AviIT and Phantom Media join forces to launch Inflight Entertainment System joint venture – bluebox

AviIT, the aviation technology solutions company, and Phantom Media, the media production company that also specialises in captive media solutions, today announce the formal launch of their 50/50 joint venture, bluebox Avionics Ltd, aimed at bringing market leading inflight entertainment solutions to the global aviation market.

[ClickPress, Thu Jun 14 2007] AviIT and Phantom Media join forces to launch Inflight Entertainment System joint venture – bluebox Avionics Ltd

AviIT, the aviation technology solutions company, and Phantom Media, the media production company that also specialises in captive media solutions, today announce the formal launch of their 50/50 joint venture, bluebox Avionics Ltd, aimed at bringing market leading inflight entertainment solutions to the global aviation market. The development follows a twelve month period where AviIT has been the lead IT supplier on the bluebox product range to Phantom Media.

Under the joint venture, AviIT is responsible for all software and infrastructure design and development whilst Phantom Media provides its expertise in content provision.

Utilising the latest technology developments in IT hardware and software, the companies have produced an industry-leading system, bluebox, to provide a family of advanced IFE solutions from portable through to a full AVOD system, all built on the same platform and offering the ability to support the same content and features. As a full AVOD system, bluebox delivers substantial savings in cost and weight while providing increased functionality and superior digital video and audio performance for passengers.

CEO of AviIT, David Brown, commented:
“The industry is currently characterised by portable media players and fixed IFE systems. Fixed systems are universally heavy, expensive to maintain and often fall short of passenger expectations. In weight terms alone, we anticipate our bluebox system could remove up to 1.5 tonnes of weight from a typical wide-body aircraft compared to a conventional AVOD system. Portable media players are attractive but are often limited in content availability and image/audio quality.”

Managing director of Phantom Media, Rick Stuart, added:
“Bluebox addresses these issues by providing a system that leapfrogs the technical and content capabilities of the current crop of portable players. By using the same hardware and software platform for the fixed AVOD version, bluebox can provide a consistent and functionally rich system on a totally new platform at an economically attractive TCO price. As such, this enables us to deliver to the airline and passenger an entertainment experience second to no other.”

During the recent Aircraft Interiors show in Hamburg, bluebox demonstrated its latest enhancements to the system including wireless control of bluebox devices - whether as a fixed or portable system - and PA interrupt / breakthrough. Further information www.blueboxavionics.com
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Further information

David Brown (CEO AviIT) + 44 (0)1383 620922
Rick Stuart (MD Phantom Media) + 44 (0)20 7886 8370
Toby Hall / Christian Pickel (gth media) + 44 (0)20 7153 8039/8036