Tuning in to in-flight television with Song's new service
By Michael Prager, Globe Staff, 12/21/2003
Airlines have long tried to mask the undeniable fact that to travel, you have to leave home. Back in the '30s, for example, when Pan Am's China Clipper began overseas service, it offered dining on fine china and had beds.
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Analogues of those amenities -- hot food, blankets, and pillows for all -- eventually made it into coach. Other amenities were examples of trying to make flying even better than home: movies, magazines, and service at your seat.
But short of promotional blather and a sitcom or two, television has mostly been left in the living room; until last week, it wasn't available on domestic flights to or from Boston. Last week, however, the Delta Air Lines offshoot Song began offering 24 channels of in-flight TV on a West Palm Beach route, and it expects its 36 planes to have it by March.
On the Boeing 757 I checked out before the inaugural TV flight Monday morning, liquid-crystal display screens had been installed into every seat back. They are rectangular and about 6 inches wide, and they provide good -- if not great -- color images. They're controlled either by switches in the armrest or via the monitor itself, a touch screen that can not only switch channels but can switch over to a music trivia game that pits passengers against one another. You can also punch up the food menu.
Song officials say that once the fleet is plugged in, they will upgrade further so that eventually, the planes will offer pay-per-view shows, streaming MP3 audio that will let passengers assemble their own playlists, an interactive flight map, and perhaps other features.
The 24 channels offered are a broad array of basic cable fare that would please just about any traveler: CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC (but no Fox); the Learning, History, and Weather channels; and the Game Show, Cartoon, and Food networks.
What's missing, of course, are the broadcast networks, which will disappoint some, although fall ratings suggest that segment of the market is shrinking daily. It might be of concern to sports fans ruing the loss of NFL football, but if they time it right, they might catch some action on one of
the four flavors of ESPN. If not, there's always snowboarding on ESPN2. Another component of the in-flight entertainment is 24 channels of music, but it's no different from what you'd get on many airlines. Well, the earphones are different, at least: Instead of the big and cheesy foam-covered earphones of questionable quality, Song gives out ear-buds that passengers are invited to keep. During my brief trial, that was a questionable perk: the first two sets I was given, including one I popped brand new from the bag, worked only on one side. At first I thought it could be a faulty jack at my seat, but as I moved about the cabin trying different ones, I noticed that the plugs aren't a perfect fit for the jacks; eventually, Song might want to try a different style or manufacturer.
I experienced a couple of other glitches as well. At one of my seats, the screen froze as I tried to change video inputs. It had to be rebooted at the central controller, but that can be done individually, without affecting other viewers.
At another seat, I used the armrest to shift my weight around, and before I realized what was happening, I had changed the channel three times. It was a reminder that even as the most ubiquitous symbol of homelife takes to the air, it still isn't quite like home.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
