Updating Contents of an Individual Entertainment System (IES)

The digital content and the reliability of the system are the two pillars on which the success of an IES is based. There is nothing more annoying than sitting down and seeing the same offer as the week, month or three months before. This applies to an IES of a bus and to any entertainment offering.

That is why we need to realize a content update that is adapted to the use of the vehicle and the passenger's profile. Here are 3 different examples:

• For an exclusive use (for example a football club), people of the same age and always the same people, we think of current films, series, including current music, video clips… with a high update frequency, without the need for a very large offer .
• For regular use of medium and long distance, with passengers of all ages, from different backgrounds, foreign travelers, etc…. we are thinking of an extensive offer, different types of films, original versions… with an average update frequency. We will also need company information content, in order to increase customer loyalty, advertising messages, links to websites that the company finds interesting, surveys to get first-hand opinions of passengers…
• For a discretionary use (special occasions, holidays, etc.), with varied groups, who use the bus for a few days, we think of a very wide range of films and music, tourist content, surveys….The frequency of updating can be very low due to the low risk of a passenger repeating the journey

The updating of contents can be achieved in different ways and we will use for our Individual Entertainment System the way that best suits our needs. The most common are:

a) By replacing the hard disk. For this we will need a replacement hard disk on which we load new contents, which we exchange with the existing disk. This is the safest and most practical way, with three drawbacks:

1. A person from the transport company must be available for this, while in reality he should be engaged in his business: the transport of passengers. In addition, a transport company usually does not employ people with a good profile for this, this is logical: a distributor of content does not employ a good traffic planner!
2. To be 100% sure that no problems will occur (this can happen with software), it is desirable to have a device at our office to test its functioning before installing it on board. But this costs money.....
3. If it concerns a large fleet, which is also geographically dispersed, this entails an administrative task and the difficulty of ensuring that the right contents are in the vehicle at the right time.

The most reliable solution and the one we recommend is to choose a manufacturer that provides us with this service on a regular, reliable and flexible basis.

b) Remote updating via WiFi or 3G/4G. This is being worked on by the leading manufacturers and the market launch is expected in 2015. With this system it is possible that the carrier itself or a third party (content manager) can directly manage the contents. A platform is required for remote management ("Cloud"), from which loading and status checking can take place. The contents are updated on the desired day in the vehicles where it is desired….and in this way the bus operator is relieved of managing the contents.

From the two options, we choose the one that best suits our needs. It is clear that a large fleet (more than 20 vehicles) will find clear advantages with the second option, while with a small number of cars the first option seems reasonable due to its simplicity.