With the launch of its A321neo fleet late last month Delta Air Lines activated one of the most frequently requested passenger features on board: Bluetooth headphones pairing. That successful “soft launch” will soon extend to other aircraft fitted with the in-flight entertainment kit developed by its Delta Flight Products (DFP) subsidiary.
The screen hardware installed on several other aircraft types include the same chipset, allowing for the Bluetooth pairing to be enabled there as well. It does require additional certification efforts, as the original electromagnetic interference testing was performed on those planes with the BT radio disabled. But the company intends to pursue that regulatory work.
Ultimately, this means passengers on the A330neo and 767-400s should have that option available in the not-too-distant future.
New hardware, new opportunities
Getting headphones paired is a nice short-term win. But the larger roadmap for DFP includes significant additional upgrades as part of developing a new generation of in-seat screens.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Future Travel Experience EMEA conference in Dublin last week, DFP’s VP IFE Dan Murphy spoke to the next generation of the IFE kit, including notable hardware improvements.
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Screens will shift from 720p to 1080p or 4K resolution, mostly because it is hard to buy the lower resolution screens today. Murphy notes that most content is still being loaded at lower resolutions, and that most passengers can’t tell the difference on the relatively small screens.
The new screens will also include an updated Bluetooth chip that allows for more efficient, directional signaling. The current version is omnidirectional, which means more potential…