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Comment by ghaff | Hacker News Reader

You mean the front cabin where they have big screens for every seat?

I couldn't see carrying one of these instead of just an iPad for movies. (But then I'm a very light packer.)

I think it will be more like the proliferation of noise-cancelling headphones; it's not about what it brings (music, dialog, etc) but about what it blocks out (the ambient sounds). Yes, you can watch a movie on a plane now, but with a headset you remove the depressing, crowded, and claustrophobic visual environment.

Although I'm not sure I want to be that isolated from the environment. (I do use noise canceling devices but they're in-ear.)

And watching content on a plane's built-in screens is a miserable experience: poor interface, lag, constant forced interruptions for even the most boring announcements (captain, donating foreign coins, meal schedule).

Back in the day I was flying back east and had some movies loaded on my iPod Touch.

And I was casually watching one in my seat, the movie was “Blackhawk Down”. And it occurred to me how a neighbor might not enjoy watching blood, guns, and violence out of the corner of their eye.

So, I can absolutely see value in a headset style movie experience in public places.

I am perhaps slightly selective about what I watch on a plane--depending somewhat on who is sitting beside me. But my observation is that US airlines have gotten quite a bit less editing-heavy in that regard and, at some level, it's not my problem. (Although I'll be reasonable if someone cares enough to ask me to not watch something.)

Thankfully, most newer planes have those polarizing privacy filters on their screens that make it hard to see what the person next to you is watching.

Those screens don't show 3D movies though.

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