teaming with Bloomberg provides a perfect fit, ensuring that passengers around the world receive fresh business and financial information in their own language," said AirTV Chairman and CEO John Larkin.

Travel Guides Added to MASMedia™ Content
Matsushita Avionics Systems and eFlyte have teamed up to offer the "Rough Guides" travel series content via the MASMedia™ interactive system. The guides provide in-depth worldwide destination information, photographs, and maps.

ILFC Selects MAS' eFX™
International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) has chosen Matsushita Avionics Systems' new all-digital, Ethernet-based eFX™ system for its future Airbus single-aisle (A320) aircraft and Boeing 737NG aircraft.

eFX™ offers broadcast audio and video, AVOD, gate information, iXplor flight information, integrated pre-recorded announcements, and boarding music.

MAS Develops Early-Window DVD System
Matsushita Avionics Systems has developed an Early-Window Content Protection (EWCP) system for special-purpose airline-inflight DVDs that is fully compliant with the WAEA Specification 0598.

According to the company, the Triple DES [content data] encryption used in EWCP provides highly secure content protection, while its fingerprinting technology provides a traceability tool for tracking pirated content to the machine from which it was pirated.

European Commission Funds Wireless Project Airbus
KID-Systeme GmbH, ESYS, Inmarsat, Ericsson, Siemens, and University of Bradford have been awarded European Commission project funding to build a demonstrator for wireless passenger connectivity using 802.11 and Bluetooth for computer access and UMTS for mobile phone users. The overall project is coordinated by the German aerospace center DLR.

Frontier To Test Wireless Phones Inflight
Frontier Airlines will participate in a trial of AirCell, Inc.'s airborne cellular telephone system, with a December 2002 installation onboard one of Frontier's A319 aircraft. Frontier is the first commercial airline to trial the AirCell system, which will provide passengers and crewmembers access to air-to-ground telephone service using wireless handsets that can be used throughout the aircraft.

Vital Signs Sent Via Inmarsat Swift64
Telemedic Systems successfully tested real-time vital signs over Inmarsat's Swift64 service, using both Thrane & Thrane and Honeywell Avionics.

'Stan' Creates New In-Seat Exercise Videos
Stan-The Exercise Man has produced four new animated videos with travel tips and stretching exercises passengers can perform in their seats.

"That approach is more cost effective than stretching your airplane," stated Tadek Osipowicz.

SAA Selects MAS 3000i
South African Airways will install the MAS System 3000i in its A340-300 six-aircraft fleet, with delivery to begin in February 2004.

System 3000i provides an upgrade path for passenger laptop connectivity, utilizing Ethernet, and also offers broadband provisioning. The interactive system will be capable of providing passengers with up to 580Gb of entertainment content, including a selection of up to 250 movies, up to 1000 hours of music entertainment, computer games, and inflight information.

MAS Offers Tech Site Inflight
MAS announced a content licensing agreement with CNETAsia, the technology media division of CNET Networks, which will be incorporated in MASMedia™ offerings.

CNETAsia delivers breaking news, product reviews, commentaries, digital downloads, and an e-mail newsletter via the web. MAS has been making CNETAsia content available to passengers on a leading Asian airline, and the agreement allows them to expand the offering to all airlines equipped with MAS in-seat IFE systems.

ProtoType Industries Launches New Service
ProtoType Industries has launched its new "Access" service, a website that allows clients to view and print various real-time status reports, place requests for new publications, download source data, and identify cross-references between associated programs and projects.

Delta Beta Demos Virtual Keyboard
Delta Beta In-Flight, Inc. demonstrated their virtual keyboard (VKB) technology that projects a laser keyboard image onto any tray-table for use in SMS messaging. The technology can project a standard United States, French, or German keyboard or a piano keyboard onto any tray-table surface.

Jamco Center Demos Delta Beta System
Jamco Corporation has created a demonstration center replicating the Delta Beta AVOD system performing on 150 seats simultaneously. Henry DeBey, President and CEO of Delta Beta, explained the center was created to provide verification of functionality of the system under all "worst-case scenarios." The system interfaces with Boeing and Airbus systems.

Consumers Rank Discovery Tops
Roper Reports Worldwide, a leading syndicated study, found that consumers rank Discovery Channel as the number-one global media brand among seven globally distributed media brands in multi-channel households. In the category of recent viewership, the Discovery Channel ranks first among eight globally distributed networks.

Dolby Streamlines Program
Dolby Laboratories has streamlined their IFE Dolby Headphone program, making it available to more airlines.