November 28, 2006 – WITH a customer list ranging from Air India and at least one US major to a rich variety of charter, low-cost and premium-only carriers, Innovative Media Solutions (IMS) can reasonably claim second place in the handheld market. But the Californian-based company wants more, much more, and points to a broader track record within and beyond IFE. 

“IMS is not just a handheld supplier,” says Michael Childers, managing director of the company’s content and media development group. “It’s also a leader in software and applications development and content management for airframers, avionics manufacturers and airlines, and for clients from outside the IFE world. Our handheld offer is the most complete in the market – a true end-to-end solution comprising the hardware plus content acquisition, applications and delivery.”
 
With screens ranging in size from 4.3in to 10.6in, the IMS players are based on both off-the-shelf and proprietary technologies and offer a wide choice of functionalities. Over the past 12 months the company has moved towards a two-track product development strategy, customising products from French-based consumer electronics provider Archos while also pushing on with its own PEA (Personal Entertainment Appliance) series. 

At the WAEA show in September IMS demonstrated two versions of an Archos-based 1.5lb, 7in-screen device – the button-controlled PAV700 and a follow-on touchscreen version. Both offered high-resolution displays, full audio/video-on-demand, and a choice of hard drives - 40Gb and 100Gb in the PAV700, 80Gb and 160Gb in the follow-on unit. The last can support over 300 hours of video.

“We’re still committed to using best-of-class consumer technology,” comments Childers. “The rapidly changing consumer market makes it possible to obtain the latest technology and lowest price points by repurposing off-the-shelf technology. Though we still have to make content secure and ruggedise the devices for cabin use, we benefit economically from the huge manufacturing volumes typical of the consumer market.”

Airlines requiring screens larger that those offered by the Archos players can still have IMS’ original PEA, though this is to be phased out soon in favour of a comparably sized unit with a tablet PC form factor. The new product will run the latest version of Microsoft Windows, allowing IMS’ existing graphic user interface to be carried forward.
 
At WAEA the airlines showed significant interest in what IMS calls “integrated portables,” according to Childers. These are designed to give all the benefits of portability - low cost, light weight and built-in power - while blending into the seat and cabin in the same way as the best embedded systems.

“We introduced this approach earlier this year in business class aboard the American Airlines Boeing 767 fleet,” he says. “The devices are self-contained in that they are detachable from the seat, hold all their content on a hard drive, and operate with their own batteries. But they are also integrated in being able to slide into a slot on the back of the seat and draw power from standard laptop power systems.” On show at WAEA were two versions, one sliding into the seatback, the other attaching to a foldaway arm that also provides in-seat power.
 
As well as operating its own dedicated secure content delivery network, IMS offers products such as the Terminal Data Loader (TDL), which has been selected by American Airlines, British Airways and Virgin America. “This strength in secure content delivery has contributed to our unique status as the only provider in this market to have qualified for early-window content from every major studio and media company,” says Childers. “We are in this position because we secure not only the handheld device but also the entire content-delivery supply chain.”

Childers believes that other providers are underestimating the scale of the security challenge. “Even Windows Rights Manager is insufficient if it’s not adapted specifically to meet content provider requirements,” he says. “Some handheld vendors are telling airlines that in Rights Manager they have a studio-approved security solution. But if they have not also accommodated the demands of the major studios there is a chance they won’t qualify for early-window content.”
 
The final pillar of the IMS offering is its range of content applications, which includes the Blast! news service and CabinTrends usage monitoring. The Web Services-based Blast! supports the efficient delivery of time-sensitive content. CabinTrends captures data from each device and analyses it to indicate passenger preferences and usage trends.

Next: Panasonic