thejaredhuang

During sports seasons its a Godsend. I've never had the DTV play audible ads except right after the safety video. The cabin crew must have restarted it in OP's case.

eng3

I agree, I would assume this is some sort of error.
I have never had ads automatically play over the PA mid-flight. Sometimes the screen might come on if my elbow hits the pad or my neighbor gets confused. But the audio doesnt come over the PA. I will hear the PA ad during boarding at some point and after the safety video. After that, I can turn the screen off and it won't bother me for the rest of the flight.

I welcome the DTV system. Sometimes I'll watch the free show in Economy. I've only paid for it once but always enjoy it in F. They are the only narrowbody planes that have any IFE. (PDE is not IFE).

JohnneeO

What I never understood is why everyone who is not paying for and watching DTV just leaves the screen on, and does not turn it off. When I am not watching, I turn it off, but the rest of the cabin doesn't bother turning it off.

MY-OTHER-BROTHER-"TED"

Probably because they don't know how to do that, as it isn't as simple as an off-on switch, and from what I can see, most are oblivious to almost anything going on around them.

DELee

Or they figure it is part of the abuse that one must undergo as self loading cargo on United Continental.

David

fgirard

And it only works if the controller is 100% functional. I have been on a few flights with the DirecTV system where I couldn't get the screen to turn off because the button to decrease brightness was broken.

Is the DirecTV ad controlled by a switch, or is it automatic? Because if it is controlled, I would really appreciate if the FAs use discretion in its use.

N1120A

B6 has had free DTV since they started. First, because they were the trial carrier. Then, because they bought LiveTV. Then, because they sold LiveTV and kept it free as a deal. They also have the best paid internet in the sky.

I've probably had 2. The system is clunky and pretty underwhelming.

Kacee

Even if you turn it off, it will turn itself back on repeatedly. That is one of OP's major complaints.

BBSHOPSINGER

It doesn't turn itself back on repeatedly. It will be turned on, however, if you rest your elbow on the control. There are no ghosts in the machine, however, the location of the control is not good.

Kacee

You're wrong. It absolutely turns itself back on. I've experienced this many times, when no one's arm was anywhere near the controller.

rmadisonwi

Add me to the list of folks who try to avoid the DTV planes. I've never had it turn back on after I've turned it off (which itself is annoying, because you have to hold the dimmer button for a few seconds while it goes all the way to dark), except for when they play the safety video and the series of ads after. Unless they've reset the system for some reason, it always stays off for me. Once, on a red-eye, the crew silenced the system after the safety video so it skipped the ads. That was nice of them.

It would be nice if you could tell ahead of time if your 737-900 flight was going to be with a sCO crew or sUA crew, because, for the time being, that's the only really definite way of knowing if you can avoid the DTV (since the UA planes don't have it, while most of the pmCO fleet does).

That said, I'm sure UA would love to be able to do away with the system and standardize on one domestic IFE product (and yes, PDE does count as IFE; it's available in flight, and it is a form of entertainment), but the cost of getting out of the contract is probably too steep to be worth it.

emcampbe

if you book on UA.com, it shows you what it's scheduled to be (well, at least it notes which flights are scheduled to have DirecTV with a logo, and also power). Issue of course is that you never know what changes between booking and departure time so if that sticks are not. Even the email they send the day prior to departure is often wrong with those kinds of amenities - it's correct at the time they send it based on which specific aircraft is scheduled, but that can change after that, and IME, specific frame numbers often do and even the config/amenities do (DirectTV vs. PDE 739, lower capacity vs. higher capacity 739, etc.)

Yes, probably a steep fee to get out of the contract (though wonder how long it lasts). Though it must save a ton of weight and therefore cost to do PDE vs. DirecTV. Wonder if it would actually be cost-reducing with the weight (and therefore fuel) saved by taking out the ~170 in-seat screens per plane times the number of flights they all run daily, weekly, monthly, annually.

fumje

It turns back on if you turn it off before the safety video runs. However, at least if you've done that, it resets to only one 'notch' of brightness above off. (I.e. if the brightness scale goes 0=off to 20=on, it is generally 10 when you board; if you set it to 0 before the video, it reverts to 1 afterward instead 10, mercifully.)

I really hate it too.

mduell

Oh but it does. I had one particularly miserable flight where it turned back on every half hour or more often for hours.

You can tell it's not just bumping the controls because the brightness goes to mid-range rather than 1 tick up.

br2k

I think it turns back on during "safety messages" or anytime someone up in the galley keys the mic.