Can you use nintendo ds or portable DVD player on plane?

[Aine3]

Travelling by Ryanair next month (cant wait!!) . I am thinking of letting the kids bring ds and dvd player, if only to keep them quiet on the flight! Has anyone used them or do they have to be switched off? Also, we are staying at Cheyenne. Has anyone attached dvd player to tv - if so do we need a scart lead?? Thanks.

 

[DLPdaft]

You can use electronic games/DVDs etc on the plane, once take-off and landing procedures are finished. The cabin crew will tell you when this has taken place. My DD always takes her nintendo DS with her on the plane.

Don't know about the hotel rooms, sorry.

 

[Johnny_boy]

You can also use most smart phones like the Nokia N95/96/97/iPhone providing you put them into airplane mode before switching them off for take-off (it's offline mode on some Nokia phones - press power for a second then choose offline). When in airplane mode they can't receive calls so don't cause an issue.

 

[tttessa]

Hi -
we were also told with Nintendo DS not to use picochat - i.e. just use them standalone.

Tessa

 

[Johnny_boy]

you should turn off bluetooth, wi-fi and phone facilities in general. I've not got a DS but I assume picochat uses wi-fi or bluetooth. These all work on radio waves and although not proven to cause interference, the airlines (and other passengers) err on the safe side.

Some airlines now have wi-fi built in for longer flights so you can access the internet while on a flight, but unless you're on one, probably best to turn off wi-fi - it'll extend the battery life as well.

 

[Johnny_boy]

When we stayed in SF last time, the TV was quite small and old, a portable DVD player would have had a better screen. The connections can vary from country to country and whether or not the TV is designed for hotels (often have restricted max sound and few connections).

In general, the red (right sound), white (left sound), yellow (composite video)leads will give you a picture and are on most TVs though it is one of the worst pictures possible but should be ok for kids

You will need to switch to an AV or EXT channel to see the picture. SCART is a French Standard so it'll probably be on most TVs. We were too exhaused to bother watching TV last time at SF and only stayed one night.

I'd managed to connect my laptop to the LCD TV in the resort where we were staying via an S-Video cable but didn't get a colour picture (the French use SECAM rather than PAL and that can be one of the issues though most TVs should handle both), I think it may have been a loose connection though that was the issue as there wasn't room for the laptop near the telly so we ended up watching Beatrix Potter on the laptop.

I'd bring a few different leads to try if it's vital .

 

[northwest1965]

You can also use most smart phones like the Nokia N95/96/97/iPhone providing you put them into airplane mode before switching them off for take-off (it's offline mode on some Nokia phones - press power for a second then choose offline). When in airplane mode they can't receive calls so don't cause an issue.

They last 2 flights I have been on, they even told passengers that they cant be used.

 

[Johnny_boy]

It's an odd one, they don't cause interference but mobile phones will lock onto more base stations while up in the air and I think the speed you're moving causes hand-offs between cells to happen a lot quicker and this causes the networks issues so they discourage it.

Pretty much the reason you weren't allowed to use phones in hospitals for a long time was the companies that sell TV and phone services within the hospitals at 75p a min to phone in or out. When DD was born mobiles were banned on the ward but when DS came along, Offcom had made them relax the rules.

A smart phone in airplane mode is the same as an MP3 player/iPod so I can't see what the issue would be but some cabin crew just make up their own rules. I suppose it could be that people don't put them into airplane mode before switching them off before take-off so have to switch them on as a normal phone to do so first.

 

[stevelamb121]

Last time I took my iPhone and put cars and polar express on Fo my son(and a couple of films for me)

It was fine using it on the plane, airplane mode was on, ie no wifi or Bluetooth. He watched it fine till we landed in CDG.

 

[nightrider68]

I think every airline is different - some don't allow anything but others do.

It's amazing how many children using their Nintendo DS use pictochat which I believe is using Wifi.