e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

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http://www.shephard.co.uk/inflight/Default.aspx?Action=-1000945703&ID=0e44474a-41b5-4271-ba08-06...

Pea pops into handheld IFE market

June 7, 2004 - A new handheld IFE system – the Personal Entertainment Appliance (“Pea”), from Californian content management and software development company IMS – has entered the market.



The Pea handheld device – based on commercial off-the-shelf technology and capable of containing 20 to 30 films, 40 audio CDs, eight interactive games, TV programmes, and digital newspapers, magazines and books - is supported by a comprehensive content-management system designed to aggregate and deliver content quickly, securely and economically, enable transactions, and provide usage and system status data. “In other handheld solutions the device is the system,” says IMS CEO Joseph Renton. “Pea is built on a content management infrastructure and is essentially device-agnostic.”



IMS expects to trial Pea with at least one major North American carrier in the summer. The handhelds will feature a 10.4in screen, battery or in-seat power, and 40-60GB of storage for MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio. They will also be configured to include 802.11b/g wireless as an option.



In commercial service, passengers will be offered a basic content package for a fixed rental price, plus an optional 20-30 pay-per-view films. Other applications are expected to include advertising (with rates based on current usage data), passenger polling and inflight shopping.



The devices will be stored in a Pod docking station, in which content will be loaded and batteries recharged. There are two Pod options: with all the required hardware permanently installed on the aircraft, or a serving cart giving the option of on or off-aircraft charging and loading.



For security purposes, both the device and its content are designed to become unusable soon after landing if the Pea is not reunited with the Pod on the aircraft. The content would quickly self-destruct and the proprietary content-loading interface would make it impossible to load fresh material. Similarly, the battery cannot be recharged without using a Pod.



Pea will come with a wide range of early-window content, according to Renton. “We wanted to provide an entertainment package that rivals or exceeds the content on more sophisticated embedded IFE systems but at a fraction of the cost,” he says. "So we set out to assure the availability of early-window content from major studios.”



The system therefore includes a sophisticated security and content-management solution that could result in its entering service with content from at least five major studios, Renton says. Digital rights-management wrappers, physical security on the device itself and logistical security in the supply chain are all used to protect content.



IMS is also aiming for a very high content refresh rate compared with the 30 days of traditional embedded IFE and the 60-90 days of other handheld solutions. “Electronic newspapers could be updated every day,” says Renton, “and movies as often as necessary. We could change some movies every few days if that’s what passenger usage requires.” Pea usage data will be offloaded at the end of each flight, allowing the airline to replace less popular content within a few days via the IMS supply chain.



One of the keys to the supply chain is IMS’s onboard Terminal Data Loader (TDL), which receives fully integrated and encrypted content from hand-delivered removable media such as AIT tapes, DVDs, USB memory sticks and CDs. The media are placed in the TDL while the aircraft is at the gate, and the content is decrypted and loaded to the handheld devices through the Pod.



After landing, usage data will be offloaded via the Pod and TDL, using either 802.11 or GSM cellular to deliver it to the IMS network operations centre. The data will be made available to airline managers via the CabinTrends Web portal.



In another handheld IFE development, Seattle-based APS expects to be able to announce two more orders for its digEplayer before the end of this week. digEplayer is already in service with Alaska Airlines and has been ordered by Canadian low-cost carrier Jetsgo.