Content for aircraft seatback screens—edited to avoid extended black frames, compressed sound design. Format depends on aircraft type (4:3 or 2.35:1).
For airplane screens, you cut differently than for any other output. Not because the viewers are less discerning—but because the technical and psychological conditions are radically different. A passenger sits for 11 hours in a dark cabin with headphone audio running through compression, while three other people sit next to them in a 45-centimeter sector. This dictates every editing decision.
The aspect ratios are the first problem: older aircraft still use 4:3, modern ones use 16:9, and some business class systems display 2.35:1 material. You therefore fundamentally cut for multiple formats simultaneously or deliver versions—pillarboxing is acceptable here, letterboxing rather not, because the black areas on the sides or top/bottom visually crush the small display. An edit must work in all three formats without the viewer feeling they are missing something.
Sound design is aggressively compressed. The onboard system has a low bitrate, ambient noise is constantly present (engine, pressure equalization). You therefore avoid subtle ambient layers, very loud peaks, and long silences—silence on a small screen with poor audio feels like a technical error. The dynamics must be flatter, the presence of the voice higher. A sound mix for cinema doesn't work here.
Editing rhythm is crucial: long black frames—even a few seconds between scenes—further fatigue the eye. You work with transitions, crossfades, and maintain a constant cut flow. Silence or empty frames create discomfort in this medium because the viewer cannot maintain their attention and turns off the screen. This is the biggest killer of an inflight version: viewer dropout due to boredom or perceived disruption.
Length plays a subordinate role—some flights are 14+ hours, so you need buffers. But every minute counts for storage and streaming. Compression here is not just sound post-production but also video codec work. You discuss early with your DCP house and your distributor whether H.264, H.265, or proprietary airline formats are required.
Practically: always deliver an inflight version only after the picture lock of the cinema version, not in parallel. The changes are too massive—aspect ratio, editing pauses, audio mixing. It is a full-fledged re-cut, not simply a down-resolution of the DCP.