Safran Passenger Innovations Launches RAVE Ultra plus

05 June 2023, Brea, California

Safran Passenger Innovations (SPI) is thrilled to announce its next generation In-Flight Entertainment System (IFE), RAVE Ultra plus. Built on the foundations of the award-winning RAVE Seat-Centric system and RAVE Ultra. RAVE Ultra plus is designed around three key principles, Sustainable – Flexible – Powerful.

Sustainable

Depending on the aircraft configuration, RAVE Ultra plus represents up to 23% weight savings over its predecessor RAVE Ultra. This is achieved by using smaller and lighter Line Replaceable Units (LRU’s) and optimizing cable weights by reducing the number of wires, an important factor as cables make up approximately 30% of the total system weight. RAVE Ultra plus focuses on providing every passenger with the power they need to charge all their personal devices in any cabin class and achieves this using up to 21% less power than its predecessor RAVE Ultra. This is achieved by providing only the power needed as opposed to providing a guaranteed maximum power output at every outlet. RAVE Ultra plus has a focus on parts commonality, meaning the exact same LRU’s and cables can be used across many aircraft platforms. 

Flexible

The RAVE Ultra plus core product incorporates a lightweight DC seat power system that powers the in-seat RAVE IFE system and provides up to 60w USB fast charging per passenger. USB-C will become the standard for electronic device charging, however, there may be a need to offer AC charging in economy cabins in the immediate future. To meet this need and avoid creating an inefficient “one size fits all” power solution, SPI has developed an innovative new product that allows AC power in economy to be selected as an option.  The solution is deployed by distributing AC power directly to AC outlets located in every seat from a small number of power distribution points located throughout the cabin.  This means AC power can be offered in every seat without the need for an AC Seat Power Box in every seat group – An industry first.

Powerful

Powered by RAVE OS, an Open Software Platform that allows 3^rd parties to develop applications that can be seamlessly run on RAVE, giving power back to airlines to control their own IFE features.  RAVE OS continues to take a product line approach, meaning all SPI customers benefit when new features are introduced, without additional development costs. 

RAVE OS continues to evolve to ensure SPI customers have the most powerful IFEC platform to meet their needs today and into the future. SPI is working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) bringing the latest Cloud technologies into the RAVE ecosystem. This will be enabled both on the ground and on the aircraft to form the core of the next generation of RAVE OS. The first phase of development will focus on quickly and effortlessly delivering Software and Content to a global fleet of aircraft using intelligent workflow to manage the complexities of status and regulatory compliance.

Next Generation Display Technology

The next generation of RAVE 4K Ultra High-Definition displays adopts mini LED technology. The new displays will be available in early 2025 in premium cabins where the benefit of this technology has the greatest impact with larger display sizes. Mini LED Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) is making its way into RAVE based on its exceptional image quality and durability as LCD has over a decade of proven performance inflight, eliminating many of the risks of adopting an unproven technology. Mini LED offers exceptional brightness and contrast, in addition to zone dimming technology for truer blacks, supporting High Dynamic Range (HDR) content.

Matt Smith, CEO of Safran Passenger Innovations says “SPI stands behind its ability to provide IFE systems that will stand the test of time. RAVE first generation systems are still flying today, 12 years after they were first introduced, offering the same quality of experience from when they were installed. We specifically selected mini LED technology to ensure we can continue to offer this same outstanding performance for our customers and an incredible passenger experience.”