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Wireless IFE Archives - Inflight

InflightDublin Everhub new GUI

Condor trials Inflight Dublin’s Everhub platform

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InflightDublin Everhub new GUI

Condor has extended its long-term relationship with Inflight Dublin, with the selection of the Everhub wireless IFE solution, for trial on three long-haul Boeing 767 aircraft.

From November, the Everhub software platform will be accessible to Condor’s passengers through Inflight Dublin’s recently upgraded passenger web application which features a brand-aligned Graphical User Interface (GUI) available in 11 languages. The content package consists of secure DRM content such as Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows, as well as games and publications. Condor’s duty-free onboard magazine ‘bordshop’ will also feature in the catalogue.

Condor will have access to Inflight Dublin’s cloud-hosted Control Centre, enabling remote configuration of all active services deployed on the servers. The Control Centre also houses Inflight Dublin’s analytics tool, IFD Insights, which will provide intuitive and insightful reports detailing the performance of the hardware, software and content offering on board.

November 6, 2020
Bluebox WOW wireless-IFE server

Bluebox and dnata catering to develop joint product and service offerings across Pacific

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Bluebox WOW wireless-IFE server

Bluebox Aviation Systems and dnata catering Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop and market offerings based on the deployment of Bluebox wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) solutions across Australia, New Zealand and a number of other Pacific Ocean territories.

“COVID-19 has changed the landscape for in-flight catering and logistics, and by partnering with Bluebox we’ll be able to help our customers mitigate some of the restrictions required in this new touch-free world. This means allowing airlines to minimise contact and dialogue between passengers and cabin crew but still delivering an excellent service and a full range of food, drinks and retail goods that are such an essential part of the ancillary revenue income for many airlines,” said Duncan Greeney, General Manager Retail, dnata catering. “Aiming to appear seamless to passengers, integrating complex systems – in this case an IFE platform and catering logistics – can actually be quite complex technically, and in the present climate our customers need solutions that are simple and quick to deploy.”

“IFE as we knew it was already evolving to deliver so much more than in-flight entertainment, and COVID-19 expedited our delivery of touch-free payments for on-board retail and the digitisation of materials that support ancillary revenue generation, such as digital menus and magazines which provide significant advertising revenue for airlines,” said David Brown, Business Development Director, Bluebox.

“Now, though we have the expertise in the passenger interface, content integration, secure payments and the wireless technology to deliver it all, by partnering with dnata catering we can expand the platform further into the on-board logistics systems, integrating the catering and retail elements they provide. So, we’re really delivering an in-flight engagement platform for enhancing the passenger experience on board – still ‘IFE’, but well beyond entertainment.”

October 6, 2020
Inflight Dublin Everhub screenshots

Inflight Dublin upgrades web app

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Inflight Dublin Everhub screenshots

Inflight Dublin’s wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, Everhub, has been upgraded with new features to minimise physical touchpoints and increase ancillary revenue opportunities. The upgraded web app is available as part of Inflight Dublin’s recently announced six-month free trial of the Everhub wireless IFE solution.

The web app has a new design with switchable light and dark themes and new Material User Interface (Material UI) and Progressive Web App (PWA) features that allow the web-based interface to appear as a native application without the need for any app/SDK installations on the end-users device.

Everhub supports banner ads, pre-roll video ads, and interstitial ads which can appear on a timed basis or popup when navigating through the system. With the growing need for contactless and paper-free initiatives, health and safety information and onboard protocols can be fully digitised, reducing risks by eliminating unnecessary touchpoints onboard.

The web app is integrated with Everhub’s cloud-hosted Control Centre which provides back-office capabilities at no additional cost to the airline. The upgraded web app also includes Inflight Dublin’s data analytics platform, IFD Insights. This offers airlines access to content usage trends, advertising reports, and survey feedback, providing constant updates on the performance of their IFE offering onboard.

“The upgraded passenger web application enhances our established Everhub product which combines a flexible hardware platform with software, content, and revenue-generating services. This provides airlines with a one-stop-shop solution which can be deployed onboard in a matter of weeks. The upgraded web app comes just in time to complement our 6-month wireless free trial offering and will be a core part of our wireless solution going forward,” stated David Miller, Inflight Dublin’s CTO.

September 23, 2020
OWG aircraft in flight

OWG selects Bluebox WOW for IFE offering

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OWG aircraft in flight

New Canadian airline, OWG, a subsidiary of Nolinor Aviation, is to deploy Bluebox WOW, the wireless IFE solution from Bluebox Aviation Systems.

Bluebox Wow will deliver IFE content, such as app-free DRM movies and TV as well as a moving map, wirelessly to passengers’ own devices on the Boeing 737 aircraft.

“In the current climate, so much focus is rightly on passenger safety on board. But when we announced OWG, I said our goal is to get travellers excited again,” said Marco Prud’Homme, President of OWG and Nolinor Aviation. “With Bluebox Wow offering movies and other entertainment, passengers can look forward to their time on board being a relaxing and enjoyable experience.”

“Every new deployment is positive for us but this one is particularly special given the state of our industry this year – being part of a new airline intent on providing passengers an exceptional experience on board as they head off to much-anticipated holidays in the sun is very exciting,” said Kevin Clark, CEO of Bluebox.

Launched by Nolinor in July, OWG has since established strategic alliances with Hola Sun Holidays and its sister company Caribe Sol in Quebec to offer direct and dedicated flights to Cuba, with holiday destinations including Cayo Coco, Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero. The new holiday carrier takes its first flight in November flying Canadian vacationers south to Cuba.

September 11, 2020

Avant Aerospace to offer customers AdonisOne IFE system

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Portable IFE (In-Flight Entertainment) System, AdonisOne, is now available from Avant Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of West Star Aviation Holdings.

A self-contained, portable unit that only requires Wi-Fi, AdonisOne has no installation costs, requires no aircraft downtime, has no internet charges and no associated maintenance fees, while also providing a GPS-based moving map system with no extra fees or data consumption.

“The cost of upgrading an aircraft’s cabin can be significant, specifically for how quickly technology changes, and this small, portable unit can provide a top quality in-flight entertainment option instantly at a fraction of the installed price,” stated John Hardy, Avant Aerospace.

July 20, 2020

Inflight Dublin offering limited free trial of Everhub

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Inflight Dublin is giving a helping hand to airlines who need some assistance in getting IFE back up and running now that flights are resuming.

Inflight Dublin is offering its wireless IFE solution Everhub on a six-month trial basis to assist airlines in pausing content and integration costs, whilst providing a high quality and user-friendly IFE experience to passengers.

The Everhub portable wireless server is DO-160G certified and minimises operational costs through its hot-swappable battery configuration and remote loading of content.

“Wireless IFE is continuing to grow in popularity as it minimises touchpoints for passengers and is an affordable option for airlines that want to deliver high-quality content to their passengers. Many airlines are already experiencing the benefits of Everhub, with our innovation programme ensuring that our solutions meet the changing needs of the market,”  commented John White, Inflight Dublin’s CEO.

July 15, 2020

Burrana RISEs to IFE challenges

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Burrana has unveiled its RISE IFE platform, which the company claim approaches traditional IFE challenges in a different way.

“RISE was created to solve airlines’ most challenging issues regarding in-flight entertainment, while providing passengers with an experience unlike any other,” commented David Pook, Vice President of Marketing and Sales Support at Burrana.

The RISE platform is modular and scalable and hardware, software, apps, and services which can be added or removed depending on aircraft type and business need. It is also a natural upgrade to the PAVES system inherited by Burrana following its acquisition of Rockwell Collins’ embedded IFE systems.

“We’ve been really clever about how we’ve architected our software, apps and services”, says Pook. “RISE has completely eliminated the need for time-consuming and expensive change requests, ATPs, and FSATs. Airlines will be able to add or remove apps from aircraft via a simple, web-based tool and make changes to their GUI by themselves, without the need for formal acceptance testing,” said Pook.

RISE sits on a shared hardware and a common 48VDC power backbone and can be configured to include seatback, wireless, or overhead entertainment, as well as in-seat power, or any combination of these.

All displays are 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) resolution and feature High Dynamic Range (HDR), more local storage, and robust processing power, packaged in a very thin (10 mm) and modern design. Each seatback display also supports integrated single-pin audio, Bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC), and the airline’s choice between USB-C or USB-A offering.

The new GUI has been designed to offer a Netflix-like experience using crowd-sourced data, such as social content ratings  and intelligent algorithms (including real-time recommendations and contextual feedback) that adapts to the passenger as they use it.

Another new feature includes the ability to easily create advertising campaigns, with targeted adverts placed in proximity to high value hotspots.

As Pook explained in a virtual demonstration to media, RISE has been built to solve, and thus offers numerous ultra-high-speed content loading options, easier maintenance, and is claimed to be 30% lighter than competitive solutions.

Originally to be launched at this Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), the availability of RISE has been shifted due to the current pandemic and airlines delaying new deliveries. Both RISE Power and RISE 4K overhead are available to offer now, with retrofit on single and twin aisle aircraft starting Q1 2021 and available for linefit installations shortly thereafter. RISE Wireless for Seatback will be market ready in 2021, with retrofit and linefit options from 2022 and 2023 respectively.

June 23, 2020