Boeing Eyes In-Flight Live TV on Your Laptop

cobravenum2 writes "Boeing is planning to add live television to its Connexion by Boeing service during 2005, The television programs will be delivered across the Connexion network, which uses satellites to provide high-speed data connections between aircraft in-flight and ground stations linked to the Internet. The service entered commercial use earlier this year and provides a 5 megabits per second shared downstream and 1 mbps shared upstream connection to suitably equipped aircraft. You'll be able to view up to four channels of live TV over your laptop."

What about Over-Ocean Flights?

[wasted]

The television programs will be delivered across the Connexion network, which uses satellites to provide high-speed data connections between aircraft in-flight and ground stations linked to the Internet.

So those long TransPacific flights will only have sporadic TV coverage? Those are the ones that could use it the most. Or will 747 aircraft start following the equivalent of ETOPS routes to ensure internet coverage?

* ETOPS Routes - Routes flown by twin engine aircraft on extended overwater flights to ensure that they can reach land within a certain amount of time in the event of an engine failure.

MPAA sues Boeing

[Anonymous Coward]

So how long before "viewed on Laptop" becomes "recorded on laptop" ?

Man, this is going to be real headache for MPAA, having to refer 5 different country copyright laws, if the plane flies over different countries(Look at the Singapore Airline Routes) during the entire unauthorized recording process.

On the other hand anything that creates havoc for MPAA... this cannot be a bad thing, right ?

Only 5 Mb/s?

[tongariro]

Streaming a channel using high compression video and audio codec at CIF resolution will get the data rate down to about 500 Kb/s. Assuming that every bit is used for streaming, that will be 10 channels maximum to be shared between those among the 300 passengers who has the laptop/PDA/phone.

I can see it now, air rage over bandwidth hogs. :-)

5 Mbps, 4 channels?

[nxtr]

Sounds like the de facto HDTV standard that allows for either one HD signal or four SD signals through multicasting.

Re:The Greed Factor

[geomon]

They are going to have to charge you something to let you use YOUR laptop.

My ISP charges me for service at home.

Why should the airlines be obliged to give it away for free?

Do you equate greed with running a profitable company?

Re:The Greed Factor

[screenrc]

Using the very same logic of your post, we
are now free to claim that the "free" Wi-fi
service that the airline provides is already
included in the airplane ticket.

I don't have a problem for the airline being
greedy or for the passanger being greedy: it
is market forces at work, where everyone tries
to get the most out of the deal. "Greedy" and
"profitable" is one and the same, there is little
or no distinction between them.

Re:Worse yet: everyone in coach USING their laptop

[Whumpsnatz]

I've done a lot of flying this year, and some people not only don't care about their neighbors, they actively try to push you out of your damned seat. I finally got agressive myself, shoving back twice as hard, and not giving an inch. While I hate pressing the flesh (literally), there is sometimes simply no other alternative. So when some obnoxious thug tries to steal my seat, I just say HELL NO.

Americans are Fat Alberts. Airline seats are for armless anorexics. But for these scumbags, I don't think it would matter if they were in first class, they would still be hogs.

This begs a question....

[Sfing_ter]

If I decide to sleep and with my laptop record the stream, be it live tv or movies, are they mine, will I be arrested for 'Stealing' copyrighted materials?