December 13, 2006 – BRITISH carrier bmi is the launch customer for Phantom Media’s Bluebox Lite handheld IFE player. The airline plans to introduce the device on medium-haul routes, starting towards the end of next month.

London-based Phantom says that Bluebox Lite will support films with full digital rights management (DRM) provision, plus television programming, music and games. Surround-sound headsets will accompany the units offered to bmi passengers. Content acquisition, encoding and integration will be handled under a turnkey solution package from Phantom.
 
“Thanks to our encryption techniques, we have enjoyed tremendous support from the Hollywood studios in securing early-window movies for Bluebox,” says Phantom business development manager Michael Earley. “We also look forward to working with some of the world’s biggest brands in PC gaming, most of whom have not been able to offer their latest products to the IFE market because of the technical limitations of previous systems.”

Phantom originally entered the marketplace with a lightweight, wireless in-seat architecture but has since embraced the handheld faith, unveiling Bluebox Lite at the WAEA show in September. Now the company, along with its Bluebox Avionics subsidiary, is pursuing a two-track strategy designed to give airlines a well defined upgrade path.

“We have a sale just three months after launching our portable version of Bluebox,” comments Phantom managing director Rick Stuart. “This is a fantastic achievement for our team and our partners, and is indicative of the response we’ve received from many potential customers.”

The next public showing of the Bluebox range will be at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg in April 2007.