In-flight entertainment system with hand-out passenger terminals

1. A system for providing in-flight entertainment, the system comprising:

a server disposed within an aircraft, the server having stored thereon digital content;

a communications network disposed within the aircraft, wherein the server is communicatively linked to the network;

a plurality of connectors, each connector being located proximate to a passenger seat of a plurality of passenger seats on the aircraft, and each connector being communicatively linked to a smart video display unit (SVDU) in the network; and

a plurality of hand-out terminals specific to the system, such that the system prohibits access to the system via any of the plurality of connectors without the use of a said hand-out terminal, and each said hand-out terminal is configured to couple to a connector of the plurality of connectors to become functionally integrated with said SVDU such that the SVDU recognizes said hand-out terminal coupled to the connector and authorizes the hand-out terminal to access the server so that a passenger at the seat to which the connector is proximate can access the digital content via said hand-out terminal, and causes the digital content to be transmitted through the network to the hand-out terminal and/or SVDU.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communications network is an Ethernet network in which Ethernet frames containing the digital content are transmitted to the hand-out terminal at the passenger's seat.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the digital content is transmitted to the hand-out terminal as streaming video, and wherein the hand-out terminal comprises a decoder for decoding the streaming video.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the digital content is transmitted to the hand-out terminal as streaming audio, and wherein the hand-out terminal comprises a decoder for decoding the streaming audio.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the digital content stored on the server comprises in-flight movies.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the digital content is a video game, and wherein the hand-out terminal permits the passenger to play the video game.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the connector is a Universal Serial Bus connector.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein in the network determines whether or not the terminal is one that belongs to the system and, based on the determining step, permits the digital content to be transmitted to the terminal.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a network switch communicatively linked to the server and to the hand-out terminal.

10. A method for permitting a passenger to access a digital content on an in-flight entertainment system, the system being located on-board an aircraft, the method comprising:

a crew cabin member handing out a terminal, specific to the system, to the passenger;

the passenger plugging the terminal into a connector that is located proximate to the passenger's seat and is communicatively linked to a smart video display unit (SVDU) in the system;

the SVDU prohibiting access to the system via the connector without the use of the terminal, and recognizing the presence of the terminal and authorizing access of the server via the terminal when the terminal is plugged into the connector and becomes functionally integrated with the SVDU;

the passenger using the terminal to request the digital content from the system;

the system retrieving the content from an on-demand server;

the system transmitting the digital content to the terminal;

the terminal decoding the digital content; and

the terminal presenting the digital content to the passenger, and causing the digital content to be transmitted through the network to the hand-out terminal and/or SVDU.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the system transmits the digital content over an Ethernet network in which Ethernet frames containing the digital content are received by the terminal at the passenger's seat.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the system transmits the digital content to the terminal as streaming video, and wherein the terminal comprises a decoder for decoding the streaming video.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the system transmits the digital content to the terminal as streaming audio, and wherein the terminal comprises a decoder for decoding the streaming audio.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the digital content comprises in-flight movies.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the digital content is a video game, wherein the terminal permits the passenger to play the video game.

16. A system for permitting a passenger to access a digital content on an in-flight entertainment system, the system being located on-board an aircraft, the system comprising:

a server having stored therein digital content;

a computer network, the server being communicatively linked to the computer network;

a plurality of smart video display units, each smart video display unit being located proximate to a passenger seat, each smart video display unit comprising a connector, and each smart video display unit being communicatively linked to the network; and

a plurality of hand-out terminals, each hand-out terminal being provided to one of a plurality of passengers for being plugged in to the connector of the smart video display unit proximate to the passenger's seat to become functionally integrated with the smart video display unit, each hand-out terminal being specific to and identifiable by the smart video display unit whose connector into which the hand-out terminal is plugged, such that the smart video display unit prohibits access to the system via the connector of the smart video display unit without the use of a said hand-out terminal,

wherein the passenger uses the terminal to request the content from the system,

wherein, in response to the request, the smart video display unit authorizes the terminal to access the server so that the system retrieves the content requested by the passenger using the terminal from the server and transmits the requested content to the smart video display unit,

and wherein the smart video display unit provides the requested content and electrical power to the hand-out terminal, thereby permitting the passenger possessing the terminal to view or hear the content, and cause the digital content to be transmitted through the network to the hand-out terminal and/or SVDU.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the communications network is an Ethernet network in which Ethernet frames containing the digital content are transmitted to the video display unit at the passenger's seat.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the digital content is transmitted as streaming video, wherein the hand-out terminal comprises a decoder for decoding the streaming video.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the digital content is transmitted as streaming audio, wherein the hand-out terminal comprises a decoder for decoding the streaming audio.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the digital content is a video game, wherein terminal permits the passenger to play the video game.