Installed IFE...and low ROI

Traditional installed inflight entertainment systems are still seen by many as the main option, but as costs are high and technology is always behind the consumer curve do they really offer a good ROI?

Although in theory traditional IFE and Communications (IFEC) systems installed in the seat back are easy to operate and cost effective, in reality they are anything but.  Likely to be expensive to purchase, the experience in the industry is that they require continuous and expensive engineering support to keep working, and with the additional weight of servers and miles of cabling results in significant extra fuel burn.  This all adds up to huge lifetime costs; most airlines may never achieve a decent return on investment. 

The solution of using COTS devices repurposed for IFEC seems like the most sensible option, combining the latest technology with the ease of operation of an installed system...  The downside is all the integration effort, costs and time still has to happen, as Sally Gethin points out in her recent blog http://gethins-ifec.com/?p=573  

Without an industry step change in seat design, only airlines who can afford to develop their own seat modifications will be able to adopt these solutions and there may be a higher seat cost resulting from the requirement for bespoke seat design.   The market for these products looks to be extremely limited.  I have no doubt that these systems will continue to be "available" and may on the face of it look like a low cost option, however the development costs still need to be recouped and so watch out for the sting in the tail - high after-sales costs.

Products: Portable Media Players: eDigital eVU: general

I once described the eVU as the IFE portable media player (PMP) industry workhorse and it still is today.  Whilst other PMPs have come and gone (some to the huge dissatisfaction of the customers who purchased the latest device untried and untested...), the eVU continues to improve.  The exceptional eDigital team lead by Fred Falk have a product to be proud of, and one that Mezzo can deploy with utmost assurance that we can deliver reliable IFE day in, day out.  It has been for some time the PMP with the longest battery life; with up to 26hrs with a standard battery (no need for an extended life battery here!)  It is software and hardware optimisation carried out over the years that delivers this and another reason why new is not always best.  The eVU can also be used without a battery unlike many COTs products, making it probably the lightest PMP in use.  There is a range of four basic options; 7" and 8" screen, with or without touch screen, in black or grey as standard, or Mezzo can colour it with any design you can think of.

All PMPs get damaged, and the story of the lady who stepped on an eVU to reach the overhead locker is a classic, although Neil McColl, Mezzo Operations director can stand on the eVU without breaking the screen...but then he doesn't wear "heels".  So perhaps one of the best features is how easy it is to repair, which means that most repairs are carried out locally, so turn around is typically 2 days...It is detail like this that enables Mezzo to offer IFE reliability onboard that is unsurpassed by installed systems.  Maybe it's time for those airlines flying old 777s transatlantic to rip out those analogue 5" screen systems and replace it with one of the best most reliable IFE systems flying today.