Lumexis Corporation Update

Press Release:

“On June 22, 2016, due to liquidity constraints, Lumexis Corporation (“Lumexis”) suspended many aspects of its business operations and was forced to terminate the majority of its personnel. Over the past few weeks, the Lumexis Board, Company President (Lou Sharkey) and CFO (Marty Breen) have been actively engaged in a process to find an acquirer for the Company/Assets. Lumexis is currently in discussions with multiple groups regarding a potential transaction. The Company expects to conclude this process in the coming weeks.”

“During this period the Company has been in constant communication with its customers and suppliers. Lumexis management is grateful for all the support received from their customers, supply chain and industry partners during this transition. As more updates and clarification on the future of Lumexis become available, further updates will be openly communicated.”

“Questions to Lumexis may be addressed to ‘lsharkey@lumexis.com’. Please note that due to the volume of inquiries from various interested parties, Lumexis may not be in a position to respond to calls or messages in as timely a manner as we would like.”

Some Relevant History:

If you are new to the IFEC industry you may not know about the elegant fiber optic IFE solution that the Lumexis folks in Irvine developed starting in 2003. We thought you might find some of the highlights from the last decade. Here is a bit of background:

March 2009: US Airways trial of the next generation in inflight entertainment system FTTS (Fiber Optic to the Seat) by Lumexis. Link
November 2009: Lumexis Corporation secures $15 million investment led by Perseus, LLC and wins large airline order. Read the full story.
June 2010: Their first customer, flydubai… 44 B737-800’s will be post delivery modified in the US and that each seat will have a Lumexis display that acts as an entertainment portal with credit card swipe capability. Read the full story.
April 2011: TRANSAERO Airlines of Russia, today joined Lumexis CEO Doug Cline in announcing the airline’s selection of Lumexis’s cutting-edge FTTS (Fiber-To-The-Screen[R]) technology, to begin immediately with full-cabin retrofit of four 373-seat Boeing 777-300s this year and three 522-seat B747-400s starting first quarter of 2012. The full story.
February 2012: Pacific Royale Airways, today joined Lumexis® CEO Doug Cline in announcing the airline’s selection of Lumexis’ cutting‐edge FTTS® (Fiber‐To‐The‐Screen®) technology, to begin building out its fleet of A320 aircraft with five installations in 2012. Read More.
April 2013: Leading international air carrier Turkish Airlines, winner of the coveted Best European Airline Award from Skytrax for two consecutive years, announced that it has selected Lumexis Corporation’s Fiber-To-The-Screen® (FTTS) fiber optic IFEC system for installation into two of its existing A330 fleet aircraft. The full story.
April 2013: Lumexis’s Second Screen concept, we contacted Rich Salter and asked about the product, but first, a few words about what it is. The concept is so simple, you are probably using a similar concept at home while watching TV or reading this email. Sitting in front of almost any work or household screen (TV, computer, whatever) you probably have another connectivity device for checking mail, tweets, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. In other words you are multitasking, because you can. The beauty of the Lumexis Second Screen feature is easy to see. The full Hot Topic.
April 2014: Lumexis has taken a revolutionary step forward in terms of IFE touch screen aesthetics and functionality with the launch of its new Fast Adaptable Swipe and Touch (FAST) graphical user interface (GUI). The full story.
April 2015: “Lumexis has taken another industry-leading step forward with the launch of its unprecedented new iPAX in-flight entertainment (IFE) product – a wireless-streaming in-seat system at the ultra-low price of $1,495 and weight of only 8.9 ounces per seat.” And lets face it, delivering a wireless connectivity cloud solution to seatback IFE is a lot cheaper than running cable bundles of wires to each seat via routers and division multiplexers. But, the really interesting story here is that Lumexis announced the price up front. We do not remember an IFE hardware provider ad that gave prices in our 22 years of publishing – so this is a first. Let’s read on “Some three-fourths of single-aisle aircraft fly on short-to-medium haul routes that could never before benefit from embedded IFEC,” said Lumexis CEO Doug Cline. “That paradigm is turned upside down with iPAX, truly the first cost-effective HD video tool for earning significant new ancillary revenue from offering a diversity of products and services.” Read the full story.
May 2015: Lumexis Corporation today announce that their Lumexis Fiber-To-The-Screen® (FTTS®) In-Flight Entertainment system has been made offerable for linefit on both the 737 NG and 737 MAX families of aircraft. Read the full story.
September 2015: Lumexis Corporation today announced that their Fiber-To-The-Screen® (FTTS®) In-Flight Entertainment system has been selected by Caribbean Airlines for installation on their fleet of B737 aircraft. Read the full story.

Additionally, we should note that the Lumexis Corporation has some of the best employees we have ever worked with. We would like to close this news piece by asking our readers who might have a requirement for some very good technical and business people to consider these folks as potential assets to your companies. If you need more information on how to contact Lumexis see the above press release; however, we will be happy to forward any contact information you require.

Lastly, one of the best parts of working in technology is the association of smart and innovative people who can think how a technology could eventually become a product. In the case of Lumexis, one meeting in the 2004 time-frame clearly remains in our memory. This was a meeting with Doug Cline, Rich Salter and IFExpress. They carried a dissected future IFE computer that interfaced with the fiber optic data network, it had all the participants giddy with a visualized future of inflight entertainment. At the time, this was the newest thing ‘with virtually unlimited’ IFE bandwidth and the discussion and vision of the future could almost be seen as the meeting drifted into the evening. Make no mistake, It is meetings like these in aviation and information technology that are a creative joy to participate in, and events like this that make this industry worthwhile. Stay Tuned!

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 9:55 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with business, FTTS, iPAX, Lou Sharkey, Lumexis, operations, suspend, terminate

Lumexis Corporation Update

Posted by Patricia on Monday, July 25, 2016 at 11:14 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Fiber Optics, FTTS, IFE, IFEC, Lumexis, operations, suspended

Lumexis, IFEC News and Other Stuff!

Lumexis

“It’s been very busy lately,” noted Jon Norris, Lumexis VP, Sales & Marketing, “…because the Boeing 737NG, and the 737MAX have taken a lot of our recent attention!” In case you didn’t know, the FTTS (fiber to the seat) system is a revolutionary high-bandwidth AVOD passenger entertainment, communication and retail platform having the lowest cost of ownership over the life of the system. FTTS is easily upgraded in capacity and functionality at unprecedentedly low cost to maintain ongoing ‘leading edge’ performance and is applicable to every aircraft type in an airline’s fleet. Last year, the Lumexis FTTS system received line-fit approval for Boeing single-aisle aircraft. Line-fit offerability from Boeing speaks for itself. The company is currently pursuing line-fit offerability at Airbus for their single-aisle aircraft as well. Perhaps the most important aspect of line-fit offerability is that airlines can order planes to be delivered with their choice of IFE, making the installation process a little bit faster. When asked about the benefits of linefit offerability Jon Norris said, “We have had a very positive response from airlines since Boeing line-fit offerability was announced which has led to a considerable number of invitations to bid on current and future 737 Next-Generation and MAX IFE RFPs.Achieving linefit on both the 737 NG and MAX is a significant step forward for Lumexis as it gives us access to a market of more than 500 new Boeing 737 aircraft a year at current production rates (with those build rates increasing year-on-year). In addition it reinforces our position as one of the major IFE system suppliers and increases our standing and credibility within the retrofit market as well as with other airframers. Linefit installations are very similar to retrofit installations. , e.g., the FTTS servers installed on the E8 rack in the electronics bay, 28 VDC power supply units installed in the sidewalls (each power supply drives 15 seat displays), fiber cables are run from the servers up to and behind the ceiling panels and then overhead along the cabin and dropped down to the seat groups. As per the retrofit installation FTTS VDUs are installed by the seat manufacturer and are supplied to Renton pre-installed in the seats.”

FTTS uses IFE touch screen aesthetics and functionality with their Fast Adaptable Swipe and Touch (FAST) graphical user interface (GUI). The FAST GUI responds to tablet swipe gestures as well as soft-touch selection of all entertainment menu items providing an exciting and entertaining passenger experience.FAST provides an intuitive feature-rich user interface that makes significant use of images to ensure that passengers can quickly find the IFE content that they’re looking for. With FTTS’s massive 3 TB real-time server library airlines can offer several hundred, full-length, HD movies to every passenger accompanied by unlimited language, sub-titles and captions. FTTS provides exceptional flexibility and ease of GUI modification/customization. The system can feature local news, run e-reader applications, and has pinch and zoom capabilities.

Over the past 18 months Lumexis has also been addressing the need for an ultra-low cost IFE system for single-aisle aircraft. As a result, they launched iPAX in 2015. “Lumexis has taken another industry-leading step forward with the launch of its unprecedented new iPAX™ in-flight entertainment (IFE) product – a wireless-streaming in-seat system at the ultra-low price of $1,495 and weight of only 8.9 ounces per seat.” And lets face it, delivering a wireless connectivity cloud solution to seatback IFE is a lot cheaper than running cable bundles of wires to each seat via routers and division multiplexers. We asked about the functionality of the system and Mr. Norris told IFExpress that iPAX is a wireless/seat-centric hybrid system blending local storage with wireless streaming to optimize available bandwidth and performance. The system even has built in capability to provide a passenger-to-crew ordering system. We also inquired about the wireless WAP efficiency and he told IFExpress that “between 40-50 passengers will be served by each WAP simultaneously which calls for approximately 3 to 4 per each single-aisle plane… obviously determined by the choice of WAP and type of content.” System price was another astounding feature of the iPAX seat display units and the inseat power (2.1A USB) is a Lumexis product that is available as an option.

Lumexis has made some adjustments since the launch of iPAX, e.g., the screen today is ultra HD and slightly larger than it’s predecessor. The iPAX inseat screen for viewing can have an optional 2.1A USB port and credit card swipe, all with standard GUI. The company clearly has the 12 thousand single-aisle retrofit aircraft market clearly in their sites with this product. Lumexis touts that iPAX is half the weight of a standard overhead system.

Currently, Lumexis is on its 4th generation of FTTS (the 3rd generation of which is flying on flydubai, Batik Air and Malindo Air (of the Lion Air Group) and Turkish Airlines. The 4th generation has exactly the same fit and form as its predecessor featuring either 10.1” or 12.1” screen (on single aisle aircraft) and additionally 15.4” and 23” screens for wide body aircraft, mobile processor (2.5 GHz quad-core processor), and uses Android Lollipop for the operating system. This generation of FTTS has increased processing power, offers multi-languages with subtitles, and the interface is absolutely instantaneous. “The beauty of Android is we can take any Android-based App and host it quickly on our system,” said Jon. “We believe this is the highest performance platform on the market today!”

Lumexis is also offering a hybrid system. Airlines can offer FTTS inseat AVOD to their business/first class passengers and iPAX inseat AVOD content to their economy travelers. Lumexis foresees a large demand for this split offering, especially in the Asia-Pacific and China markets.

(We encourage our readers to check out the videos and accompanying data on the Lumexis site – PLWiseman/Publisher & Editor)

IFEC News:

American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) has selected ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global broadband services and technology company, to outfit its new Boeing 737 MAX fleet with ViaSat’s in-flight internet service. The ViaSat in-flight internet service has been recognized with multiple industry awards for delivering the best performing, highest-quality and fastest in-flight internet experience. The service encourages higher passenger engagement per plane by offering an ‘at home’ internet experience when in-flight – with the ability to stream movies, videos, television and music, as well as surf the web, upload pictures to social media, email large files and more. The new American planes will tap into the power of ViaSat’s advanced high capacity Ka-band satellite system, which will include ViaSat-1, ViaSat-2 and ViaSat-3 satellite platforms, and has more capacity in orbit than any other in-flight Wi-Fi provider. American will leverage ViaSat’s first two generation satellite platforms, which together provide more capacity than all of the commercial satellites over North America combined. When the first ViaSat-3 class satellite platform launches in 2019, it will more than double the capacity again. With its capacity-rich satellite platforms, ViaSat is able to deliver the fastest, highest quality in-flight internet service to each connected device on a plane.

Other:

We have been waiting for new BOSE wireless noise cancelling QuietComfort 35’s headphones and QuietControl QC 30 earbuds, and here they are – Bose’s Best Noise-Canceling Headphones Finally Go Wireless
Satellite broadband hardware and service provider ViaSat Inc. on May 24 said it would accelerate investment in its terabit-per-second-throughput ViaSat 3 satellite program and continue to invest in licenses for its airline-connectivity business. – See more
The folks at NOKIA are really on top of airport connectivity (even planes) and you might want to note how they see the value of LTE in airport communications (and possibly aircraft) future in the evolution to LTE.
SITAONAIR sent IFExpress an interesting infographic outlining “What Passengers Want Infligh”t – you can find it here
The following link is to US Underwriters Laboratories (UL) short outline for the future of there Internet of Things (IoT). While not data-rich, the seven-page outline gives the reader a quick and dirty view of the coming business and in their words, “a general introduction to the technologies and standards that are expected to support the continued widespread deployment of the IoT”. While aviation is largely not mentioned, transportation is – you be the judge. It is probably too early to talk of aviation impact but it will happen. Here is the link and here is a short example of the data inside: “Bluetooth and variants—The Bluetooth protocol (based on IEEE 802.15.1) also operates in LAN-based environments at distances typically up to 10 meters, although some Bluetooth-enabled devices will work at distances of up to 100 meters. Bluetooth’s principle advantages are its low rate of power consumption, the capacity to handle multiple devices simultaneously, and its ability to transmit wirelessly without visual line of sight contact. A Bluetooth variant, Bluetooth LE (also known as Bluetooth Smart) offers all of Bluetooth’s communications advantages at significantly reduced power consumption rates.”
Drones will be at airports, as we noted some months ago, however, the un wanted ones may face issues soon. US airports to put drone-disabling system to the test
We hesitate to title this read as the Bangalore Mirror did but five Georgia Tech students “have developed a system that helps long-haul passenger flights dispose of waste generated on board while simulating the functions of the human digestive system.”
“AIRBUS has unveiled 4-meter-long electric-powered airplane manufactured via 3D printing; aircraft is comprised of around 50 3D printed parts and two electric motors.” SpeedNews
Security Tips for International Travelers says it all – nine data travel tips! IT Security Tips for International Travel
Think you have been “pwned” (Look it up!)? This site is really useful and we found one site hacked with a password to be changed! – Have I been pwned? Check if your email has been compromised in a data breach
Staying up on cyber intelligence? There is an app for that – The Threat Brief on the App Store and in Android – The Threat Brief – Android Apps on Google Play
Ever heard of Ian Poole? He is the editor of a terrific technical website called Radio-Electronics.com. If you like EE stuff. Here are a couple good articles he penned – LED Technology: What is a LED? | Light Emitting Diode | Technology Tutorial and Radio Signal Path Loss: Radio Signal Path Loss :: Radio-Electronics.Com All stuff many of our readers like.

Perhaps the best flying motto ever was recently spotted on an editor’s desk: “Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.”

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at 6:07 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with Fiber Optics, FTTS, IFE, Lumexis

APEX EXPO, Portland, Oregon: First Day and More!

Portland Oregon was a great place to hold the recent APEX annual IFEC soiree and IFExpress will deliver a few product summaries in this and the next IFExpress. We plan then to feature in-depth stories about what we saw… and we saw a lot. From a general observational note, the show looked to us as the beginning of an industry and technical turn-a-round. From a technology point of view, the inflight world is changing and new technology is partly responsible. Technology developed for products on the ground, and in the air, is very exciting to us and we will discuss and promote that change as best we can. The other part of the change we observed is you, our readers. The issue here is the attitude of the vendors and airlines. While the melding of ground-based and airborne technology is of great interest, the fact that a whole lot of people are now seeing the journey as a issue, not just the flight itself – the “experience”. How can you not be excited about that? We also want to be sure to say “Thank You” to our clients, advertisers, and all our industry associates – if it weren’t for you, we would not be in business. We apologize for asking so many questions and taking up your valuable time, but we have only one goal – technical truth. Stay Tuned!

First, the Show: “2750 Registrants from 51 Countries, and 207 exhibitors,” so noted new APEX CEO, Joe Leader. The IFEC event in Portland, Oregon this year clearly set out a new vision for the APEX team that now extensively focuses on the “experience” value of IFEC. This is a concept that is being heralded by more organizations as the new trip vision. The “Experience” tag line was noticed in print, on slides, and voiced by almost every show attendant. As noted by Mr. Leader, “We do not take a trip, the trip takes us.” – and there could just be some truth in this observation. Certainly, if travel gets difficult, as it often does, travelers do get an experience but it is frequently negative. When it does become a positive event, as many noted, it will result in a good experience. And, the APEX team see’s their job as helping to facilitate solutions throughout our industry.

Importantly, this positive experience includes a lot more than tickets, inflight movies, or food… a lot more. It includes the flight of course, but one can rationalize that the process of finding a destination, buying a ticket, waiting at the airport, interacting with airline personnel, getting one’s baggage… and so on, are all part of the trip; consequently, IFEC organizations and airlines are focusing on the “experience” moniker, and that is what this show is, and will be about, for some time to come. As a result, we detected a big change in the air this year and only time will tell if the IFEC crowd gets the message and forces change positively. Readers, this is a big deal so we hope you get on board with the concept. Last year alone, the airlines had $29.3B in profits, and that exceeds the previous year’s record of $16.4B. Many travelers say it could be that airline revenues are potentially inverse to joy of the experience… and thus there is a opportunity for the mechanics of change here. One way or another, experiences are being made for more and more customers and APEX now is in the thick of the change surrounding this growth. This ought to get interesting!

We should also say a few words about Joe Leader since we met and talked extensively with him. Joe is one of the most positive humans on the earth – that is a big deal. Why? Because if the new APEX mantra embraces positivism, the boss better be… and as far as we can tell, he is very positive. We asked a few show-goers what they thought and perhaps one discussion with a board member put it best. Michael Childers – APEX Board Member and Tech Committee Chair had this to say: “I think this APEX marks a new direction for this Association with the addition of Joe Leader as APEX CEO. With a full time executive working exclusively for APEX, and one who is technology savvy, we can do things we could not do before. I’m looking forward to working with Joe and with our Technical Director Bryan Rusenko to take technology to a new level of implementation.” So if you meet Joe, and you most certainly will, don’t be put off with the man’s ability to look at the good side of things. We had a few questions about the number of increasingly related meetings and groups that were overtly “experience” focused, and even some competitively so. His answers distanced his position from any competitive posture. Rather, he embraced the common focus and resultant teaming value as a beneficial result of multiple groups seeking a common goal or solution – a solution for a good trip “experience” and a future for many more of them.

With respect to this issue, we obviously, we can’t (and won’t) try to cover a show like APEX with one issue of IFExpress – it can’t be done. Rather, we will cover many of the speakers, vendors, products, meeting and general view of the next generation of IFEC with a lot more data. So, we chose to give you a rundown of tech teasers from many of the vendors we met with, and present a ton of teasers to wet your appetite for future Hot Topics, images, quotes, and product solutions with more to come next issue. And note here, this was a banner year for new stuff and while we did as much research and interviewing as we could, this is an intense and challenging communication job. Thus, we may be sending you a write-up for correction and updates about your products. Your help will produce a better IFExpress, and that is what we are all about. So, here are a number of tempting “bullets of information” or product teasers that impressed us early on:

GuestLogix: Craig Proud – SVP Platform of GuestLogix told us that purchase trends in consumer behavior included digital wallets, self-service retailing, and cashless & paperless payments. Further, he noted the global mobile payment forecast is growing some 30% per year. And if you don’t think some of that growth won’t happen on airplanes, ask yourself if you ever bought anything on a plane with a credit card and then note what you have done on the ground over wi-fi. This may also help generate drivers for inflight Wi-Fi. Hello Amazon Inflight!

The folks at Lumexis told us that they announced an order for 8 B737 FTTS + Screen systems from Caribbean Airlines. Also, they now are the first IFE company to implement the Android Lollipop OS. We think there a few more announcements coming soon too and we see more browser solutions in their future.

Panasonic, the Big Dog in the industry with over $2B in IFEC sales last year, had a ‘banner winning’ at the Pax Choice event. All 5 airline winners in the 13 “Best of..” award categories were using Panasonic hardware (Emirates won 7 of the 13 categories). Further, some 516 aircraft have Panasonic installed connectivity since April of this year with 400 more committed for wi-fi since the Hamburg IFEC show. This chart tells the story! We would love to talk about their industry party with the Portland food trucks but… More later!

BOSE is always a fun visit and we proved that the lightweight 20i portable headphones really make the world of inflight listening very similar to that with the fixed cups. Now, if they would just remove the wires and include a Bluetooth… sorry, we can’t say that!

Telephonix + PDT: The company highlighted the Summit Product Line of (IFEC) equipment for the show and we finally got a hands-on session. The Telefonix Summit line is comprised of state-of-the-art system components designed to enable unique and innovative in-flight connectivity and entertainment solutions. Here are the hardware elements: Cabin ACe Wireless Access Point (WAP), Cabin Pinnacle general purpose airborne server, Cabin Peak pico cell, and Cabin Vista attendant display can be added to enhance existing in-flight entertainment systems or combined to create a unique IFEC solution. More on this later, but in the meantime you might want to read this link… the security stuff intrigued us!

SIE, the folks that know how to get electronic equipment installed and certified on jet aircraft achieved notoriety along with others who provided technology updates and VooDoo doughnuts…

Thales: During an interview with Duc Huy Tran, new VP of Strategy and Marketing, he told IFExpress: “If an airline doesn’t have streaming video, they will have disappointed passengers, and if they don’t have a big enough data pipe they can’t cover the needs… but it has to be cost effective,” he said. “Devices will grow tenfold in the 10 years and the passengers want to be there.” He also told IFExpress “There is a trend toward two-way engagement, not just entertainment,” but he noted, “The more you engage, the more you can monetize,” and that tells the story of the connected aircraft and where this is all going!

The folks at Gogo are pretty B to B focused and as you might guess, they mostly talk to airlines and partners and this accounts for their Crew Connect and Voice tech apps. “It has noise canceling capability in it,” noted Steve Nolan. IFExpress asked about the 2Ku status, and he said; “We are most excited about 2Ku based on the performance we we have seen to date – we are also excited about bringing more bandwidth to the aviation market.” We will have more on this as many folks were talking about their 2Ku system. Visiting Gogo is always a tech trip… and this year they were one of the 5 or so booths that featured some Beacon technology. Further, they also showed robots, 3D printing and the best airplane seats ever… just kidding, they were vibrating massage chairs… with screens.

Lufthansa Systems BoardConnect – What you will see in the link below is one of the early shots of one of the more amazing things to be taken aboard an airplane. Amazing because it delivers streaming Wi-Fi to 50 passengers in approximately 1 Mbps streams, and runs on batteries (or fixed power)! It is about the size of a large book and it works by just turning the device on and placing it in a baggage bin for operation. “Much like your own streaming server, it uses no outside access points and the system is a faction the cost of an installed IFE system,” noted Norbert Müller, Senior Vice President BoardConnect at Lufthansa Systems. “… and the SSD storage holds a lot of movie choices as well.” Here is a picture of the device and we will have more on this one later.

We will have a lot more hot gadgets and stories about them, and yes, more data in the coming months, so if we ran out of room for your story in this issue, be patient! Stay Tuned!

Posted by Patricia on Sunday, October 4, 2015 at 11:05 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with APEX Expo 2015, Bose, Gogo, GuestLogix, Lufthansa Systems, Lumexis, Panasonic Avionics, SIE, Telefonix, Thales

Lumexis FTTS and FTTS Second Screen Selected by Caribbean Airlines For B737 Fleet

Irvine, CA | September 29, 2015– Lumexis Corporation today announce that their Fiber-To-The-Screen® (FTTS®) In-Flight Entertainment system has been selected by Caribbean Airlines for installation on their fleet of B737 aircraft.

“We are delighted to be working with Lumexis to introduce their FTTS IFE system as part of the cabin upgrade project being rolled out across our B737 fleet” said George Reeleder, Caribbean Airlines Vice President Commercial and Customer Service. “FTTS will play a significant role in raising customer satisfaction by delivering our promises in providing the highest standards of service and reliability marked by genuine Caribbean hospitality, commitment to safety and consistent value delivered by passionate people.”

We are extremely pleased to welcome Caribbean Airlines as our latest airline customer,” said Jon Norris, Lumexis Vice President Sales. “In addition to continuing the in-service success of the FTTS system, Caribbean Airlines are the launch customer for FTTS Second Screen™ which enables passengers to use their own tablets and smartphones simultaneously at their seat without interrupting the entertainment running in the FTTS HD monitors.”

Lumexis President and Chief Operating Officer Lou Sharkey adds, “We are delighted to partner with Caribbean Airlines to bring to their passengers our award winning Inflight Entertainment system”.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 10:30 am
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Caribbean Airlines, FTTS, FTTS Second Screen, Lumexis

Jim Bergman (NewSolutionsDesign) on Tradeshows!

Lets face it, tradeshows (… or trade shows, if you prefer) are great for getting out the message but quite often attendees only have a minute or two to get the many passerby’s interested, thus both the overt and subliminal messages are important. Darren Dahl of OpenForum says: “You don’t have to be seeking venture financing to benefit from a well-honed pitch: Connect the business to something listeners already know, avoid jargon, and explain how you solve a problem.” Sounds too simple, and as you might guess, we had more questions. Since the APEX show starts up next week, we thought it would be interesting to talk to a display specialist about delivering messages and write a Hot topic around the “art and science” of generating a successful trade show display. By chance, we ran into an expert recently and we thought our readers might get some good insight about the tradeshow business and the resultant communication requirements from him. His name is Jim Bergman and you might remember him from his days at Teague. Jim has been in the tradeshow business for over 42 years now, so he must have a few things to offer!

1. IFExpress: Jim, many of our readers have known you for years, mostly when you worked at Teague. Tell our readers what you are doing in the exhibit world today and why you like delivering those solutions to companies and folks responsible for displays?

J. Bergman: I worked for Teague for 24 years but before that I had my own exhibit business in Seattle, AIMEX for 18 years. While at Teague one of the accounts that I worked with was Aviation Partners, Inc. They designed, engineered and manufacture the fuel saving Winglets for the Gulfstream II, Falcon 50/900/2000 Series, Hawker800 Series and the Boeing 757-200,767-300, 7 737- 300/500.700.800.900 and the Boeing Business Jets (BBJ).

I currently do their trade shows the largest being NBAA, National Business Aircraft Association. I also do special projects and graphics design for Esterline Control and Communications Systems in Everett, WA. They do Flight Deck instrumentation and switches for the Commercial Aerospace and Business Jet industry as well as Military.

Working with leading companies keeps me abreast of developing technology and stay tuned with what is happening in the Aviation and Aerospace industry.

2. IFExpress: It sounds like you are the correct person to answer the next question. Tell our readers if and how the world of aviation exhibits have changed over the last few years.

J. Bergman: The cost of exhibiting including the design and fabrication phases and all of the supporting services are expensive. For many years most exhibits have been hard walls that have to be crated and shipped. With the new digital printing technology and tension fabrics and lightweight exhibit structures as well as the many display systems, exhibits can have a greater impact and are much more cost effective – ‘more bang for your buck.’ They also knock down in to a smaller package for shipping and storage.

Further, Tradeshow Marketing has been a major tool for introducing new or improved products to the market whether it be consumer products, fitness equipment or aerospace or whatever? Tradeshows allow a businesses to reach markets that they are thinking about expanding into before they make the financial commitment to establish the infrastructure to support or service that market. It also provides exposure to possible investors or other companies that they may align with in the future.

3. IFExpress: For the aviation folks that are new to the world of show exhibits, can you give a few suggestions for designing and building a good show display.

J. Bergman: Determine your budget and financial commitment before attending a trade show. Depending on the size of your booth you will have to consider:

Exhibiting Costs
• The cost of contracting for the exhibit space
• Select a booth size that will suit the products or services that you will be presenting, not too big or too small.
• Design and Fabrication, Crating and Shipping
• All Show Services, ie Electrical, Install and Dismantle Labor
• Travel, Food and Lodging for your staff
• Promotional Materials/Brochure, Handouts etc.

Marketing and Company Presentation
• What would best attract an attendee into your booth (pre-show publicity, direct mail, etc.)
• Present your company’s Brand and Product simply. Don’t over crowd the exhibit, feature a primary product or service that would tie into your primary objective.
• Don’t over staff your exhibit. Provide knowledgeable and a well presented staff.
• Be familiar with the Market that you are trying to reach.

Exhibiting and presenting your product or services at a tradeshow require a great deal of planning and research. Before a company makes a commitment to become involved in marketing their products at a tradeshow they should attend that show or other shows that are similar.

Planning on being involved in a trade show begins with the overall objective of why you want to be at the show and how you would track and measure the results. There are many organizations that you can work with that would assist in setting up those goals and suggest ways to best achieve them.

4. IFExpress: Jim, in your opinion, what reasons make show viewers like one booth over another. In other words, do things like flow, type size, models, handouts, color, noise, and so on matter to show-goers?

J. Bergman: Any tradeshow booth needs to have a well presented Brand/Name and a simple and direct statement of who you are and what you are selling. People that are looking for what you are selling will stop and talk if you present yourself well. Pre-show publicity and marketing that targets some more favorable prospects inviting them to visit your booth or setting up appointments is always effective.

Good Quality branded handouts that are memorable and have a use, work well. Something that has value and that the attendee will take back their office and not give to his kids or grandchildren. Exhibit halls have a definite traffic pattern. This depends on the type of show. Locating your booth on a major aisle next to a prominent company will draw the attendees to your area.

Large impact graphics or projected images depending on show regulations, have a large impact. Motion always draws more attention than static graphics.

5. IFExpress: Do you have a favorite story about shows that you would share with our readers?

J. Bergman: No real favorites, however, having traveled all over the world doing tradeshows it is interesting how the different counties approach tradeshows. What I have enjoyed is meeting the many people involved. I think the most exciting part in doing a tradeshow is working with a company on a new product and having the opportunity of working with their marketing team to provide the best way to introduce the product to the market. Exhibiting the product and seeing the attendee’s reaction is always exciting.

6. IFExpress: After all these years, do you have one you remember as a favorite, and why?

J. Bergman: When I had my company, AIMEX back in the early 80’s (not sure of the exact year) I had the opportunity to work with companies that were of the ‘dot com’ era and startups. One of those being Microsoft. We were requested to present a concept for their first tradeshow exhibit. I presented it to their marketing manager when there were only a very few people in the company. It was an exciting to be involved with them during that period.

Readers might want to take some of Jim’s suggestions to APEX and see if their booths have the ‘right stuff’. You can reach Jim at his company, NewSolutionsDesign if you have more questions or inquiries: 360.387.8008, or cell/425.442.5855.

PORTLAND PREVIEW

1. Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems (AES) – the leading provider of intelligent aircraft cabin power solutions – will showcase its latest innovative offerings at APEX 2015. Visit Stand 1009 to view a SmartTray™ demonstration and learn how Astronics is revolutionizing the passenger experience by integrating PED power and an ergonomic tray table to provide airline passengers the power and convenience they desire.

In addition to the revolutionary powered tray table, Astronics AES is showcasing their latest generation of PED power solutions. The newest in-seat power solution provides 110VAC 60Hz combined with high power USB to up to three passengers simultaneously, making it possible charge their PED devices while in use! This is accomplished in the smallest and lightest form factor ever introduced to the market by increasing the power efficiency of the product.
Finally, Astronics AES will be showing its progress on USB 3.1 and Wireless Charging solutions for the aircraft cabin market. These game changing technologies are sweeping across the consumer electronics industry and will soon be available on aircraft; all from the makers of the industry leading EmPower® in-seat power systems. Call today (+1 425 702 4943) to schedule an appointment.

2. Rockwell Collins is investing in a powerful portfolio of solutions to help airlines engage, entertain and empower passengers. With flexible IFEC solutions and applications, paired with the latest in Ka-band connectivity, Rockwell Collins delivers the ultimate flight experience for passengers, and it is backed by worldwide service and support that delivers flexibility and state-of-the-art engineering. Experience Rockwell Collins’ newly redesigned, more hands-on exhibit at APEX 2015 to learn how the full breadth of its cabin solutions make passengers’ journeys even more comfortable and enjoyable, no matter where they travel.
Visit Rockwell Collins’ booth #1000 to see:
● Cabin Connect suite of connectivity services, featuring Inmarsat’s GX Aviation for the most extensive coverage of airline routes and the fastest broadband in the skies, as well as applications for crew connectivity, real-time credit card authorization and wireless in-flight entertainment.
● PAVES Wireless, bringing Wi-Fi accessible content aboard the flight
● PAVES On-demand, delivering seat-centric IFE through an intuitive touchscreen HD seatback interface, as well as overhead broadcast
● PAVES Broadcast, featuring a wider array of content options for passengers than previous systems
● PAVES PSS is a lightweight, low-cost reading light and cabin crew call system with optional USB charging port. It is a direct replacement for existing systems that are less compatible with modern in-flight entertainment (IFE) system upgrades. Rockwell Collins will be onsite Tuesday, Sept. 29, through Thursday, Oct. 1, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. We welcome the chance to schedule a time for a demonstration or to just talk about your needs and requirements. Email CabinSystemsEvents@rockwellcollins.com to arrange a personal meeting and product demonstration. When requesting your meeting, please let Colleen know which products you would like to discuss.

3. PXCom will unveil new destination content at Booth #928. PXCom helps companies in the public transport sector, IFE manufacturers, by transforming their existing passenger entertainment systems into interactive media, and connect them with local tourism advertisers.

4. Lumexis
The Lumexis booth (#413) will feature the following:
FTTS: Fiber-To-The-Screen® technology provides a truly superior performance IFE system for passengers with unmatched capability, exceptional customization flexibility and greatest capacity with highest reliability.

iPax: Revolutionary ultra-low cost, ultra-light weight in-seat revenue generation and entertainment platform for single aisle aircraft.

FTTS Second Screen: Enables passengers to use their own tablets and smartphones simultaneously at their seat without interrupting the entertainment running on the FTTS HD monitors.
For more information on our products and services please visit our website.

5. And lastly, for you APEX show-goers, here a few links of the Portland Central Eastside neighborhood that you need to take along.

Oregon Convention center – Parking and directions | Oregon Convention Center
Map of Portland Rail Service
Portland Map with Zoom Capability

OTHER NEWS

1. OK, this is a reach but first you have to read this news release: (Inmarsat has joined forces with Deutsche Telekom to provide in-flight broadband services for European airlines and passengers, with Lufthansa set to become the first airline to trial the LTE/satellite-based service in 2017.) The new European satellite and LTE cell capability can be summed up thusly “…this will be the first aviation connectivity network in Europe powered by both LTE and satellite combined,” Here’s the link. This is the key: “The London-based mobile satellite communications service provider is collaborating with the German operator to develop the European Aviation Network, which aims to combine satellite connectivity from a new Inmarsat S-band satellite with a new LTE-based ground network run by Deutsche Telekom in the same frequency.” The satellite company (Inmarsat) said the new GX network will be able to provide downlink broadband speeds of up to 50 Mbps and uplink speeds of up to 5 Mbps. The services will be primarily targeted at customers on the move on land, at sea and in the air. We note that Leo Mondale proposed this Inmarsat/LTE effort back in September, 2014 and here is his presentation (a good read). ‎ While we won’t speculate on a solution like this for the US, we wonder if airlines with their desire for more profits today will eventually offer no-increased-seat-prices-for-planes-with-pax-voice-connectivity?

2. The recent US Department of Transportation backing of the use of mobile phones during flights, stating “if safe and secure,” the department could let airlines make their own decision on mobile phone use inflight. Here is a Quote provided by Kevin Rogers, CEO, AeroMobile:

“It’s promising to hear the recommendation from the Transport Department’s Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection that airlines should be allowed to decide whether to allow voice calls inflight in the US. Across the rest of the world, airlines decide whether to allow mobile phone use, including voice calls, inflight and we believe this should also be the case in the US.

We are hopeful the FCC will rule it is safe and secure to use mobile phones inflight and lift the current ban.

We look forward to the outcome of this debate. We hope US airlines will be able to benefit from the same levels of onboard connectivity as their foreign counterparts in future.”

Lastly, if you wish to contact the IFExpress team during APEX here is our information:

Patricia Wiseman: cell +1.206.229.7899 or email plwiseman@gmail.com

Terry Wiseman: cell: +1 206.229.7890 or email terry.wiseman@gmail.com

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at 7:07 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with APEX 2015, Astronics, Deutsch Telekom, Inmarsat, Jim Bergman, Lumexis, NewSolutionsDesign, Rockwell Collins, USDOT

Lumexis Boeing Next-Generation 737 & 737 MAX Line-Fit Announced!

First, you might want to read the announcement from Lumexis about their successful line-fit approval for Boeing single-aisle aircraft here.

Next, this is a big deal in the inflight entertainment business and it has been at least 15 years since we noted anything this important in IFEC! While Lumexis has completed some 70+ Boeing on-site retrofits for 5 airlines, this announcement will make the installation a bit faster and, we note, Boeing offerability speaks for itself. Most important though, airlines can order planes to be delivered with their choice of IFE. To get a better feeling for the internal impact of this announcement we asked a few employees at Lumexis about the deal. First, here is what Jon Norris (Lumexis Vice President Sales) told IFExpress:

IFExpress: Can you tell us a little about the process of becoming Boeing Approved for your Lumexis System, things like Boeing Requirements, installation requirements, where the installations will occur, what condition you folks will receive the planes in, and how long the process will take (roughly)?

Norris: Lumexis has been working closely with Boeing to keep them updated on the FTTS IFE system and our successful post-delivery modification programs on B737s since installations started back in 2010. Following the signing of a Technical Service Agreement Lumexis has worked with Boeing’s Cabin Systems Technology Center to agree and define system and installation requirements as well as evaluate the FTTS technology for compliance with FAA and Boeing regulations. The FTTS installation will be completed as part of the regular linefit flowline production process at the 737 production line in Renton, WA.

IFExpress: We have visited a couple of B737 installations in Everett, WA, and we assume the installation process will differ from that of a retrofit installation – can you describe in some detail the difference?

Norris: Boeing installations will be very similar to the retrofit installation, e.g., an additional shelf will be installed on the E8 rack in the electronics bay for the FTTS servers, 28 VDC power supply units will be installed in the sidewalls (each power supply drives 15 seat displays), fiber cables are run from the servers up to and behind the ceiling panels and then overhead along the cabin and dropped down to sidewall disconnects. As per the retrofit installation FTTS VDUs are installed by the seat manufacturer and are supplied to Renton pre-installed in the seats.

IFExpress: Please tell our readers what airlines have said about the Boeing approval and why do you think it will be a game changer?

Norris: We have had a very positive response from airlines since Boeing linefit offerability was announced which has led to a considerable number of invitations to bid on current and future 737 Next-Generation and MAX IFE RFPs. Achieving linefit on both the 737 NG and MAX is a significant step forward for Lumexis as it gives us access to a market of more than 500 new Boeing 737 aircraft a year at current production rates (with those build rates increasing year-on-year). In addition it reinforces our position as one of the major IFE system suppliers and increases our standing and credibility within the retrofit market as well as with other airframers.

IFExpress: Could we get a few team quotes from your people/management?

“Boeing qualification and approval of the IFE boxes (LRUs) differs from FAA STC retrofit approval, since Boeing is concerned about proper functional operation as well as all safety aspects of the boxes on their aircraft, so the demonstration of functionality and safety qualification for line-fit is extensive,” said Rich Salter Lumexis Chief Technical Officer.

“The Lumexis team is delighted with the significant achievement of having gained Boeing’s confidence in our company’s leading edge FTTS system and team,” said Doug Cline, Lumexis Chief Executive Officer.

Lumexis President and Chief Operating Officer Lou Sharkey adds, “This will make Lumexis the first new IFE company to be approved by Boeing in many years. We are immeasurably pleased and appreciative of this recognition.”

“The FTTS system is a revolutionary high-bandwidth AVOD passenger entertainment, communication and retail platform having the lowest cost of ownership over the life of the system. FTTS is easily upgraded in capacity and functionality at unprecedentedly low cost to maintain ongoing ‘leading edge’ performance and is applicable to every aircraft type in an airline’s fleet.”

IFExpress: Could you tell our readers about the time and effort that went into this effort?

Norris: Considerable airline interest is required before Boeing will consider entering a Technical Service Agreement (TSA) with a new IFE supplier. We are fortunate to have secured a couple of customers (flydubai and Lion Air) who between them have more than 350 737s on order.

IFExpress: Lastly, what will the benefit be to airlines and customers?

Norris: FTTS is the perfect system to both entertain airline passengers (featuring dynamic language and Closed Caption selections from dozens of available languages) and to maximize ancillary revenue for services and products. Only FTTS is proven in-service to support full cabin streaming of HD video content to 500+ passengers simultaneously.

“Boeing has worked closely with Lumexis through the offerability process to evaluate the FTTS technology on Boeing 737 platforms,” said Mike Murphy, chief project engineer for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

For more information, please contact Jon Norris, VP Sales; (+1) 949 486 7011; jnorris@lumexis.com

There you have it, a new Boeing offerable IFE vendor, and, you can bet this will change the marketplace. IFExpress will be there to keep our readers up to date on this industry happening. Stay Tuned!

For those who eschew inflight telephony and use it outside the US, be advised that a relatively new, technology-based Utah company, Cypher may be on the trail of a software-based, background noise canceling technology for your phone. Basically, the technology isolates the speaker’s voice and eliminates the background totally. Cypher has partnered with CEVA, for cellular platform IP and DSP licenses, that will help offer its technology to smartphones, tablets and the like. The combined solution adds Cypher’s voice-isolation software with the CEVA-TeakLite-4DSP for inclusion in devices. The Cypher product is not in any commercial devices today but is talking to chip-makers and OEM’s. What is amazing and potentially applicable to onboard aircraft use is the fact that Cypher’s patented voice isolation technology eliminates more than 99 percent of background noise and also improves user speech recognition and, as one report notes, “… it cuts the word error rate by 40 percent in noisy environments. Cypher showed as much as 17 times more background noise reduction than today’s most popular cell phones, according to the company. Overall, the results show a virtually complete elimination of background noise with accompanying improvement in audio quality.” Stay Tuned on this one…

Looking for a predictive app that lets you in on potential aircraft seat fares and will alert you to deals, and acts as a way to get you a seat deal? Look no further. Hopper is sort of an app-based travel agent. You can find it in Android and iOS here. We liked that the app looks at various carriers and helps you to make the booking.

PORTLAND PREVIEW

This update is booze related, so if you find yourself in Portland with the need for a gin & tonic, here is your chance to “do the West Coast Thing.” Look for Portland produced Aviation Gin for your G&T, and yes, we note it because it is named “Aviation.” The small batch product is reportedly made with interesting additives like sarsaparilla and lavender. Happy flying.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 at 4:58 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with 737MAX, Boeing, CEVA, Cypher, FTTS, Hopper, Linefit, Lumexis, Next-Generation 737, offerability

Lumexis FTTS Now Selectable for Linefit on Boeing Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX

Irvine, CA | August 31, 2015– Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Lumexis Corporation today announce that the Lumexis Fiber-To-The-Screen® (FTTS®) In-Flight Entertainment system is now offerable for linefit on both the Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX families of aircraft.

“The Lumexis team is delighted with the significant achievement of having gained Boeing’s confidence in our company’s leading edge FTTS system and team,” said Doug Cline, Lumexis Corporation Chief Executive Officer. “We are most appreciative of their supportive and collaborative offerability team, and we look forward to seeing the first FTTS system installed on the 737 production line in the very near future.”

“Boeing has worked closely with Lumexis through the offerability process to evaluate the FTTS technology on Boeing 737 platforms,” said Mike Murphy, chief project engineer for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “This is an offering which can be selected immediately by our worldwide airline customers.”

Lumexis President and Chief Operating Officer Lou Sharkey adds, “This will make Lumexis the first new IFE company to be approved by Boeing in many years. We are immeasurably pleased and appreciative of this recognition.”

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at 2:07 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with 737 MAX, Boeing offerability, FTTS, Lumexis, Next-Generation 737

flydubai and Lumexis Extend Partnership

Irvine, CA | June 29, 2015– The Lumexis Corporation today announced that Dubai-based airline flydubai will continue to use the award-winning Fiber-To-The-Screen® (FTTS®) In-Flight Entertainment system for its follow-on order of 11 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft on order for 2016 and 2017. The announcement extends the strong partnership which began in 2010 as flydubai became Lumexis’s launch customer.

“flydubai continues to invest in the latest technology to ensure that our passengers are getting the best onboard experience,” said Daniel Kerrison, flydubai’s Vice President Inflight Product. “Being the launch customer for the FTTS system, we were very happy with what it had to offer and we look forward to rolling out the new 4th generation of the system which will enter service with flydubai from May 2016.”

The award-winning Fiber-To-The-Screen® (FTTS®) In-Flight Entertainment system has been part of the flydubai experience since 2010, providing passengers with over 1,300 hours of television shows, audio, games and movie titles in Arabic, English, Hindi and Russian. Selected for its light weight and cutting-edge technology, the efficient HD system with the unique FTTS fiber optic network is half the cost and weight of earlier generation, copper-based systems. As a result, the airline could achieve lower fuel burn while generating ancillary revenue.

“The Lumexis team is delighted to be continuing our partnership with flydubai,” said Lou Sharkey, Lumexis President and Chief Operating Officer. “With their flexible service and revolutionary High Definition IFE system, flydubai has consistently set new benchmarks for inflight customer experience”.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 4:22 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with fiber optic, flydubai, FTTS, Lumexis

Lumexis FTTS Now Linefit Offerable on Boeing Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX

Irvine, California | May 12, 2015– Lumexis Corporation today announce that their Lumexis Fiber-To-The-Screen® (FTTS®) In-Flight Entertainment system has been made offerable for linefit on both the 737 NG and 737 MAX families of aircraft.

“Lumexis has worked closely with Boeing through their Technical Services Agreement (TSA) process to develop and apply the FTTS technology on Boeing 737 platforms,” said Jon Norris, Lumexis Vice President Sales. “This is an offering which can be selected immediately by Boeing’s worldwide airline customers.”

Lumexis President and Chief Operating Officer Lou Sharkey adds, “After 5 years of numerous retrofit installations on both wide-body and narrow-body airframes, the Lumexis team is so proud to have achieved linefit offerable status on Boeing’s highest production 737 models.”

Posted by Patricia on Friday, May 15, 2015 at 1:18 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with 737, 737 MAX, Boeing offerability, FTTS, Linefit, Lumexis

Two More From Hamburg

At AIX we had an interesting discussion about NFC and while at the IFPL booth, the IFExpress team got an education. Geoff Underwood, the CEO, spent time on the subject and if you are lacking a bit of understanding in the “world of cashless retail,” you are not alone. IFPL has a huge background in the world of cashless inflight purchasing and has developed a massive block of related technology and “…are really the experts on it in the IFE industry,” he noted. To try to clear up a bit of the “cashless” quagmire, we asked Geoff to paint a better picture of the technology:

“Modern credit cards support three technologies: Magnetic Swipe, Chip & Pin, and Contactless (NFC). Many cards in the US still have just the Magnetic Swipe but that technology is being phased out starting in Oct 2015. In every country that uses Chip and Pin or Contactless technology, they saw a 95% reduction in credit card fraud immediately when they changed to Chip and Pin. It is already in use in almost every country outside the US. The user slides the card into a very secure reader, and enters a security (PIN) code to validate the payment. But, due to the high levels of security required, the hardware cost of Chip and Pin is considered to be prohibitively high for most IFE applications.

The Contactless solution (note the radiation lines logo) or “Tap and Pay” solution is the one that will most probably be adopted in future IFE systems, because the hardware costs are much lower. To buy a product, all the customer has to do is touch the reader with their credit card, and the payment transaction takes place wirelessly, with no PIN or signature. At the moment contactless payments are limited to low value purchases (about $20 per transaction plus a daily cap), so it is inherently secure. The $20 limit meets the needs of most purchases on board, such as movies, drinks etc., and you will need a payment server, a suitable App on the IFE system, and the IFPL contactless reader connected via USB, noted Geoff. With the IFPL reader customers will have the opportunity to use a ‘Mobile Wallet’ to make their payment. Many phones are NFC enabled (such as the Apple Pay system), so they can just tap the reader with their phone and make the payment that way.”

In the future, the $20 limit will be eliminated by the use of mobile wallets and live connectivity to the ground. However, these higher value purchases will require PIN entry to authorize the payment. A mobile wallet makes this easy because the mobile phone user can enter the PIN during the transaction. We also should note that all of these technologies are available to the flight crew today for inflight purchasing with handheld devices, but we are talking about inseat installations here.

IFPL has developed a fully wireless contactless payment system for airlines that do not have an IFE system, and has recently developed a USB-powered contactless reader for Thales that communicates transaction data to the payment server over a wired network. Noted Geoff: “Both Apple Pay and Google Wallet are compatible with the IFPL solution as well, which makes NFC the future cashless solution of choice!”

A few other neat solutions we saw at the IFPL booth should also be mentioned. Our cover shot shows a standard, but illuminated, USB 2.0 receptacle. Not only does the light help find the socket itself, it accepts plugs reversibly (either side up works) which solves the problem of trying to get the plug the right way up. And if there is a plug/socket interface problem or short, the light changes from white to red. “We’ve seen a few copies already. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but we’re confident they’ve all missed out on the ‘secret sauce’,” noted Mr. Underwood, with a smile…

Lastly, we also saw the first miniature USB 3 “C” jack which is a big future trend and it would not surprise us if this jack eventually provides a replacement for installed USB 2.0 systems, as the USB 3 “C” jacks can easily cope with iPad charging amperage.

Telefonix

As an introduction, Telefonix is a design, manufacturing and management company with a history of more than 25 years of innovation in this industry. We’ve heard a lot of buzz over the last year about their partnership with PDT, a product design and development firm, and most recently about their launch of the Summit IFEC product platform. We talked to them during the show noting that some of the team was headed to China after AIX – more on that later. The company was founded on the strength of its retractable cabling technology. You remember the inflight telephone handset retract mechanisms? But with over 60 patents issued to date, they have become a leader in technology development and execution for complex mechanical and electrical assemblies. And yes, they are in the systems business as well, but more on that later too.

Telefonix has manufacturing facilities located in Illinois and manufacturing partners in Asia, allowing the company to translate almost any design into a reliable product deliverable. With the company’s partnership with PDT, the complexity of the products offered has been evolving as together the two companies now offer IFEC manufacturers who are creating new or next-gen solutions a total product development solution: from user research to design, mechanical and electrical engineering, software development, documentation and certification, prototyping through to manufacturing.

And speaking of the Far East, They were a sponsor and host of the very recent 3rd In-Flight Connectivity Technology Conference in Shanghai, China, and we heard from Mike Kuehn, President. He told IFExpress that the Telefonix team (Telefonix+PDT) is very active in helping to change and improve China’s inflight connectivity market. Their recent conference there, attended by all of China’s airlines, “…is just the beginning,” noted Mr. Kuehn. Here are a couple questions we asked Mike:

Q) Who is the target product market and are you focusing your sales efforts on the IFEC suppliers (resellers) or the airlines – Is China a big future market in your view?

A) Telefonix is focusing its sales efforts on the IFEC suppliers and OEMs interested in retrofit and line fit equipment installation and remains a B2B hardware supplier and not marketing solutions directly to the airlines.

We view China as a large growth market for IFEC in general, with passenger traffic increasing and the services offered onboard maturing. As your readers may know, I chaired both days of the ICT conference in Shanghai where discussion of the 2016 market took place, and which is something we look forward to participating in. We recognize the timing and regulatory issues in China and are focused on building the right network and relationships as the IFEC market continues to grow in China.

Q) What are the benefits to the IFE supplier/airline in selecting the Summit Line? Is it time to market, lower cost, etc.?

A) The Summit product line is a natural evolution of our traditional custom design service offerings. The product line was developed as a set of system building blocks that can be leveraged as designed or be customized as a part of any customer program. The Telefonix advantage with the Summit product line (See attached 5 data sheets) is that we are providing innovative product packaging of new terrestrial technology, which allows overall cost savings and performance improvements as it relates to services offered by streaming IFE and connectivity providers. For example, the integration of the Cabin ACe antennas in the access point chassis allows a reduction in overall kit costs and reduces the complexity in the maintenance. Our Cabin Pinnacle product, which is a server that can support streaming media and connectivity simultaneously, is built on the latest roadmap of Intel processors and is designed to support the next generation of processors in the Intel suite without a total redesign of the unit, thereby providing future proofing for customers since obsolescence will be less of an issue.

At the end of the day, cost is always a factor, but it is far from the key differentiator in this market. Overall, the Summit product line is one built upon leading edge technology and designed to allow customers to upgrade more easily and with less certification implications than legacy hardware. Beyond the hardware itself, Telefonix is committed to continuing technology evolution and providing ongoing product support for our customers. We have a long and proven record of customer support and this customer focus has not changed with this new line of products.”

Q) What are the advantages the Summit Line has over other servers, WAPS, Pico Cells and is there any specific new technology in the WAP our readers should know about?

A) The technology used in the Cabin ACe WAP has the advantages of supporting 802.11ac protocol used in the newest client devices. We have in our roadmap to update the platform to Wave 2 later this year, thus supporting client devices that are not even available in the consumer market today. In addition, the radio engine utilizes Virtual Controller technology that allows adaptive, self-organizing wireless grouping across multiple units installed within an aircraft. What this means to the service provider is the virtual controller can coordinate, store and distribute the settings required to regulate and manage the Wi-Fi network. This is of particular importance when the client devices are not uniformly placed within the cabin – we can groom the traffic and spread the clients across multiple access points, thus improving performance since no one access point will get overloaded with traffic. We have also considered various installation needs in our design, for example including an internal antenna in our standard unit, but offering an external antenna if needed, and designing both 28VDC and 115V versions of this product.

In the Cabin Peak (Pico Cell) product, the software technology implemented in the base station transceivers is patented by our partner. The software forces a user’s device to select the onboard radio versus selecting a mobile operator’s base station outside of the aircraft. If the user is not registered for the connectivity service, the radio will ‘hold’ the client device in place and not let them roam onto another base station. Telefonix believes this will negate the requirement for the Cabin RF Management Unit being deployed today, thus reducing per aircraft equipment and installation costs. Given that pico-cell usage is geographically limited due to regulations, the voice service is not the real key for this unit, but rather the key is the ability for a user to log on using their smart phone in its native technology and have seamless billing back through the user’s mobile operator. This unit contains patented technology and has the potential to bring additional users to the IFC market.

The Telefonix Cabin Pinnacle Server features the latest hard drive technology with a firm roadmap for the future that will allow the unit to grow with both technology evolution and market demands. The product features the latest in thermal design concepts to ensure operation in numerous installation scenarios. These are just some highlights of the features we are providing to our customers with the new Summit product line.

Q) Where are these new products made?

A) At the present time, these products will be manufactured in the US at our facility in Waukegan, IL. Should the need for a 2nd manufacturing location arise, we will evaluate that need in conjunction with the location of demand to determine where else we might want to manufacture. These products have all been designed in the US by Telefonix and PDT engineers. While we have utilized some existing components in our hardware and have collaborated with various manufacturers and partners in the integration of their hardware into our solutions, the overall product architecture and design oversight was our own.”

Q) Is each component of the Summit Line black label today?

A) The base designs of each of the products are complete and the Cabin ACe WAP unit is currently in test. The remaining products are being customized with customer input and will have unique test and launch cycles depending on the level of customization required by each of the customers.

Our Cabin Peak pico cell, which was developed with our partner, is being used in multiple ground applications and we are currently packaging the technology and will customize it based upon customer requirements.

Q) These products were recently launched but what is their present design/manufacturing/airline status?

A) Our launch at AIX was focused on the products reaching a level of design maturity and test that made them viable platforms or solutions for customer consideration. While we are currently in talks with a number of different parties regarding this hardware, we cannot disclose the launch customers at this time.

Q) Are any of the Summit Line components flying today, either in test applications or with passengers?

A) This hardware is not yet flying, however we are in discussions with several parties regarding test and production level applications. We will, of course, let you know as soon as we have the ability to share any news on this point!

IFExpress readers, the Telefonix story is just unfolding so we plan to follow both the Summit Line and the story in China – Stay Tuned.

Here are some additional product and conference attachments:

IFC pdf from the ITC in China

Cabin Vista pdf

Lumexis Corporation today announced that their Lumexis Fiber-To-The-Screen® (FTTS®) In-Flight Entertainment system has been made offerable for line-fit on both the 737 NG and 737 MAX families of aircraft. “The Lumexis team is delighted with the significant achievement of having gained Boeing’s confidence in our company’s leading edge FTTS system and team,” said Doug Cline, Lumexis Corporation Chief Executive Officer. “We are most appreciative of their supportive and collaborative offerability team, and we look forward to seeing the first FTTS system installed on the 737 production line in the very near future.” Noted Jon Norris, VP Sales: ”Lumexis has worked closely with Boeing through their Technical Services Agreement (TSA) process to develop and apply the FTTS technology on Boeing 737 platforms.” Lou Sharkey, Lumexis President and CEO, noted: “This is an offering which can be selected immediately by Boeing’s worldwide airline customers. After 5 years of numerous retrofit installations on both wide-body and narrow-body airframes, the Lumexis team is so proud to have achieved line-fit offerable status on Boeing’s highest production 737 models.” Congratulations Lumexis, this is really an event for the company and portends great things!

Posted by Patricia on Monday, May 11, 2015 at 8:11 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with Boeing, Chip and PIN, IFPL, line-fit, Lumexis, NFC, PDT, pico cell, router, server, Telefonix, wireless access points

Lumexis iPAX and AIX IFEC Booths Not to be Missed!

First, we wanted to feature a Lumexis roll-out story about one coming big market change – ultra-low cost IFE for single-aisle aircraft. Rather than tell the story, here is the Press Release that does:

“LUMEXIS LAUNCHING ULTRA-LOW COST IN-SEAT IFE SYSTEM AT AIRCRAFT INTERIORS EXPO 2015”

“Lumexis has taken another industry-leading step forward with the launch of its unprecedented new iPAX™ in-flight entertainment (IFE) product – a wireless-streaming in-seat system at the ultra-low price of $1,495 and weight of only 8.9 ounces per seat.” And lets face it, delivering a wireless connectivity cloud solution to seatback IFE is a lot cheaper than running cable bundles of wires to each seat via routers and division multiplexers.

But, the really interesting story here is that Lumexis announced the price up front. We do not remember an IFE hardware provider ad that gave prices in our 22 years of publishing – so this is a first. Let’s read on “Some three-fourths of single-aisle aircraft fly on short-to-medium haul routes that could never before benefit from embedded IFEC,” said Lumexis CEO Doug Cline. “That paradigm is turned upside down with iPAX, truly the first cost-effective HD video tool for earning significant new ancillary revenue from offering a diversity of products and services.”

The question is: Why this product now? Obviously to Lumexis, product size, product weight, required power, Wi-Fi content distribution, price, and untapped market size are all pretty good answers. We asked Jon Norris, Lumexis VP Sales, about the Lumexis project and he told IFExpress: “Both the retrofit and linefit installation markets are firmly in our sights.”

Next, we wanted to see why this product is designed for the single-aisle market. Let’s look at market size first. Boeing’s Current Market Outlook gives a total single-aisle market size in 2013 of around 13,580 aircraft and that number is probably around 14,000 planes today for lack of a current market study. If we assume 86% of them either do not have IFE or have overhead IFE installed as Jon mentioned to IFExpress, that total market number is something like 12,040 single-aisle planes… not a bad single-aisle market solution!

And the future looks even better, First Quarter 2015 (adjusted), Boeing 110 Orders and 184 deliveries (of which, 121 were single-aisle). First Quarter 2015 results (adjusted), Airbus, 109 Orders, 134 Deliveries (of which, 126 were single-aisle).

Single-aisle deliveries for the first quarter 2014, Airbus 134 (approximately 44.6 per month), Boeing 121 single-aisle deliveries (approximately 40.3 per month)… for a grand total of 87 single-aisle planes delivered per month this year so far by both, and the rates are going up. Together Boeing and Airbus are going for a rough total of 100 single-aisle planes per month 2017. And it is, by the way, a record year for both plane-makers and if Lumexis has its’ way, it will be boom year for them too.

The press release went on to say: “The Lumexis team has established yet another benchmark in commercial aviation with this unique revenue-generating tool,” added Lou Sharkey, President and Chief Operating Officer. “Fully-installed, it costs less than a conventional overhead monitor system and weighs half as much, so the revenue it generates drops directly to the bottom line.”

We asked about the functionality of the system and Mr. Norris told IFExpress that iPAX is a wireless/seat-centric hybrid system blending local storage with wireless streaming to optimize available bandwidth and performance. The system even has built in capability to provide a passenger-to-crew ordering system. We also inquired about the wireless WAP efficiency and he told IFExpress that “between 40-50 passengers will be served by each WAP simultaneously which calls for approximately 3 to 4 per each single-aisle plane… obviously determined by the choice of WAP and type of content.” System price was another astounding feature of the iPAX seat display units and the inseat power (2.1A USB) is a Lumexis product that is available as an option. All in all, Lumexis has laid down a price gauntlet and we guess there will be a new trend at AIX – Low Cost IFE Solutions. Stay Tuned on this one.

Lastly, the news release said: “We invite you to visit Stand 4C50 during the Aircraft Interiors EXPO (14th-16th April 2015 at the Hamburg Messe) and allow us to demonstrate why Lumexis is The Future of IFE.”

Aircraft Cabin Systems
2D28

Aircraft Cabin Systems is leading the IFE industry with AC and DC powered aircraft qualified HD LCD Monitors. We design, engineer, qualify and manufacture our HD LCD Monitors from the ground up to meet & exceed DO-160 testing requirements. ACS offers a wide range of sizes from 5.7” to our NEW 65” UHD (4K) LCD Monitor that meets Section 16 Current Harmonics/Variable Frequency Power testing requirements which supports the B787, A350 and A380 aircraft platforms. ACS is the first to offer our customers a true HD “Theater in the Sky” viewing experience displaying 1080p content interfacing with ALL the industry CMS/IFE system architectures. ACS currently carries the most FAA PMA HD LCD Monitors in the industry; no other company comes close to our qualification/certification experience and customer support/responsiveness.

Contact: Ken Muse, Ken@AircraftCabinSystems.com, C: +1.425.785.7398

Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems (AES)
Hall 2, Stand B30

Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems (AES), the world leader of in-seat power and intelligently managed power systems, does it again and is introducing their latest generation EmPower^® system product line – the 1191-4X! This new in-seat power system (ISPS) is designed to meet the ever increasing power needs of passengers and provides up to three 110VAC and three high-power USB outlets, allowing passengers the ability to simultaneously use and charge their tablets, smart phones, iPods, or other USB devices while in use! The significance of this new design is that all of these features have been incorporated into the same form factor, mounting envelope and weight of the previous generation EmPower^® ISPS systems. Stop by the Astronics booth, 2B30, at the Aircraft Interiors Expo for a live demonstration of this revolutionary product.

Also new at Astronics are the family of passenger electronic device-friendly aircraft tray tables, by SmartTray. These revolutionary products facilitate hands-free use of portable electronic devices (PEDs) and smart phones, solving the BYOD and second screen challenge! These unique tray tables offer air travelers and airlines superior ergonomics, tray space management, and improved comfort and convenience over conventional tray tables. These amazingly simple, practical, and cost effective solutions make using and stowing PEDs inflight convenient and easier. All of this convenience and minutes to install! Visit the Astronics booth, 2B30, at Aircraft Interiors Expo to see these innovative tray tables.

Contact: Dennis Markert, dennis.markert@astronics.com, C: +1.425.442.8195

Astronics Armstrong Aerospace
Hall 2, Stand B30

Astronics Armstrong Aerospace is an innovative aviation engineering, design and manufacturing company that upgrades aircraft with new technologies. Armstrong has successfully installed and certified passenger power systems, WiFi Internet, 802.11n wireless access points, mobile phones, satellite TV, and inflight video as well as navigation, communication and flight safety upgrades on commercial and business aviation aircraft.

Armstrong’s customers and strategic partners can expect a passionate approach to problem solving, design, and certification lending to reduced cost, faster time to market, and FAA and foreign certification approvals.

Contact: Shawn Raybell, shawn.raybell@astronics.com, C: +1.425.344.8787

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies
Hall B2, Stand 2D30

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies is one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of high-performance wire and cable, including fiber optics. Since the company’s creation, we have grown our product portfolio to include specialty and filtered connectors, contacts, cable assemblies, complex harnesses, racks, trays and installation kits. In addition to our vast product breadth, we provide our customers a higher level of support by offering engineering and certification services with DER, DAR and DMIAR personnel on staff.

For 75 years, CarlisleIT has been delivering highly reliable products to the aerospace market. Originally founded as the Tensolite Company in 1940, CarlisleIT has grown dramatically and now encompasses many recognized brands beyond Tensolite, including LHi Technology, Thermax, Raydex, ECS and Tri-Star Electronics International.

Contact: Mindy Brandt, mindy.brandt@carlisleit.com, C: +1.904.342.5887

digEcor
Hall B2, 2c30

digEcor is an established and highly regarded IFE industry innovator. It was the first to introduce portable Audio Video On Demand inflight entertainment and today has grown to offer a suite of inflight products and solutions to meet passengers’ wide-ranging needs. digEcor’s Integrated Flight Experience is a low-cost, flexible solution that enhances the passengers’ experience across all areas of inflight service from entertainment to power and lighting through to crew and passenger connectivity. Founded in 2000, digEcor is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia and has additional offices in the United States of America, Singapore and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.digEcor.com.

Contact: Sharelle Crease, sharelle.crease@digEcor.com, +(0) 417 000 548

IFPL
3C34

IFPL is an award winning designer, innovator and manufacturer of passenger interface solutions to the global in-flight entertainment and connectivity industry (IFEC). We are unique in our ability to combine industry leading innovation with manufacturing excellence; through a comprehensive in-house capability that enables our clients to work closely with us in transforming ideas, from concept to prototype and then delivered as industrialized, certified and production ready solutions – within months, not years.

IFPL has been established for over 20 years with the largest portfolio of proven IFEC products and services in its sector. We are rightly proud to supply the world’s leading inline manufacturers and airlines who have come to rely on us to provide inspiration to the enhancement of their passengers experience; delivered through our innovative product design and proven reputation for reliability.

CRS
BreakAwayJack

Contact: David Thomas, david.thomas@ifpl.com, C: +44 (0) 785 474 7057

Lufthansa Systems
2D70

Lufthansa Systems is a leading airline IT provider. Based on long-term project experience, a deep understanding of complex business processes and strong technological know-how, the company provides consulting and IT services for the global aviation industry. Its portfolio covers innovative IT products and services which provide added value for its customers in terms of enhanced efficiency, reduced costs or increased profits.

Contact: Sebastian Stoll, Sebastian.stoll@LHsystems.com

Lumexis
4C50

Lumexis invites you to the launch of the revolutionary new iPAX wireless seat-back IFE System. iPAX provides unprecedented IFE capability for single-aisle aircraft operators: 1) Ultra, ultra low cost 2) Ultra, ultra light weight 3) Optimized for LCCs seeking ancillary revenue 4) Focused on short and medium haul operations.

Contact: Jon Norris, jnorris@lumexis.com, C: +1.949.436.1434

Panasonic Avionics
4A40

For more than 35 years, Panasonic Avionics Corporation has strengthened the connection between the world’s leading airlines and their passengers. In partnership with these airlines, Panasonic Avionics designs and implements breakthrough IFEC solutions that engage and delight passengers. The company’s solutions give airlines the power to amplify their brand, foster passenger loyalty, generate additional ancillary revenue, and reduce operating costs. Panasonic Avionics is recognized globally for its experience and leadership in innovation and system reliability. At AIX Hamburg Panasonic Avionics will feature the JAZZ seat, developed in a cooperative effort with BE Aerospace, Formation and Teague.

Contact: Matthias Walther
Email: matthias.walther@panasonic.aero

Rockwell Collins
Hall B4, 4C10

Experience Rockwell Collins’ next generation of in-flight entertainment and high-speed cabin connectivity at Aircraft Interiors Expo. With flexible, extensible IFE solutions—paired with the latest in Ka-band connectivity—we can help you deliver the flight experience your customer’s desire. Visit the company’s booth to see:

Rockwell Collins’ Cabin Connect suite of connectivity services, featuring Inmarsat’s GX Aviation for the most extensive coverage of airline routes and the fastest broadband in the skies, as well as applications for crew connectivity, real-time credit card authorization and wireless in-flight entertainment.
PAVES Wireless, bringing Wi-Fi accessible content aboard the flight
PAVES On-demand, delivering seat-centric IFE through an intuitive touchscreen HD seatback interface, as well as overhead broadcast
PAVES Broadcast, featuring a wider array of content options for passengers than previous systems
PAVES PSS is a lightweight, low-cost reading light and cabin crew call system with optional USB charging port. It is a direct replacement for existing systems that are less compatible with modern in-flight entertainment (IFE) system upgrades.

We’re onsite Tuesday, April 14, through Thursday, April 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We welcome the chance to schedule a time for a demonstration or to just talk about your needs and requirements. Email Colleen Hollowaty at CabinSystemsEvents@rockwellcollins.com to arrange a personal meeting and product demonstration. When requesting your meeting, please let Colleen know which products you would like to discuss.

Contact: Colleen Hollowaty, CabinSystemsEvents@rockwellcollins.com

Telefonix + Product Development Technologies (PDT), LLC
Hall B3, 3C38

Telefonix, Inc. is an AS9100 and ISO 14000-certified technology design and manufacturing company, and its partner, Product Development Technologies (PDT), is a global, full-service product design and development firm. Telefonix and PDT’s partnership is unique in that together the management teams have been at the forefront of the development of aerospace, mobile and connected technologies for a combined 45+ years.

The full extent of the Telefonix Summit line of state-of-the-art system components, which have been designed to enable unique and innovative in-flight connectivity and entertainment solutions, will be unveiled at AIX. The product line is comprised of state-of-the-art system components, including: Cabin ACe™ Wireless Access Point (WAP), Cabin Pinnacle™ general purpose airborne server, Cabin Peak™ pico cell, and Cabin Vista™ attendant display. These IFEC solution building blocks can be added to enhance existing in-flight entertainment systems or combined to create a unique IFEC solution, reducing time-to-market and overall cost for system developers, integrators and airline operator alike.

Contact: Allison Burke, aburke@telefonixinc.com, C: +1.847.830.1934

VT Miltope
3C28

Miltopes network product family has the required functionality necessary to create custom airborne systems similar to how business office networks are created. Our products optimize a combination of interfaces and computing resources to meet operational, spatial, and functional requirements of the simplest to most complex airborne systems at minimum cost. We will be featuring nMAP2 with CHT (cabin access point) and cTWLU (cellular ground link) as our latest wireless products available in 2015.

Contact: Markus Gilges, mgilges@miltope.com, C: +44 (0) 7783 758755

Zodiac Inflight Innovations
Hall B4, Stand 4C20

RAVE Centric is our Crystal Cabin award winning embedded IFE system, which provides state of the art entertainment features as well as being exceedingly reliable with its dockable displays and simplistic system architecture. RAVE Centric is fully certified for retrofit aircraft and is currently undergoing line-fit offerability including our first A330 line fit aircraft delivery this summer. RAVE Wireless is a streaming IFE solution that allows passengers to enjoy entertainment streamed directly to their personal devices through a web portal or an application available on both iOS and Android.

RAVE Cellular and RAVE Broadband help keep passengers connected in the sky. RAVE Cellular allows passengers to access Voice, SMS, and Data services. RAVE Broadband is our connectivity solution offering a range of coverage options to suit each airlines’ needs. RAVE Services is our full service support of our entire product line. Ensuring that our airlines and their passengers receive top quality entertainment without disruption. With more than 27 customers and 173 aircraft in service RAVE’s reach has truly expanded throughout the skies. RAVE is our definition of entertainment.

RAVE Products Infographic

Contact: Harry Gray, Harry.Gray@zodiacaerospace.com, C: +1.714.683.3793

Posted by Patricia on Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 9:21 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with 2015 AIX Hamburg, Inflight Wi-Fi, iPAX, light weight IFE, low cost IFE, Lumexis

Lumexis Launching Ultra-Low Cost In-Seat IFE System at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2015

Irvine, CA | March 31, 2015–
Lumexis has taken another industry-leading step forward with the launch of its unprecedented new iPAX™ in-flight entertainment (IFE) product – a wireless-streaming in-seat system at the ultra-low price of $1,495 and weight of only 8.9 ounces per seat.

“Some three-fourths of single-aisle aircraft fly on short-to-medium haul routes that could never before benefit from embedded IFEC” said Lumexis CEO Doug Cline. “That paradigm is turned upside down with iPAX, truly the first cost-effective HD video tool for earning significant new ancillary revenue from offering a diversity of products and services.”

“The Lumexis team has established yet another benchmark in commercial aviation with this unique revenue-generating tool,” added Lou Sharkey, President and Chief Operating Officer. “Fully-installed, it costs less than a conventional overhead monitor system and weighs half as much, so the revenue it generates drops directly to the bottom line.”
The gorgeous 1080p HD picture belies its role as a durable workhorse for the LCC operator. Offering passengers a wide choice of valued entertainment, moving-map, food and beverage, and catalog shopping, the system also carries the safety briefing directly to each passenger. The available options include not only a credit card reader, but a high power 2.1A USB charging port, all contained within the monitor’s attractive bezel.

We invite you to visit Stand 4C50 during the Aircraft Interiors EXPO (14th-16th April 2015 at the Hamburg Messe) and allow us to demonstrate why Lumexis is The Future of IFE.

See http://www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com/ for more information on the Aircraft Interiors EXPO.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 3:26 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with iPAX, Lumexis, wireless-stremaing IFEC

flydubai Increases Frequency on African Routes for Summer Schedule

With the additional flights to Alexandria, Bujumbura, Juba and Zanzibar, airline will operate 78 flights a week to Africa
Dubai, UAE | March 10, 2015– Dubai-based flydubai today announced that it is increasing the frequency of flights on some of its routes in Africa for the summer schedule. With the additional flights, flydubai will operate a total of 78 flights a week to 12 points in East and North Africa.
From 29 March, flydubai will increase its service from five flights a week to daily to the capital of South Sudan, Juba and three flights a week instead of two to Bujumbura, Burundi.
Zanzibar, which has seen excellent demand since the launch of the route in October 2014, will be served with four flights a week instead of two. While Alexandria in Egypt will also see flydubai increase its flights from two to three a day from June 2015.
“We are delighted to offer more flights to Africa,” commented Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai. “We were the first UAE carrier to serve Bujumbura, Juba and Zanzibar. We have seen strong demand for travel across our network in Africa, and we look forward to welcoming more passengers on board our flights.”
In line with growing trade and tourism ties between the UAE and East and North Africa, flydubai launched six routes to the region in 2014, doubling its network, and becoming the third biggest carrier of its category there and the first to offer a Business Class option to Dubai from destinations like Juba. .
“Whether travelling for leisure or business between Dubai and Africa, we are confident that our passengers will continue to enjoy our Business Class, award-winning In-Flight Entertainment and the ability to connect on our growing network and beyond,” said Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President Commercial (GCC, Subcontinent and Africa).
Commencing in September 2009, Djibouti was flydubai’s first destination in Africa. The airline today has a network of 12 points in the market including Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Khartoum, Kigali and Port Sudan.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at 2:31 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with flydubai, IFE, Lumexis, routes

IFE Through A Crystal Ball

Last time we talked a bit about the aviation future based on recent activity at Farnborough and thus this week we thought it would be interesting to get a personal take on the aircraft interior.

So now, the question is: What can we expect in the future world of IFE, both in hardware and in content? We decided to ask two people who know as much about the future of IFE as anyone in this business, Rich Salter (hardware) and Michael Childers (content) and we chose them because in Rich’s case, the Lumexis Second Screen caught our attention and Michael because he has been on the forefront of movie sales, content development, captioning, consulting and so much more. Here’s what they told IFExpress about aircraft hardware/content future and their own environments:

Rich Salter, Lumexis’ CTO, had this to say: “Though we chose the name “FTTS Second Screen™” it also means “multi-screen” because that’s where the consumer and the technology is heading: to multiple screens in the home, office, and on the road as well. Today’s traveler wants to multitask on his/her larger embedded screen, laptop or tablet, and smartphone. But tomorrow’s generation (i.e., our young kids today) are even more into social networks and communicating (i.e., texting, tweeting, and posting photos) whenever and wherever with their friends and business groups alike – they are already adept at using multiple screens and running the app that runs best on each screen.

For high res movies, an embedded screen with fiber optic interface will always provide more capacity than streaming wireless to handheld PEDs, because no matter how much bandwidth the latest wireless standard provides, there is always another generation of higher resolution video content coming along (i.e., HD, Ultra HD (4K), 8K, etc.) that needs even more bandwidth (i.e., a bigger “pipe”). The fiber network (like the one to many homes today) enables the HD content to all the seats in the plane, and the future technologies for embedded screens will allow them to be thinner, lighter weight, and lower cost, with higher resolution and more touch gesture control and other human interfaces added.

As for passenger-owned devices, there’s going to be many screens brought onboard to compliment the main screen and make up the whole IFE system of the future. For example, “wearable technology” is now really beginning to gain momentum – I would not be surprised to see small flexible video screens begin to show up on the shirtsleeves of passengers just like the Apple iWatch and Google Glass are now creeping into our lives.

Content users are already using multiple screens simultaneously to consume different kinds of content, says Michael Childers, a longtime content management consultant, APEX Board Member, and chair of the APEX Technology Committee. “According to my friends at the Second Screen Society, watching videos on tablets and mobile devices has increased 719 percent since Q4 2011 and 160 percent year-over-year since Q4 2011. 73 percent of TV Everywhere views are on a second screen. 35 percent of first screen time is second-screened, of which 1/3 is with related content. 11 percent of the second screen experience is to interact with the TV, 14 percent involves social media related to the first screen program, and 24 percent is ‘discovery’—seeking additional information about the first screen content.”

During this year’s Academy Awards telecast, U.S. TV network ABC made major advances in second screen by including an enhanced viewing experience in its “Watch ABC” viewing app, said Childers. Users who opened the “Watch ABC” app during the Oscar telecast were given the option of going “Backstage”—sponsored by Samsung Galaxy—to enjoy a number of “companion experiences” that included video clips of the arriving stars, live camera feeds from alternate locations, and different camera feeds of the red carpet.

Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres set a second screen record by tweeting live during the telecast, including the famous selfie centered around Meryl Streep, said Childers.

Of course, live events and sports lend themselves to multiple screens, but what about second screen content in pre-recorded content and IFE? “Second screen has come to the movies,” says Childers. “Last year Dutch director Bobby Boermans incorporated a synchronized second-screen app in the storyline of his movie, appropriately titled App. Moviegoers were asked to download a free app before going to the theater, and were advised to leave their devices on their laps while watching the film. When second screen content was available, members of the audience were by their vibrating phones,” he said. There were 35 moments in the film where second screen content enhanced the viewing experience, but the movie was complete on its own for viewers not interested in carrying their PEDs into the theater.

The app for App utilized embedded watermarks and a digital watermarking technology from Civolution that was developed to prevent illegal downloads, said Childers.

More and more films are being made with second screen content, or just frame-specific metadata that can be used to create a second screen experience, said Childers. “With more and more people bringing smartphones, tablets and notebooks onboard, there are many new opportunities to use these devices to complement and enhance the IFE,” he said. Disney has been very active in second screen linking the movie to the viewer’s device through an audio cue, manual synch, or with a visual sync indicator. Disney released a second screen version of it classic Bambi on its Diamond Edition Blu-ray Disc back in March of 2011.

Devices such as Kindle Fire HD 2nd Generation, Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 are all equipped with a second screen window that opens an Amazon Instant Video app, but second screen isn’t just limited to those devices, says Childers.

Among the content enhancements coming to IFE, says Childers, are closed captions for the deaf and dynamic subtitling. “Interestingly a university in Spain developed a closed captioning system for movie theaters that involves downloading an app from Japan that enables smartphones and tablets to display captions that are synched to the image on the movie screen.”

So there you have if from the experts’ mouth, but if you want a good second screen infographic, check here.

Next, we contacted the folks a APEX and asked for a few comments for the “not to be missed” APEX Annual event in California and they told IFExpress the following:

“We can already tell that this is going to be one of our most impressive shows to date. ‘Early Bird’ registration is higher than it’s ever been, and we can feel the excitement growing. We expect more than 3,500 APEX and IFSA members from more than 100 countries – not to mention hundreds of airline representatives eager to see what’s new in the passenger experience.” – Dominic Green, chair of APEX Events & EXPO Committee

“APEX EXPO is different from any other show serving the industry because it’s driven entirely by people working within the passenger experience industry itself. These are individuals who clearly love what they do and that’s demonstrated by the energy and passion exhibited on EXPO floor, and at the educational and networking events.” – Russ Lemieux, APEX executive director

“Our educational sessions are generating a lot of buzz. We’ll hear about the connected journey from IATA, and Cisco will discuss the exciting ‘Internet of Things’ movement that could revolutionize not only the passenger experience but also our everyday lives.” – Lauren Beneri, APEX program director

Be sure to remember that Disneyland is nearby!

The folks at digEcor have a new President of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Mr. Paul Thorpe. He will call the United Kingdom his home and direct activities from there. His background includes a stint in sales and marketing n the business aviation world, and management roles in aviation and IFE. His last posting was with Rockwell as Sales Director of Northern Europe. Welcome aboard Paul!

And lastly, Gogo announced recently that it has received regulatory approval to provide Ku-band satellite connectivity service for aircraft flying over the eastern and western regions of Russia. This approval is granted based on Gogo’s agreements with AltegroSky and RuSat to provide Ku-band satellite service.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, July 29, 2014 at 5:19 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with APEX, digEcor, Gogo, Lufthansa Systems, Lumexis, Michael Childers, Rich Salter, Second Screen

Lumexis Launches Industry Leading “Fast” Graphical User Interface

Irvine, CA | March 31, 2014– Lumexis has taken a revolutionary step forward in terms of IFE touch screen aesthetics and functionality with the launch of its new Fast Adaptable Swipe and Touch (FAST) graphical user interface (GUI).

The FAST GUI responds to tablet swipe gestures as well as soft-touch selection of all entertainment menu items providing an exciting and entertaining passenger experience.

FAST provides an intuitive feature-rich user interface that makes significant use of images to ensure that passengers can quickly find the IFE content that they’re looking for.

With FTTS’s massive 3 TB real-time server library airlines can offer several hundred, full-length, HD movies to every passenger accompanied by unlimited language, sub-titles and captions. FTTS provides exceptional flexibility and ease of GUI modification, unmatched by any competitor.

Come and see this new IFE industry benchmark at Aircraft Interiors EXPO stand 6E40 between the 8th and 10th April 2014 at the Hamburg Messe http://www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com/

Posted by Patricia on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 6:52 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with FAST, FTTS, GUI, Lumexis, Lumexis Corporation

Lion Group’s Batik Air and Affiliate Malindo Air Opt For Lumexis IFE System

Singapore | February 27, 2014– Lion Group’s Indonesian full-service carrier Batik Air and Malaysian affiliate Malindo Air have decided that their new aircraft are to have back-of-seat inflight entertainment systems from US company Lumexis Corporation.

“We have chosen to have Lumexis Corporation’s award-winning Fibre-To-The-Screen (FTTS) embedded IFE system for our Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft, starting with the aircraft due for delivery in this year’s second-half,” says Batik Air CEO, Capt. Achmad Luthfie.

“Batik Air will be the first airline in the world to have the Lumexis IFE system on board an Airbus A320-family aircraft,” he says, adding that to achieve this milestone Batik Air and Lumexis Corporation spent time and effort consulting with Airbus and industry regulators. “We feel it is worth the effort, because the Lumexis IFE system provides the airline and the travelling public with several key benefits,” says Luthfie.

Unlike some other IFE systems, this ultra-broadband fibre optic network completely eliminates bulky seat boxes that sometimes intrude into the passenger’s foot space. This weight saving, together with also eliminating large and very heavy copper data cables, reduces fuel burn, generating significant cost savings for the airline.

The Lumexis system uses touch screen technology which means passengers no longer need to use a separate remote control to change channels or adjust the volume. The IFE LED screen on Batik Air and Malindo Air’s 737s will be 10.1 in for economy and business-class passengers. For business-class passengers travelling on Batik Air’s A320s, the screen size will be 12.1 in and for economy-class it is 10.1 in.

Content provided on the IFE system includes video-on-demand in HDD1080. “The fact that Batik Air is a full-service carrier means we believe in providing passengers with the very best. That includes a top quality IFE system with a wide selection of top TV programs and movies from Hollywood and around the world,” says Luthfie.

Malindo CEO, Chandran Ramamurthy, says: “We chose the Lumexis IFE system because we could see that there are clear benefits. Malindo is positioned as a hybrid carrier, but we promise to provide the same level of service as a full-service carrier. Providing back-of-seat inflight entertainment, with a wide selection of TV programs and movies to choose from, is just one of the ways we deliver on our brand promise.”

Malindo Air will receive its first Lumexis equipped aircraft in August.

Lion Group president Director, Rusdi Kirana, says: “I can see that Lumexis is very much a challenger brand in the IFE market. The company is working to win airline customers by delivering a product that provides a number of key benefits. Batik Air is also a challenger brand. It is an airline that delivers a number of benefits to passengers, including a very high standard of inflight service. ”

Kirana adds: “I am very impressed with the user interface on the Lumexis IFE system and how passengers can access onboard services such as inflight catalogue shopping, using this interface. One of the key areas we are focusing on at Lion Group is increasing auxiliary revenue.”

Lumexis CEO, Doug Cline, says: “The team at Lumexis is honored to have gained the trust of such a strong and growing organization as Lion Group. We are committed to assuring Lion Group’s continued success by providing an ultra-reliable, ultra-light weight system that outperforms even the most costly competitor. Because FTTS absolutely has the lightest installed weight-per-seat of any embedded IFE system flying today, Lion Group carriers and its affiliates will be able to operate over very long routes, while burning substantially less fuel.”

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, March 4, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Batik Air, Capt. Achmad Luthfie, Doug Cline, FTTS, Lion Group, Lumexis, Malindo Air, Rusdi Kirana

Double The Reason To Celebrate For flydubai

Airline wins two awards for its IFE system at the Inflight Regional Awards 2014

Dubai, UAE | February 6, 2014– flydubai is proud to have won two awards for its IFE system at the Inflight Regional Awards 2014. The winners of the awards were announced on 05 February 2014 as part of the Aircraft Interiors Middle East exhibition. flydubai took home awards for “Middle East content innovation” and “Best airline IFEC provider for the Middle East”.

These awards were judged by an independent expert panel, who evaluated the award submissions based on a number of criteria, including relevance to the region, innovation and variety of choice.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 4:25 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Aircraft Interiors Middle East, flydubai, FTTS, inflight entertainment, Lumexis

A Few “Promotions”

Over the holidays, IFExpress heard about the promotion of Lou Sharkey to President of Lumexis Corporation and the news release noted: “Lumexis Corporation today announced the promotion of the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Lou Sharkey, to the additional role of President, continuing to report to Doug Cline, Chief Executive Officer. Chairman of the Lumexis Board of Directors, Ed Shapiro, explained that, “Lou has more than twenty years of operations and engineering management experience, including a key managerial role with Doug at Sony Trans Com. He has maintained that close collaboration with Doug at Lumexis and has been a central figure in the growth and success of the company.” While this statement covers it pretty well, we wanted to hear from Lou so we called him and his first comment was really typical of him: “I want to make it clear that this interview, while about my promotion, is really an affirmation of our (the whole Lumexis team’s) focus on our products and our customers. I am particularly pleased to have the opportunity to continue to relay the message that Lumexis’ remains dedicated to bringing the best, World-class products to the aviation industry.” Obviously, their other goal is to continue to grow the business. In fact, their first 44 installations of the fiber optic IFE system for flydubai are on-going and IFExpress went to ATS in Everett, WA to see the 3 day process for ourselves. Boeing delivers the aircraft after the first check flight and the B737’s are pulled into a hangar where the Lumexis installation turns around an empty aircraft to a passenger friendly solution for the airline… ready for service.

With regard to “line-fit” approval at Boeing and Airbus, we should note that Mr. Sharkey told us that Lumexis is working closely with Boeing under a Technical Services Agreement to be offerable on the B737 with first delivery target around the middle of next year. From what we can tell, they are on track to do so. “Additionally,” he noted, “we are similarly pursuing Airbus for line fit on its single- and twin-aisle models because our customers have asked for delivery of their new planes with Lumexis systems installed by the factory and we really dislike having to say ‘not yet!’ ”

A little background might be in order here. First off, Lumexis is the “Little Engine That Could”! Aside from the literary reference, Lumexis has a secret sauce – a small cadre of highly experienced dedicated individuals (around 50), plus partnerships and relationships with developers and vendors who are considered part of the team from kickoff to delivery. And, yes, it works. By controlling costs, building teamwork, outsourcing almost everything, they avoid the “overhead blues” of other suppliers. IFExpress asked about how these relationships are set up and Lou told us, “We have a handful of first tier partners and less that 10 in the second tier – a manageable group, for sure, but this way we can offload hardware manufacturing and testing so that we can focus on software development and system integration internally. Also we have integration partners that we manage during airplane installations. The key here is to get it right the first time and do a first class job of design, documentation and communication. In one sense, our partners are quite a bit like us but they are in a different building and have a different corporate name. The key is good teamwork and our people excel at it. We are not in the business of building infrastructure, just great products! From a personal perspective,” noted Mr. Sharkey, “I am a ‘business guy’, thru and thru, having previously worked in the industry for Sony and Rockwell Collins for some 15 years and spent quite a bit of time in other diverse organizations and industries. I would have to say that I have had the most experience – and certainly the most fun – in IFE. The business model that Doug Cline set up is a new industry paradigm and I have been fortunate to work for him for nearly fifteen years.”

The horizon looks bright for the only Fiber-To-The-Screen ® system out there and Lumexis can claim deals with flydubai, Transaero, and Turkish. Further, we understand on the rumor hotline that there is one highly significant, unannounced customer in the wings but we don’t have a name yet. Fiber optic connectivity to the seat is here to stay.

Lastly, we have in two releases in from OnAir – “Saudia’s free inflight Wi-Fi promotion” and “FCC launches public consultation into rule change on inflight cell phone usage” – click on the links for the story.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at 7:10 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with Lou Sharkey, Lumexis, Lumexis Corporation, OnAir, Saudia

APEX 2013: Redux #1

Perhaps, the biggest non-hardware news at APEX this year was the introduction of new CEO of Thales Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity Company, Dominique Giannoni. Mr. Giannoni (above left) has been in a Thales leadership position for more than 15 years focused on both military and commercial aerospace markets. He joined Thales in 2003 as head of the company’s Underwater Systems business line for Submarines and then later lead the Thales Military Avionics Business Line. In all, he has been in the military and commercial sector for 6 years and actually ran an avionics factory for a time. In July 2013, he was appointed to the position of CEO for the company’s In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) business and was introduced to the IFE press at APEX. Dominique has worked in the Telecom world as well as the French Defense Ministry and has a Masters Degree from MIT. In this new capacity, Dominique will take the business through its next growth phase rounding out the operations (grow the brand) advanced products and services with added-value propositions to global airlines (grow the customer base). It appears Thales has the right man for the job but he will have his work cut out for him. We expect to see him very involved in new product development activity to increase the product depth, and to be immersed in the relationship between Thales and their CETC partner in China. In-house, we expect him to fine-tune a lot of the operations as he gets more involved with the product line and customer requirements. No doubt, roles and missions will change at Thales. We should also mention the new position that Alan Pellegrini (above right) fills – President and CEO, Thales USA. Long-time IFE’er Pellegrini is now responsible for all Thales US companies and will have offices in Irvine and Washington, DC.

IFExpress did a little research on Alan’s work history and it is impressive to see the companies that benefited from his tenure: CEO, IMS; President, Panasonic Transportation Systems; Senior VP, Panasonic Avionics; President & CEO Tenzing; VP Marketing & Sales Rockwell; VP Marketing & Sales Hughes Avicom. Thales has assembled a strong management team and the next dew years ought to be interesting. Good luck Alan and Dominique!

Airbus has delivered their 2013 – 2032 Market Forecast and you can watch the 1 hour YouTube version. Also, check out the great market infographic. If you need an Airbus Android App, try this one – or an Airbus iOS App. Enjoy!

A while back we did a story on the newly designed aircraft retractable monitor with its developer and designer, Yukio Sugimoto. If you have a technical bent you may remember that his product was an engineer’s dream instead of a mechanical nightmare that often plagues these devices. In all fairness, the FAA restrictions and requirements on retractable monitors are moderately onerous, especially considering the fact that they must operate with power that is subject to dropping out for up to 150 milliseconds… not to mention issues like the necessity to retract under loss of power or emergency situations. This explains the high mechanical parts count and resultant weight increase of competitive units, not to mention stored energy springs and clutches to facilitate zero power retractions. The ACS patent pending solution involves storing energy in capacitors – that’s the simple answer but it is a circuitry design solution as well! Check out the spy shot of the mechanicals here. The unit sports 9.7 and 12 inch monitors and FAA certification testing is now underway and at last count passed 250,000+ cycles and is going strong. In fact, he is guaranteeing a 50,000-cycle non-failure or 5 year warranty. Yukio noted, “The new, bigger display actually retracts flat against the outside of the PSU while the rest of the frame and the electronics are buried in the PSU itself – the box sits between the rails while the display (and cover) protrudes ½ an inch above the surface and folds flat against it… and, the unit is installed on an A319 bizjet.” Mr. Sugimoto, who has a history of industry soothsaying, hinted earlier that the market for retracts might be on the rise in the single-aisle market and, in some cases, in conjunction with wireless! With recent interactive and second screen technology intros there may soon be some interesting deals afoot!

One of the best and most exciting part of this job is ‘discovery by chance’ of a new technology or a new product… this year was no different and there were many. This next product was discovered by the classic accidental rendezvous followed by a “You gotta see this” and Hratch Astarjian (Mr. BOSE) never fails to surprise and amaze us with demo’s of wonderful and ingenious audio products. This time it was the QC 20i Noise Cancelling in-ear headphones. We will get to sound in a minute but first; here is a picture of what we are talking about with a new BOSE IFE representative Danielle Glassman. If you remember the line of Quiet Comfort headphones, they are always seen on the heads of passengers on planes and airports. For us, it is impossible to travel today without them. Screaming kids, aircraft noise and weird, travel, next door neighbors are all alleviated. Two problems do exist tho – they are bigger than one likes and when someone needs your attention (like the cabin crew) they have to hit you on the arm. The QC’s are that good at noise cancellation. Now the QC 20 and QC 20i show up with in-ear sized tip and a switch for letting in outside noise when needed (QC 20) and an inline mic/control switch as well (QC 20i). If you remember the control box on your bigger QC’s… that has been replaced by a new box that houses the microelectronics and rechargeable lithium-ion battery, but now, it is the size of a thin USB drive. The QC 20 product uses USB 5 volt power charging and gets 16 hours of use each time. When we tested them on the show floor for a couple minutes we could not distinguish them from the old QC’s… in fact, they sounded a bit better. Check them out!

Correction: The Lumexis Server contains 1.5 TB of SSD memory, not 60 GB as we reported last week.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 6:08 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with ACS, Airbus Global Market Forecast, Alan Pellegrini, Bose, Danielle Glassman, Dominique Giannoni, Hratch Astrarjian, Lumexis, Noise Cancelling headset technology, QC 20i, Thales

Lumexis “Second Screen”- What Were We Thinking?

Situation – Email between IFEXpress and Lumexis’s Rich Salter:

IFExpress: We just read about something called “Second Screen” and we understand it is a Lumexis development? What’s the story?

Rich Salter: We had a big coming out for it at AIX, and will feature it at APEX too… In fact it is a 2013 Finalists for the Passenger Choice Awards at APEX this year.

IFExpress: I guess we just missed it….

In an effort to catch up on Lumexis’s Second Screen (™) concept, we contacted Rich Salter and asked about the product, but first, a few words about what it is. The concept is so simple, you are probably using a similar concept at home while watching TV or reading this email. Sitting in front of almost any work or household screen (TV, computer, whatever) you probably have another connectivity device for checking mail, tweets, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. In other words you are multitasking, because you can. The beauty of the Lumexis Second Screen feature is easy to see. Along with using the installed IFE system like you normally would, a flier could be using an iPhone (or tablet, etc) checking weather, flight progress, just as if they were on the ground. We conjecture that what really happens when a flier screen multitasks during a flight, they pay less attention to the flight itself and a lot more attention to what they are watching on the IFE or doing on their PED’s because there is simply more going on while doing so. Gone are those ‘I wonder when this trip will be over’ moments. We like this idea a lot and it should be quite a boon to fliers… if the airline has a second screen feature installed.

Interestingly, there are two types of Second Screen content solutions proposed according to Lumexis – one is a display of traditional IFE content from the embedded IFE system, sent over wireless, to the passenger device, the other is new Second Screen content for passenger devices that is being developed for the at-home market. A combination of this one-two punch is what makes the second solution so effective. Below are some are some further Lumexis Second Screen content/operational possibilities that go beyond the two aforementioned information/entertainment categories:

Remote control of the main screen

Moving maps

Food & drink menu/ordering

Duty Free offerings/ordering

30+ Lumexis games

Passenger surveys

eBooks

Five day weather forecast for airline destinations

Daily news

Daily comics

In-seat yoga and meditation

Airline informational webpages

Advertising (changing daily)

Custom downloadable apps

We understand that the offering can include information about movie scenes showing, Tweets from other passengers about the shown movie, and even advertising of products shown on the IFE movies. The beauty of the Lumexis solution is that it keeps content on the main screen at the same time, offering PEDs more on their second screen. Further, by not streaming movie videos to the PED, Lumexis Second Screen preserves precious PED power. Further, we suspect that the Wi-Fi WAP’s may be able to serve more passengers with lower data bandwidth requirements under the Second Screen no streaming situation. Lastly, the the passenger does not need to download a plug-in or app, their solution is browser based, it runs on html – nice!

Jon Norris, Lumexis VP Sales, told IFExpress, “We are very excited about this new development and we have not seen other IFE vendors offer such a feature and we will be gauging the feedback at the APEX event for airline interest.”

Be sure to check out second screen applications at APEX as we expect more to come.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at 6:36 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with FTTS, Jon Norris, Lumexis, Rich Salter, Second Screen, Wi-PAX

Does Your Airline Let You Tweet, Text and Talk?

With the rise of mobile everything, the airlines have a pretty sweet market opportunity to capture all the mobile connectivity of their airport secured and flying passengers, and eventually, turn that four-hour-market-lockup into purchasing power. The beginning is bound to be the email, tweeting, talking, and texting that is the first sign of this ‘mobile disease’ and from what we see, it is just the beginning. Recent studies have shown some reluctance of US purchasers to get on board, but that is probably a fallout of the focused hacking and lack of chipped credit cards… but it is an inevitability. In fact, there may even be an opportunity to pay-for-no-commercials, a concept that Apple is trying to fly.

Back to our subject: we got an idea for this topic and we found an OnAir Infographic in our email that tied nicely to the subject. As you may know, we love info graphics because they tell a complete story in pictures and numbers (few words) and are a data lover’s dream come true. Be sure to download the latest OnAir infographic. There’s an infographic lesson here and we think the OnAir folks got it right.

Back to the news release: “Does your airline let you tweet, text and talk? OnAir’s customers do. We offer passengers seamlessly connected journeys, year round, wherever you’re headed. Download our new infographic, with lots of facts and figures, from here. At least 70% of passengers carry a smartphone and people check their phones on average 150 times a day. So why not on a plane? When both GSM and Wi-Fi are available, 80% prefer using Mobile OnAir for emailing, text messages and calls. People use Internet OnAir, the Wi-Fi hotspot, for tweets and Facebook updates, to check the news and for travel bookings – 94% of passengers bring at least one personal electronic device onto the plane, so OnAir Play provides inflight entertainment direct to your own phone, tablet or laptop. For more information: Follow OnAir on LinkedIn. Watch OnAir on YouTube, Look at OnAir on Flikr ”

Aside from the marketing hyperbole, the OnAir folks see the inflight connectivity market developing, and communication is the first phase of this market opportunity in the sky. Aurélie Branchereau-Giles – Director, PR & Communications told IFExpress: “OnAir sets the benchmark for global inflight connectivity services, with 50 customers on five continents. We are the only provider to offer consistent global coverage for both inflight GSM and Wi-Fi, thanks to regulatory approvals from over 90 countries, 350 roaming agreements, and by using Inmarsat’s I4 satellite networks. Our products enable passengers to use their own mobile phones, smartphones, tablets and laptops in exactly the same way as they do on the ground, either through the onboard GSM network or the onboard Wi-Fi hotspot. The products are available as line-fit or retrofit for all commercial aircraft, as well as government, VIP and business jets, and ships – check out the inforgraphic for the whole story.”

Next, we wanted to let our readers know that Lumexis has a new VP Sales, Jonathan Norris. Lumexis Corporation recently announced that Jonathan Norris, highly regarded in airline industry circles for his lengthy experience in advanced aircraft cabin systems technology and extensive understanding of IFEC trends, has accepted the position of Vice President of Sales for the company. “Many of us have long known and respected Jon in his key management roles at Airbus and more recently with the APEX magazine activity,” said Doug Cline, CEO of Lumexis. “He brings a wealth of talent and experience in IFEC that clearly validates his independent assessment of our people and products. Everyone in our company is delighted that he will be joining our tight-knit team and we look forward to working closely with him to attain line-fit offerability with major OEMs in the near future and win new business from global airlines and leasing companies.” He should be onboard in the next couple weeks, one spokesperson told IFExpress. We expect he will be making many trips to Seattle and Tolouse.

Lastly, we heard that Inmarsat has announced passenger connectivity via the Inmarsat network and is serving passengers via Wi-Fi on Air China. Internet access took place on 3rd July, on an Air China Airbus A330 flying from Beijing to Chengdu. The aircraft used Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband service provided by Inmarsat’s Chinese partner MCN. Check out the MCN website. The Inmarsat SwiftBroadband based cabin Wi-Fi connectivity allowed all passengers to access the Internet for web browsing, instant messaging and other applications. This capability is the result of the close cooperation between Air China and MCN, Inmarsat’s leading Chinese distributor. The Chinese aviation regulator, the Chinese Aviation Authority of China (CAAC), was also closely involved in the project from the start to ensure that all necessary approvals were in place for the system and Inmarsat service. What remains unknown to IFExpress is the manufacturer of the airborne Wi-Fi equipment… an MCN partner, we were told?

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at 6:14 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with Air China, Inmarsat, Jonathan Norris, Lumexis, MCN, Mobile OnAir, OnAir

Lumexis Dramaticallly Advances Content Delivery

– IFE manufacturer partners with Technicolor to provide secure, high-speed transmission via the Internet

Irvine, CA | June 18, 2013– Lumexis is raising the bar for speed of content delivery to airlines by using software tools and partnerships to transmit all data securely over the Internet. The monthly content load for the company’s ultra-high capacity Fiber-To-The-Screen (FTTS) IFE system (digitally encoded SD and HD movies, TV programs, music, etc.), can amount to well over a Terabyte of data each month. According to Justin Smith, Content Integration Specialist at Lumexis, “We can move a full or partial content set, anywhere in the world through high-speed Internet. Among many advantages, it’s more secure and eliminates costs from freight, damaged boxes, and customs delays.”

Lumexis is using Aspera’s software to transport the data across the Internet to its airline customers around the world. This tool moves the IFE data at maximum speed, regardless of file size, transfer distance or network conditions. Its transport technology achieves speeds that can be hundreds of times faster than conventional methods, while delivering end-to-end security, 100% reliability and exceptional bandwidth control.

In today’s fast-paced world, delays can upset advertisers, airlines and passengers. Lumexis offers the fastest integration times in the airline industry, where eliminating delays and speeding up delivery time is critical. As Lumexis brings this technology to market it ensures that they continue to help their customers save time and money. Lumexis is partnering with Technicolor to provide the data “pipe” to transport the content around the world.

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 3:34 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Aspera, FTTS, Lumexis, Technicolor

Turkish Airlines Purchases Lumexis FTTS For Two A330s

Istanbul, Turkey | April 8, 2013– Leading international air carrier Turkish Airlines, winner of the coveted Best European Airline Award from Skytrax for two consecutive years, announced that it has selected Lumexis Corporation’s Fiber-To-The-Screen® (FTTS) fiber optic IFEC system for installation into two of its existing A330 fleet aircraft.

Dr. Temel Kotil, President and Chief Executive of Turkish Airlines, explained that his airline seeks to offer an unequalled, highest quality passenger experience in all its cabins. “Whether cuisine, seat comfort or In-Flight Entertainment, we are always striving to improve every element of our cabin and service. We had heard good things about the Lumexis system, regarding not only its unique ability to reliably provide every passenger his or her own in-seat HD movie, but as importantly, its ultra-light installed weight. So, when these two aircraft became available on very short notice, it offered us an opportunity to evaluate the system performance while, at the same time, verifying promised weight savings and reduced fuel burn.”

“Dr. Kotil and his entire organization are strongly committed to protecting the environment” responded Douglas Cline, Lumexis CEO. “By reducing the installed weight of existing, legacy IFEC on these aircraft by more than a full metric ton, Turkish Airlines will reduce fuel burned into the atmosphere by approximately 50,000 U.S. gallons per aircraft per year. The Lumexis team is honored by the opportunity to join Turkish Airlines in not only creating a superior entertainment experience for its passengers, but also to support its efforts to significantly reduce hydrocarbon emissions from its aircraft.”

Established in 1933 with a fleet of only five airplanes, Star Alliance member, Turkish Airlines is today a four star airline with a fleet of 215 aircraft (passenger and cargo) flying to 221 cities around the world, comprised of 36 domestic and 185 international destinations. One of the fastest growing airline companies, Turkish Airlines has received several “Passengers Choice Awards” from the consumer ranking group, Skytrax. Based on 2011 and 2012 results, Turkish Airlines has been chosen as the winner of “Best Airline Europe”, “Best Premium Economy Seats” for its Comfort Class seats and “Best Airline Southern Europe”. It has also received awards for its catering and holds a coveted 4-star designation, putting the airline in a small group of top quality carriers. Turkish Airlines was also given the Skytrax designation of “World’s Best Economy Class On-board Catering” in 2010, and Skyscanner’s “Best On-board Food 2011”. Long haul Business Class passengers also enjoy the Flying Chef service on-board.

Posted by Patricia on Monday, April 8, 2013 at 11:04 pm
Filed under News Releases · Tagged with Lumexis, Lumexis FTTS, Turkish Airlines

2013 IFEC Predictions!

Happy New Year to all our readers and we hope that 2013 will be a little bit better than 2012, actually a lot better.

As you might guess, this year will undoubtedly bring a lot of changes to this mad world if IFEC. Outside influences will be a big driver and economic conditions will still dictate the rate of change. Personal technology has never had so much influence on our business but this year, we are comfortable in predicting that we will see two major influences – Mobile and Other. Mobile is the eight-hundred-pound-gorilla and Other is just that, other influences like FAA rulings, economic conditions and who knows what else. For our efforts, we requested the thoughts of others in the IFE space and we hope this article gets you thinking.

Mobile

As the trend of mobile connectivity affects all of us, the only place travelers won’t be connected is on the plane!? Proof of this trend is evident in the smartphone world. Shipment revenues for smartphones are expected to reach $37 billion in 2013, with more than 125.8 million units shipping to retailers. This is up 16 percent from 2012. Tablet computers also are expected to see phenomenal growth.This year, unit sales of tablets are projected to surpass 105 million (up 54%), resulting in $35.6 billion in shipment revenue, up 22% year-over-year. And speaking of apps, Apple announced announced that customers have downloaded over 40 billion apps from the iTunes App Store, with nearly 20 billion in 2012 alone. Recently it was announced that a record-breaking 17.4 million iOS and Android devices were activated on Christmas Day, leading to equally impressive downloads over the holidays. The week of December 25 through December 31 recorded the highest number of device activations and app downloads of any week in history. Some 50 million iOS and Android devices were activated during the holiday week and 1.76 billion applications were downloaded. The iOS app count is now over 775,000! By the end of next year, mobile internet traffic will surpass fixed and a lot of those users will be using them on planes. And we mean a lot! From a trend perspective, one Astronics sage told IFExpress, “More connectivity and more power!” We assume he means inseat power and he would know.

We also see the coming connectivity revolution with increased bandwidth, increased aircraft retrofits and increased interest by airlines. Gogo, Panasonic, Row 44 and others are rushing to get passengers connected. Liz Young told IFExpress, “I think we will see a gradual shift on many international airlines toward ‘tiered’ services, which means that passengers will have options, e.g., using their own electronic devices at no charge, having access to wireless devices that the airline provides at a modest charge, and having access to ‘fixed’ devices (seat-back, tray table) that are free to use for basic services but require a credit card swipe for premium services. Virtually all wide body planes will provide satellite linkage for these services, but the Ku-band/Ka-band battle will not be clearly resolved for many years to come.”

Along the same general direction, AirCloud’s Peter Lemme told IFExpress, “Inflight entertainment providers have been dabbling with connected applications for many years: live TV, messaging, browsing. Inmarsat remains a mainstay with L-band services and hopes to hold off market penetration from ViaSat, Panasonic, Row 44, and Gogo. Both Iridium and Inmarsat are held back with new developments more than one year away. With so many service providers in the mix, suppliers of equipment, airframes, and airline operators will need to embrace standardization wherever possible. Broadband technology has fully matured for 2013. The battle at the seat, whether seat-back or BYOD, is much more about monetization. Seat-back deployments have long benefitted from subsidy, whereas BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) seems also BYOB (Build Your Own Business). There really is no reason for differentiating the monetization opportunities. Long-standing desires for targeted marketing and for premium advertising, which have been evident for decades, finally are powered by technology that can shower the cabin with individualized experiences. BYOD and a stand-alone Wi-Fi offers the bare-minimum IFE. In 2013, not one commercial operator should even question the immediate need to deploy Wi-Fi no matter how small the airplane. Connectivity at the gate is the area that may be the most surprising. Cellular can now equal WLAN technologies, freeing IFE from the airport wireless tangled-web. I don’t foresee dedicated WiMax satisfying IFE appetite, but I would not ignore it either. The greatest development to come is the most boring – wired Ethernet at the gate.”

From a future point of view, the FAA and FCC are rethinking connectivity, as innumerable news releases have noted, but we wondered if airplane text messaging was possible today as we had tried it earlier on a domestic flight so we contacted Robbie Hyman, Row 44 PR Guru and asked if that feature was to be found on the sat-based connectivity today and he told us; “Interestingly, with iMessage on the iPhone you can send a text message to another iPhone, using a Wi-Fi signal and not your phone’s cell signal. I just learned that the other day and am now even more impressed with Apple! But as for true text messaging from one of our partner airlines’ planes, no, passengers don’t have that option now. Row 44’s system does have GSM capability, but our airlines have not asked for it. So for now passengers cannot use their cell phone’s cell signal to send texts from our airlines’ planes (either in the US or anywhere else). They’ll have to find web-based alternatives and use the Wi-Fi service.”

OTHER

We also asked some IFEC’ers about the future industry changes and we got a variable buffet of answers. Rich Salter, Lumexis CTO had this to say, ” I want to predict that advances in network technology will be a lot more dramatic than many may think – not to mention the fact that 802.11ac is almost here and will force the WAP suppliers to start building it into their airborne WAPs sooner rather than later – (note that Apple iDevices will likely have “ac” capability in their next generation versions due out in 2013). Next year we will see dramatic advances in the enabling technologies for onboard networks (and this bodes well for higher definition video): For fiber optic networks, a 10 Gbit standard will be considered by aviation standards committees. For wireless systems, a new generation of PEDs will drive IFEC suppliers to consider adding 802.11“ac” capability (for 450Mbps-1.3Gbps) into their airborne WAPs sooner rather than later.” And lastly, Beth DeYoung, GM Zodiac Lighting Solutions, told IFExpress “The airlines are realizing the benefits of LED interior lighting and we expect the demand for this technology to take-off in 2013.”

 The next inputs come from sources who want to remain anonymous… see if you agree, they vary from the sublime to the ridiculous!
• Travel costs will jump … and when first class drinks are not free, a revolt will spread!
• Major switches in IFE suppliers at some of the top airlines in the world but are they making changes for better equipment or service, or are they making changes because they are tired of the games? What ever happened to the saying ‘…with the devil you know?’
• More Wireless Installations over embedded IFE networks
• Samsung and Boeing part company within 18 months
• Major inroads by the Chinese into OEM aircraft production; announcements of major airline buys from the Chinese vendor this year.
• Could a midwest IFE vendor be sold to a competitor?
• IFE – Network contract assigned to the first tourist space shuttle in private ownership
• Expect the first IFEC Cloud integration.
• New low cost defibrillators will generate more airline interest after an incident!!
• There will soon be more tablets in use on the plane than laptops – watch out IFE!
• IF the FAA permits voice calls on planes, the airlines will divide the plane in half…phone calls and no phone call sections and the only fair way is right-side-left side.
• Panasonic will introduce the first Ultra HD display for planes (biz jets probably).
• The only 3D display to make it on a plane will be the non-glasses type (similar to the ones in past Thales booths).
• Watch for flat fee increases from the airlines… more money to be made than percentage increases, and passengers think they are all being treated equal!
• A new IFE developer will enter the fray in 2013!

Posted by Patricia on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 7:08 pm
Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged with 2013 IFEC Predictions, Astronics, in-flight Wi-Fi, Inflight GSM service, Lumexis, onboard text messaging, Row 44, smartphones on aircraft

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The headset is the most critical part of any IFE system. It defines the quality of audio delivery and its look and feel defines the quality of the Airline. The headset is probably responsible for more passenger complaints, and IFE reliability issues than any other IFE component - so why do most airlines leave its procurement to the catering department?”
- Geoff Underwood, Managing Director, Inflight Peripherals
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APEX 2013: Redux #1

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Lumexis Dramaticallly Advances Content Delivery

Turkish Airlines Purchases Lumexis FTTS For Two A330s

2013 IFEC Predictions!

IFExpress Newsletter

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