Airline-based video game and communications system

In a passenger entertainment system having a master control unit and at least one seat display unit, a method of operating said passenger entertainment system comprising the steps of:

• initiating a program download request in response to the execution of a program at said at least one seat display unit including requesting information as to the type of download operation;
• requesting the program to be downloaded by file number;
• downloading from said master control unit the requested program having the requested file number to said at least one seat display unit along with information specifying the type of download operation;
• and
• storing said requested program in a memory configurable in a number of predetermined different memory configurations in said at least one seat display unit requesting said file number, said requested program being stored in one of the number of predetermined different memory configurations in accordance with the type of download operation.

In a passenger entertainment system having a master control unit and at least one seat display unit, a method of operating said passenger entertainment system comprising the steps of:

• initiating a program download request in response to the execution of a program at said at least one seat display unit;
• requesting the program to be downloaded by file number;
• downloading from said master control unit to said at least one seat display unit the requested program having the requested file number and configuration information indicating how the requested program should be stored in a memory;
• and
• storing said requested program in the memory in said at least one seat display unit requesting said file number in accordance with the configuration information indicating how the requested program should be stored in the memory;
• wherein said downloading step includes the step of monitoring the downloaded program and configuration information and aborting the downloading operation if the downloaded program and configuration information being monitored are not in a predetermined format.

A passenger entertainment system for generating a videographics display on a plurality of passenger seat display units, comprising:

• a host computer having a memory for storing a plurality of programs, wherein said at least one of said plurality of programs is a video game program, and
• an array of videographics processing systems, each videographics processing system having a video game processor subsystem including:
• a central processing unit, and
• a picture processing unit coupled to the central processing unit for generating a video signal which is coupled to the passenger seat display unit, and
• a memory subsystem including:
• memory system for receiving at least one of said plurality of computer programs downloaded from said host computer, and
• an interface control processor for receiving information to be processed by the central processing unit;
• wherein each memory subsystem stores program information and moving object and background character data, and wherein each videographics processor executes a program stored in an associated memory subsystem, generates a videographics display at a passenger seat display unit, and processes moving object and background character data stored in the associated memory subsystem.

In a passenger entertainment system having a host computer, an array of videographics processing systems, and a plurality of passenger seat display devices, a method of operating said passenger entertainment system comprising the steps of:

• displaying a display menu at one or more of said passenger seat display devices to permit the selection of one of a plurality of videographics program options;
• modifying the configuration of memory space in said videographics processing system using configuration control circuitry depending upon the program to be downloaded;
• downloading a program in response to a passenger selection from said host computer to a videographics processing system associated with said one or more of said passenger seat display devices;
• checking information that is downloaded to determine whether a predetermined number indicative of the expected number of memory banks has been transmitted;
• and
• executing the downloaded program.

In a passenger entertainment system having a host computer, an array of videographics processing systems, and a plurality of passenger seat display devices, a method of operating said passenger entertainment system comprising the steps of:

• displaying a display menu at one or more of said passenger seat display devices to permit the selection of one of a plurality of videographics program options;
• modifying the configuration of said videographics processing system using configuration control circuitry including changing the speed at which a program is to be executed depending upon the program to be downloaded;
• downloading a program in response to a passenger selection from said host computer to a videographics processing system associated with said one or more of said passenger seat display devices;
• and
• executing the downloaded program at the modified speed.