IdeaNova and Bluebox partner to redefine portable IFE as digital services hub
This is a special feature from the June/July 2025 Seating & IFEC issue of PAX Tech on page 20.
Examples of IFE and retail opportunities on personal electronic devices
In an age where inflight connectivity is accelerating and digital passenger expectations are constantly evolving, the enduring relevance of portable inflight entertainment systems might be surprising to some. But for IdeaNova Technologies, a specialist in secure streaming and IFE software, and Bluebox Aviation Systems, a leading provider of wireless IFE solutions, portable IFE is not just relevant—it is a key piece of the aviation puzzle.
The pair’s partnership supports the continuing evolution of portable IFE as a flexible, future-facing service platform that meets the demands of both connected and disconnected aircraft.
Bluebox’s software-first vision
Kevin Clark, CEO, Bluebox
“Let’s start with a bit of background,” Kevin Clark, CEO of Bluebox, tells PAX Tech. “We are primarily a software business. But because we are called Bluebox, people tend to think that we are a hardware company.” While Bluebox does offer portable wireless streaming boxes—Wow, first launched in 2016—it has always emphasized the software layer as the core of its value proposition. Bluebox’s Blueview software is designed to support personal electronic devices (PEDs), and this evolved toward an architecture that decouples software from hardware entirely. This evolution allows Blueview to operate across diverse hardware platforms, from aircraft-installed servers to portable wireless units stowed in overhead bins.
“The hardware is really the life support system for the software,” Clark explains. “It is the Blueview software that delivers the ever-expanding functionality. And recognizing that allows us to rapidly create capabilities that are much more about what passengers want to consume rather than technology for its own sake.”
By abstracting the software layer, Bluebox enables airlines to deploy IFE flexibly—whether across a fully connected fleet, a mixed fleet with partial connectivity, or completely disconnected aircraft. Even across fleet with different aircraft types. According to Valour Consultancy, approximately 22,000 aircraft will be IFE-equipped by 2032, leaving ample room for portable systems to fill critical gaps.
This is where IdeaNova Technologies comes in.
Resilience through software integration
Juraj Siska, CEO, IdeaNova
Juraj Siska, CEO of IdeaNova, sees the partnership with Bluebox as a natural fit. “What attracts us about the Bluebox vision is that even if we fulfill the prediction that 50 percent of aircraft will be connected, that still leaves half the fleet disconnected. And even those that are connected will not be connected 100 percent of the time.”
IdeaNova specializes in technologies that make secure content streaming possible, including DRM, encryption and offline content availability. Its Inplay product suite enables streaming video playback—even in low or no connectivity environments—ensuring passengers can access content seamlessly regardless of network status.
A screenshot of IdeaNova’s Web Inplay Player
IdeaNova’s role with Bluebox is to enhance the software stack by enabling secure, scalable and flexible media delivery. As Siska puts it: “We believe that both the software served from the ground and the software from the aircraft need to work in conjunction to provide 100 percent availability and 100 percent of services to the airline’s customers.”
Hybrid, application driven future
Clark says he sees the evolving IFE landscape as one where applications, not bandwidth, will determine differentiation.
“Up until recently, it has all been about IFE,” Clark says. “But the world that the passenger lives in is about much more. It is about inflight retail, order-to-seat, destination content—all digital services airlines can offer with Blueview over the same infrastructure.”
By separating software from hardware, Bluebox enables airlines to deploy these services in a modular fashion. A portable IFE system, for instance, could deliver entertainment, inflight retail and passenger messaging in aircraft where permanent connectivity is not feasible or economically viable. It can also be rapidly deployed—unconstrained by the extensive certification processes that encumber seatback systems. This opens a world of opportunity for airlines, where speed to market and cost containment are critical.
Shared vision, complementary strengths
IdeaNova and Bluebox have partnered to bring portable IFE opportunities into the spotlight
The partnership exemplifies a strategic alliance built around specialization. “There are things that IdeaNova is better at—that is their focus,” says Clark. “They manage the roadmap that we use within our own product, which allows us to concentrate on what functional enhancements matter most to airlines and their passengers.”
Siska echoes this sentiment. “Everyone is talking about inflight connectivity,” he says, “but I believe there is going to be a lot more space for building aviation-specific applications. It is not about whether you have 100 megabits per second or even 500—it is about what you do with it. We believe the future will belong to IFE systems that bring the most relevant and accurate applications. The availability of connectivity will open up the field for some of the most innovative ideas to enhance passenger experience.”
One such development is IdeaNova’s Inplay Flow product which bridges the gap between wireless PED-based IFE and traditional seatback screens, creating a more seamless and immersive passenger experience. Together, IdeaNova and Bluebox are looking beyond conventional streaming to integrated, cross-platform services. Future-proofing IFE
While portable IFE may have originated as a workaround for hardware limitations and unconnected aircraft, its future is firmly rooted in software innovation. The collaboration between IdeaNova and Bluebox represents a significant shift from hardware-centric thinking toward a service-based model that prioritizes flexibility, speed and passenger engagement.
“Portable systems still have a very, very relevant life and quite a long life in the aviation space,” says Clark.
By building a scalable software eco-system that can live on the aircraft or be served from the ground, IdeaNova and Bluebox are ensuring that airlines will not be held back by connectivity limitations or inflexible legacy systems, not only redefining the capabilities of portable IFE but future-proofing it for the next decade of digital aviation.
