Thales drives cloud-native innovations and inflight live TV
Niels Steenstrup, CEO, Thales InFlyt Experience (left) and Kurt Weidemeyer, Vice President Product Management, Thales InFlyt Experience in Hamburg, Germany
As the demand for seamless inflight connectivity, live entertainment onboard and cloud-based systems continues to grow, PAX Tech sat down with Kurt Weidemeyer, Vice President Product Management, Thales InFlyt Experience, and Niels Steenstrup, CEO, Thales InFlyt Experience, in Hamburg, Germany for an update on FlytEDGE and Thales’ 360 Stream live TV solution.
Full circle
At AIX 2024, Thales InFlyt Experience unveiled its cloud-native IFE platform, FlytEDGE, designed to help airlines deliver an experience that is uniquely tailored to each passenger. The FlytEDGE solution features 4K QLED HDR seatback displays and two Bluetooth connections that enable passengers to engage with personal electronic devices. The system also provides the same user interface to all devices across the embedded IFE seatback display and the passengers’ own devices (smartphone, tablet, laptop), enabling an IFE experience akin to what passengers are used to on the ground.
Since its unveiling last May, FlytEDGE has been selected by Qatar Airways for its fleet of A321 NXs, FlytEDGE will also power the next generation of Delta Sync seatback experience for Delta Air Lines, announced in January at CES.
Weidemeyer says he expects to see FlytEDGE flying on Delta and Qatar in 2026. He also notes that it is currently in-service with an existing Thales connectivity customer.
“FlytEDGE is a real, proven, patented, and in-service solution. The system is flying and has been flying for over a year. We have done more than 40 software and content updates over the air and it has been extremely reliable and managed completely remotely. We have not had to physically touch the aircraft once,” Weidemeyer tells PAX Tech.
Adds Streenstrup, “The traction that we are getting with airlines has been off the charts. We are building strong momentum. When we introduced FlytEDGE, we said, ‘This is a paradigm shift in how IFE is done,’ and it truly is. The way you deploy and maintain it is much lighter for airlines and for us. With FlytEDGE, integrations into airlines’ backend systems are far easier, faster, and less expensive – empowering airlines to curate extraordinary passenger experiences at unprecedented ease and speed.”
The positive response to FlytEDGE follows the success of Thales’, AVANT Up IFE system, which has been flying on Ethiopian A350-1000, and since earlier this year on Emirates A350-900 with the Crystal Cabin award-winning accessibility UI and live TV solution.
“AVANT Up went live on Ethiopian Airlines in November and Emirates in January, so we are in a position where we have two great solutions in the market right now,” says Weidemeyer. “AVANT Up features for the first time our Optiq 4K HDR seatback screens and Pulse Power management system, which won a Crystal Cabin Award three years ago. We are hitting on all cylinders.”
Revolutionizing inflight live TV
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Thales 360Stream
Thales has also launched 360Stream to bring live and near-live, event-based programming to inflight entertainment. This live TV solution has the industry-first DVR capability; it is compatible with any IFE system, any connectivity provider, and personal electronic devices. The airline can record content as it is streamed allowing passengers to play, pause, rewind or skip to live when they watch live content.
Weidemeyer calls the 360Stream solution a “very different take” on live streaming inflight, noting that it is already flying with Emirates on the AVANT Up IFE system.
“It is quite a unique solution,” echoes Steenstrup. “It features DVR functionality where you download live content as it airs and then you watch it when you want to.”
360Stream also intelligently manages bandwidth to enhance the viewing experience for major live events. He notes that this flexibility can either put money back in the wallet of the airline or give passengers more bandwidth for personal connectivity. Launch content partners include BBC News, CNN and IMG’s Sport 24, with more being added by Thales. Airlines have flexibility in adding specific content partners as well.
Weidemeyer explains that 360Stream also supports airlines in personalizing the passenger experience through the live content available onboard.
“Airlines pick and choose what live events they bring onto the aircraft,” he says. “For example, when you go to BBC's website, you can watch the live channel or you can see different stories. We are taking those stories that are already packaged, and uploading them to the aircraft in real time to make them available to passengers. The airline can decide how many of those stories they make available and how quickly they make it available.”
Passengers can then see what is playing now, what has been played and what is upcoming, similar to navigating videos on YouTube, Weidemeyer explains, allowing them to view live and near live content they find relevant and engaging.
“360Stream can operate on any IFE system and any connectivity network, even for airlines that are not equipped with a Thales’ IFE system,” Steenstrup adds. “This all comes from a theme we take very seriously, creating best in class connected IFE experiences. With 360Stream, airlines can offer an exceptional and dynamic user experience similar to the popular streaming apps of today.”
