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iPod Seat-Back Video Coming To Flights

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the world's-biggest-iPod-accessory dept.

cameronk writes, "Apple announced partnership agreements with Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM, and United that will let you display video from your iPod on the screen of the seat in front of you. Plus, the connectors charge iPods throughout the flight. This will be great for inter-continental flights where even my iPod Nano runs out of juice. I wonder how the airlines are going to keep inappropriate video (i.e. porn or even just movies like "Snakes on a Plane" or "Alive") from appearing on the seat-back displays."

16 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. Boeing... by CokeBear · · Score: 5, Funny

    Boeing: The world's largest iPod accessory manufacturer.

    747: The world's largest iPod accessory.

    --
    Reality has a liberal bias
  2. Zune Compatibility? by gsslay · · Score: 5, Funny
    I'm more interested in Zune compatability. Can I use Zune's great wifi capabilities to exchange MP3s with the onboard flight navigation system? They're DRMed to 3 days, but when your life expectancy is 1 hour max, who cares?!

    And when we crash, we'll go down grooving.

    1. Re:Zune Compatibility? by CastrTroy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ok, you got modded funny, but why not put a regular USB port on the seat back, and allow people to hook up any USB mass storage device, and play the media from that. Make it a Linux MPlayer thing and it would be able to play just about anything. Why do companies keep on locking themselves into one device when it would be much easier to support a large number of devices. If they're worried about DRM on the files, then work out a deal with apple so that they can decrypt the files on the iPod.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  3. I've got an idea by meeotch · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I wonder how the airlines are going to keep inappropriate video (i.e. porn or even just movies like "Snakes on a Plane" or "Alive") from appearing on the seat-back displays."

    How about by /asking/ people not to? Or a little sign that says, "Please be aware of your neighbors and/or their children, and do not watch video that may disturb them." Sheesh.

    Offtopic, but - who's up for a "no kids" airline? I'd definitely pay an extra $10 per flight to ensure there aren't any crying babies onboard.

    1. Re:I've got an idea by Speare · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Kinda weird how you first seemed almost humanist, what with your suggestion to communicate and use common sense in social situations. Then you turn a quick 180 and suggest artificial class barriers to society like "with children" vs "you." Sure, some kids are annoying because they don't understand why their ears are hurting. Some people in seat 13B are annoying because they like watching the climax of "Airport 1977" on a bigscreen laptop and can't understand why it might be a bit anxiety-inducing for their neighbors. If you can live with one but not the other, what does that say about you?

      --
      [ .sig file not found ]
    2. Re:I've got an idea by Sax+Maniac · · Score: 4, Funny

      Personally, I'm up for a no fat people airline. And no smelly people. And no people with brown skin. And no Mormons! Or old people, they're too slow.

      --
      I can explanate how to administrate your network. You must configurate and segmentate it, so it can computate.
    3. Re:I've got an idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      On the flipside, that cute lady would probably pay $100 to NOT sit next to you.

  4. Re:Charge iPods? by Secrity · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Personally, I prefer to not divert power from the plane's engines.

    MY GOD, I had NO idea that iPods use enough power to tax a jetliner's engines. Do they require 3 phase power, or will they work from US standard 120/240 volt split phase power? How much do they cost to run for one month, assuming 6 hours of use a day and 10 cents per KWh?

  5. Inappropriate video not a new problem by nganju · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You can get on a plane, open up your laptop and play inappropriate video right now. I don't think this has been a huge problem so far, and I don't see how ipod-seat-back-video makes this problem any worse.

    --
    There are 2 kinds of people in this world. Those that can keep their train of thought,
  6. Re:Yes, please! by brusk · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Pretty much the same way they keep your from looking at Penthouse centerfolds or playing porn on your mini DVD player. Social pressure plus, I'd assume, a polite (at least initially) request from the crew. In this case, it works. There's nothing new here in this respect.

    --
    .sig withheld by request
  7. Re:Yes, please! by El+Torico · · Score: 4, Funny

    Video iPod - $250
    Label Maker - $27
    Scaring the crap out of unsuspecting passengers with the new "pilot's view display" and footage from the nose of a cruise missle - Priceless.

    --
    In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
  8. This is the airlines kicking MPAA to the curb by mirio · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is a clever way for the airlines to bypass the MPAA's atrocious licensing fees for movies stored on the aircraft's entertainment system. If the airline doesn't 'own' the copy, they aren't responsible. I predict the MPAA will soon be having shit fits over this system.

  9. ie vs eg by Myopic · · Score: 5, Informative

    The poster uses "ie" to list inappropriate content for airplanes, but he is mistaken: instead, he wants "eg". "Ie" introduces an exhaustive list, or restates the category completely, whereas "eg" provides examples within the category. So, he gives the category as inappropriate content, and lists three possible types of inappropriate content, so he should use "eg".

    The latin phrase for "eg" is "exempli gratia", or, in English, "gratuitous example", which is to say, an example which helps explain the intent of the sentence.

    The latin phrase for "ie" is "id est", or, in English, literally "that is", which means you are restating the thing to make the intent clear.

    I don't really blame the poster, who might not care about this distinction, a common mistake amongst Americans, but the Slashdot editors sure as hell should care, being that they are paid to provide that service. That's an old complaint, though, and it's fairly clear the editors don't care either.

  10. If you're going to be a Nazi by slashdotwriter · · Score: 5, Informative

    at least do it right: 1. Learn Latin so you understand the grammatical structure and meaning of the expression "exempli grata". 2. Learn how to spell: "i.e.", "e.g.". Without the abbreviating periods, the sequences of letters "ie", "eg" don't mean anything in English. "Latin" should be capitalized in English.

  11. will they interrupt playback ... by rwx · · Score: 4, Insightful

    every ten minutes when they announce that the beverage cart will be starting soon? That's one reason I prefer my own entertainment device: I decide when to hit pause.

  12. Re:same issue by Odin's+Raven · · Score: 4, Funny
    You are supposed to ask the woman next to you if she wants to joint the mile high club. Do that while pointing at your laptop screen. It is sure to impress her.

    I suspect this depends on how impressive your pointer is...

    --
    A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores.