What is the biggest, baddest, best live satellite television system flying in the skies today? The answer, my friend, is JetBlue subsidiary LiveTV's LTV3 platform, which is being installed across Continental Airlines' Boeing domestic fleet.
I scooted on down to LiveTV's Melbourne, Florida-based facility last week to finally get some footage of LTV3, a bigger, better, and brighter system than that which is even flying on JetBlue.
Check out my initial snaps of the 80-channel system (which could offer as many as 90 channels when the World Airline Entertainment Association conference and exhibition gets kicked off early next month).
For the antenna lovers out there, I've uploaded some pics of the KVH Industries antenna that will be installed on Continental's -800s.
LiveTV hasn't replaced its long-time antenna supplier EMS (EMS antennas are now flying on Continental's -900ERs), but it did award a $20.1 million multi-year contract to KVH to design, develop and build cost-efficient antennas for narrowbodies.
on September 21, 2009 4:27 PM | Reply
I have used this system on a recent Continental flight. Very nice content.
HOWEVER:
1) It seemed to be a truly live TV system - that is, there was no pausing or buffering. This means that every in flight chatty announcement form the flight deck pre-empts parts (often key parts) of the movie or other program you are watching!
2) The system lost signal (or rather tracking) several times during one program (although not at all during the movie that I watched, fortunately)
So, interesting, but with some issues (so far)...
on September 21, 2009 6:00 PM | Reply
Was it chilly in that room?
on September 21, 2009 11:10 PM | Reply
hey, where's the yellow coat?
on September 22, 2009 2:33 AM | Reply
Hey Mary,
You know if it wasn't for the invention of the LCD display none of this great new technology would not be possible. Could you imagine an aiplane full of bulky CRT's with the occasional implosion on rough or emrgency landings. Not fun!