Long flights and in flight entertainment?

[kkmcan]

We are traveling to Aulani (Hawaii) next month from Phoenix and just found out that they offer a couple of movies which don't look like anything that we'd want to see. Its about 6 1/2 hours long flight and the longest flight myself and my kids have taken before. So I'm a bit concerned.

I thought I'd buy a portable dvd player to take and watch movies but all the ones I've seen only have a 2-3 hour battery life. That's only going to get us through one movie.

Any recommendations for players that have a longer battery life or ideas on what to do?? I did some research and found out there is no charging power either on board so now way to recharge.

ANY help appreciated!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Instead of buying a dedicated DVD player, consider a laptop with a DVD drive. It's far more versatile and useful. A laptop come with built-in WiFi, so you can use it at Aulani and other vacation spots for Internet access. These days, I wouldn't consider traveling without a laptop.

You wrote that your aircraft does not have power at your seat. That's unfortunate. Many newer planes have regular 110V outlets, while others have 12-14V outlets that require special adapters.

I have an Apple laptop with a 10-to-12-hour battery life. MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros are expensive compared to low-end Windows laptops, but they're wonderful products. They don't have DVD drives, but they're perfect for watching digital downloads.

DVDs and even BluRay discs are obsolete technologies.

 

[MaleficentRN]

I agree. Look into a laptop or tablet. You can use it for watching a movie, games, books.

 

[ludari]

I do long flights quite often (5+ hours) and I always bring my iPad to watch movies, play games, etc. Some airlines have also been converting or adding electrical outlets just below the seats so you could plug in your devises to charge. Another option which I always do is bring along a battery charger so when my device power is running low I don't have to look for an outlet and just plug in my backup battery and I'm good to go for more hours of entertainment.

 

[kkmcan]

We do have an IPad. I am really not a technology person so I have no idea how you watch movies on one. I will ask dh about using that for movies and having a back up portable charger as well.

I figure as long as we have a way to watch movies then we'll all be happy. Probably need another tablet though as we are sitting 2 of us in one row and 2 of us in the row behind.

Thanks!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

We do have an IPad. I am really not a technology person so I have no idea how you watch movies on one. I will ask dh about using that for movies and having a back up portable charger as well.

I figure as long as we have a way to watch movies then we'll all be happy. Probably need another tablet though as we are sitting 2 of us in one row and 2 of us in the row behind.

Thanks!

You can buy movies online at the iTunes Store.

When you buy a Disney Blu-ray Combo Pack, you get the Blu-ray, DVD, digital copy, and digital download capability.

 

[LilyWDW]

Just, please remember the headphones.

 

[Jillpie]

We do have an IPad. I am really not a technology person so I have no idea how you watch movies on one. I will ask dh about using that for movies and having a back up portable charger as well.

I figure as long as we have a way to watch movies then we'll all be happy. Probably need another tablet though as we are sitting 2 of us in one row and 2 of us in the row behind.

Thanks!

We flew all the way to Africa this Fall, and I don't know what I would have done without my IPad. Get an ITunes card, load it on your account, and buy one of your favorite TV seasons. I bought "Switched at Birth" and I was hooked the entire way there. Just one episode after another, it's great .

 

[amym2]

We flew to Hawaii last October (9 hr flight) and I agree that an iPad is a lifesaver. We only had the two movies on the way over, and one of them was one that the kids (almost 12 and 9) could watch, but the other was not. On our flight back, we had the individual screens, but the only movie that was not R rated was the same movie they'd watched on the way over. DD9 ended up using the iPad (she was sitting with me). Since we were split up (DD and I were in Economy Plus, guys were in regular coach), DS11 was on his own. I went back to check on them and DH was letting DS watch a movie I never would have let him. They also had books, puzzle books, etc with them but 9 hours is a long time!

 

[MillauFr]

I just copy my DVDs onto my laptop's hard drive and turn down the screen brightness. The battery last much longer that way.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I just copy my DVDs onto my laptop's hard drive and turn down the screen brightness. The battery last much longer that way.

Most commercial DVDs cannot readily be copied (at least not without software to circumvent copy protection). However, more and more DVDs now include a digital copy or a digital download.

If a laptop has a DVD drive, the easiest thing to do is to pop the DVD into the DVD drive and watch it that way.

However, tablets and some newer laptops do not have DVD drives. The very popular iPad is and example of this. But plenty of people watch movies on their iPads. Those people have either downloaded movies directly to their iPad or copied them over from a computer through iTunes (Windows or Mac).

 

[DVC-Don]

I rent and watch movies on my iPad. The battery is supposed to last about 8 hours although I've never run it down all the way.

 

[mackeymouse4eva]

We are traveling to Aulani (Hawaii) next month from Phoenix and just found out that they offer a couple of movies which don't look like anything that we'd want to see. Its about 6 1/2 hours long flight and the longest flight myself and my kids have taken before. So I'm a bit concerned.

I thought I'd buy a portable dvd player to take and watch movies but all the ones I've seen only have a 2-3 hour battery life. That's only going to get us through one movie.

Any recommendations for players that have a longer battery life or ideas on what to do?? I did some research and found out there is no charging power either on board so now way to recharge.

ANY help appreciated!

Although I agree that a tablet would probably be the easiest way to go, there is a solution to the portable DVD player. You can buy an external battery. I did this many years ago when flying with my young DS. Mine was a disk about the diameter of a dvd but thicker, it fit easily into my carrying case. It came with several plugs so it was adaptable to numerous brands/players. I would charge both the player & the extra battery. The player gave me maybe 3 hours of use, and the extra battery added I think another 6 hours. Since you will be split up in rows, this may work to give you an extra device. HOWEVER I would only go this route if you can not cost effectively purchase a second tablet or borrow one. Again this is only a decent fall back option IF you can get a good deal on a player.
**as some one previously mentioned....most BluRay & some regular dvds come with a digital copy...you already paid for it so enjoy it!!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

My iPad will make this trip with no battery issues. You can rent movies on iTunes and other sources. Generally you have 24 hours after you start the movie to finish it. Don't wait until the last minute to rent. Downloading them can be slow

You will also need headphones and a splitter if you want 2 people to watch on one device

 

[Lewisc]

I kind of agree with the PP but I'll play devils advocate.

There are portable DVD players which quote a battery life of 5 (or more hours). You can buy an external battery but the unit should be good for 2 movies without one.. You'll pay under $100 for the player. Most people have plenty of DVDs available. Ones you've bought, can borrow from friends, borrow from a library rent from Redbox maybe even DVDs a friend can burn for you. Plenty of places have old DVDs, some previously rented, for a few dollars.

A laptop computer makes some sense if you already have one or have a need to buy one. Even an inexpensive laptop will cost a lot more then a portable DVD player. Good chance you'll need an extra battery for a laptop. The battery included with an inexpensive laptop is unlikely to last for an entire movie.

A tablet makes a lot of sense. A good tablet will probably do what you do without the need for an external battery. Makes a lot of sense if you have the need for another tablet. An iPad (or android of equivalent quality) will cost hundreds more then a portable DVD player. Locating digital copies and buying movies on iTunes isn't hard but will take some time. Chances are you won't be able to stream movies from places like Netllix while you're flying. You'll need to download whatever movies you want to watch to your tablet before you leave. A PP is right, a digital rental is generally only good for 24 hours after you first start to watch. That means movies you rent for your outbound flight won't be available for your return flight.

Again I agree with the previous posters but there are certainly a variety of circumstances which might justify just buying a portable DVD player.

edited to add: New tivos and some other DVRs have the ability to transfer some of your recordings to an iPad.

 

[sam_gordon]

Here's an idea I found on cruisecritic...

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Wireless-Built-In-Streaming-STCK1000100/dp/B00AQRUW4Q

It's a hard drive with a built in wifi router. You load content on the hard drive (it's 1TB, so you can put a LOT of content on it), then you can connect up to four devices (phones, tablets, and I think laptops) and the content is streamed from the hard drive to the device. Four people can watch four different things.

 

[Lewisc]

Here's an idea I found on cruisecritic...

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Wireless-Built-In-Streaming-STCK1000100/dp/B00AQRUW4Q

It's a hard drive with a built in wifi router. You load content on the hard drive (it's 1TB, so you can put a LOT of content on it), then you can connect up to four devices (phones, tablets, and I think laptops) and the content is streamed from the hard drive to the device. Four people can watch four different things.

Nice find. The model you suggest can stream to 8 different devices. Maybe you can make a few bucks charging other passengers.

BUT this is somewhat of a "geek" product. I don't know if the OP wants to take the time it will take.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Here's an idea I found on cruisecritic...

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Wireless-Built-In-Streaming-STCK1000100/dp/B00AQRUW4Q

It's a hard drive with a built in wifi router. You load content on the hard drive (it's 1TB, so you can put a LOT of content on it), then you can connect up to four devices (phones, tablets, and I think laptops) and the content is streamed from the hard drive to the device. Four people can watch four different things.

Airline passengers are allowed to use approved Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs), but WiFi network routers (transmitters) are not on the approved list.

Airlines are allowed to install FAA-certified WiFi systems, and many airlines have.

I often fly American with GoGo Inflight Internet providing pay-per-view entertainment from an onboard media server. There are over 125 titles. TV shows are 99 cents. Movies are $3.99. The passenger just needs to have a tablet or laptop (or a smartphone in airplane mode if the airline allows it).

 

[sam_gordon]

Airline passengers are allowed to use approved Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs), but WiFi network routers (transmitters) are not on the approved list.

Airlines are allowed to install FAA-certified WiFi systems, and many airlines have.

I often fly American with GoGo Inflight Internet providing pay-per-view entertainment from an onboard media server. There are over 125 titles. TV shows are 99 cents. Movies are $3.99. The passenger just needs to have a tablet or laptop (or a smartphone in airplane mode if the airline allows it).

1) I honestly don't know if this an actual router or not. I said it was one because it allows devices to connect to it. I honestly don't see how it's any different than using wifi from your computer or phone (other devices can connect to those also). If I get one, I'll try it out on a plane. If I get asked to turn it off, so be it. Here's Delta's definition of a PED:

A portable electronic device (PED) is a lightweight, electrically or battery-powered piece of equipment. These devices are typically consumer electronic devices capable of communications and data processing, such as a tablet, e-reader or handheld computer games. Please note that mobile phones are not considered PEDs in this context and thus may be used only when the boarding door is open and during taxi to the gate after landing.

To me, the HD I linked above fits the description.
2) IIRC, GoGo also charges just for using it. I just looked it up... $14.00/day/device (or $50/month). So add that cost.

ETA: Also on Delta's website... here's what you CAN'T use at any time during a flight...

The following devices cannot be used: e-cigarettes; personal air purifiers; remote control toys; televisions; transmitters (amateur, citizens band (CB), two-way radios or walkie-talkies); VHF scanner receivers and any device with cellular network service enabled. PLEASE NOTE: Mobile phones may be used only when the boarding door is open and during taxi in to the gate after landing.

I don't see anyway that HD fits into that description either.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

1) I honestly don't know if this an actual router or not. I said it was one because it allows devices to connect to it.

Seagate Wireless Plus creates its own Wi-Fi network, just as a wireless router does. There's no network connection upstream from Wireless Plus, so it's not a router in that regard.

Airlines and equipment manufacturers had to go through an FAA certification process for in-flight Wi-Fi networks, proving that specific equipment would not interfere with specific aircraft avionics.

I suppose it's possible that passengers can now establish their own in-flight Wi-Fi networks with any equipment they bring on board.

Hawaiian Airlines has a very clear list of approved PEDs:

http://help.hawaiianairlines.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2091

Rules for some devices might be different on some other airlines, but since the rules all stem form the same safety concerns and FAA regulations, airlines should be similar.

"Mobile Device Storage with Built-In Wi-Fi Streaming" is not in the list of Approved Portable Electronic Devices.

The list of Electronic Devices that are NOT Permitted for Use includes "Wireless devices (keyboards, mouse, etc.)." The Seagate Wireless Plus could be considered a wireless device, although it's a WiFi device, not a BlueTooth device.

Also, radio transmitters are prohibited. Technically, a WiFi transmitter is a radio transmitter, but probably not in the sense of the list of prohibited devices (CD radio, Ham radio, etc.), where such prohibited devices transmit signals for a long distance.

My Google searches did not turn up any recent pages banning devices that establish in-flight WiFi networks. Also, laptops can be configured to serve as WiFi hotspots, and there doesn't seem to be any concern about this.

Personal Electronic Device (PED) rules have been relaxed in recent years. A few years ago, American Airlines prohibited the use of USB-attached external drives. Now most airlines, with FAA approval, even allow the use of smaller PEDS during take-off and landing.

In short, the Seagate Wireless Plus seems to fall in a gray area. Although wireless devices and radio transmitters are prohibited, and although the Seagate Wireless Plus technically falls in both categories, I actually agree that Seagate Wireless Plus has more in common with a laptop than with the two banned categories. However, if you asked an airline ahead of time, it's likely the answer would be no.

2) IIRC, GoGo also charges just for using it. I just looked it up... $14.00/day/device (or $50/month). So add that cost.

GoGo Internet pricing is for Internet access (web, email, but not Skype or streaming services). $14 per day buys 24-hour access across multiple GoGo-equipped airlines. There are cheaper plans, such as for a single flight or even a single hour on a single airline.

For pay-per-view TV programs and movies, it is not necessary to buy Internet access. Also, a few websites are available without buying Internet access, such as AA.com while flying on American Airlines.