Nigel Moll

Flight Display Systems is here (Booth 2008) promoting ultra-high-definition (4K) video displays and what it bills as “significant” upgrades to the JetJukebox, which connects directly to an aircraft wireless cabin router and streams media content to as many as eight personal electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptop computers. JetJukebox can now interface with the Smart Cabin CMS to control cabin functions such as lighting, video and audio, and video can now be streamed to a bulkhead monitor as well as to personal devices.

 


Resolution on the moving-map display built into the JetJukebox is up fivefold, to 90 meters per pixel from what had been the standard 500 meters per pixel, which provides an improvement in detail that FDS describes as “breathtaking.” The moving map displays flight data such as position, speed, altitude and time to arrival.

 


With a one-terabyte solid-state drive in place of the original 240-GB drive, JetJukebox now provides four times more storage, sufficient for holding more than 400 movies, tv programs and corporate or home videos.

 


“We are excited to offer these additions and improvements to the JetJukebox,” said David Gray, president of Flight Display Systems. “We’ve already had such a positive response to the previous model. We can’t wait to hear what our customers say about this one.”

 


The JetJukebox supports iOS, Android and Windows. Content, which can be loaded by connecting to a computer or copied from a USB thumb drive, can include video, audio, photos or productivity files such as PowerPoint. FDS emphasizes that JetJukebox provides all its stored content in flight without an expensive Internet streaming connection.

 


For tighter budgets, FDS has introduced the JetStreamer, an entry-level entertainment platform that streams movies, music and other content to carry-on personal devices and retails for $14,960, about half the price of the $29,600 JetJukebox. (These prices do not include installation by the dealer.) Again, no Internet connection is required: in concert with a Wi-Fi router, the JetStreamer creates a local-area network within an aircraft cabin for streaming movies, music or images wirelessly to as many as eight passengers. The Jetstreamer also streams the FDS worldwide moving map. Content is accessed through an interface accessible through a browser–no app required.

 


“Jetstreamer is the entry-level version of JetJukebox, designed not only for entertainment but for business users as well,” notes FDS. “Corporate content can be loaded and presented to passengers. Any file that a carry-on device can read can be served with Jetstreamer. Business passengers can collaborate with documents such as PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.”

 


“We know that aircraft owners are looking for cost-effective ways to include carry-on devices in in-flight entertainment, especially without an Internet connection,” said Gray. “Jetstreamer allows passengers access to a library of content.”

 


The JetStreamer has the 240-GB internal solid-state drive now replaced by the JetJukebox’s one-terabyte drive. Content can be loaded either by attaching a laptop via an Ethernet port, or by plugging in a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Jetstreamer will also serve content directly from a USB storage device, such as a thumb drive. There are six USB inputs.

 


FDS says it will soon be providing its own Wi-Fi router, but in the meantime the JetStreamer uses an Ethernet port to connect to an existing Wi-Fi router such as Gogo, Honeywell and True North. The JetStreamer connects to the aircraft FMS to get map data. Also offered is an installation kit, which includes a USB thumb drive, test router, keyboard and mouse.

 


UHD 4K Displays Coming to Cabins

 


Flight Display Systems began working on ultra-HD (4K) LCD screens last year, to bring to aircraft cabins the sort of picture quality that likely transfixed you while wandering the aisles of Best Buy recently. However, notes FDS, “in developing leading-edge technology, it’s not sufficient to merely provide a retrofitted terrestrial video platform. The needs and concerns of aircraft must be taken into consideration.”

 


FDS has taken the wraps off its ultra-high-definition display prototypes here in Orlando at the convention. The displays are 23.8-inch and 39-inch widescreen UHD LCDs, and they can display 1.07 billion colors with a maximum resolution of 3,840 pixels by 2,160 pixels. Each will have three HDMI ports and one DisplayPort for video input. They support multiple resolutions from VGA to UHD at 56Hz to 75Hz.

 


“We were one of the first to market with aircraft-grade HD displays. Now our team is developing 4K displays, and the quality will blow you away,” said Gray.

 


With commercial 4K content limited at this stage, FDS says its UHD displays will be useful initially in special-mission applications. “As more content becomes available, private and business jet uses will increase.”

Flight Display showing ultra-high-def video and jukebox upgrades

Significant upgrades to JetJukebox 

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