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PHOTOS: Panasonic looks to extend on-board experience to your tablet

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Selecting the option to connect your own device will bring up a screen like this with a code to enter on your smartphone or tablet. (Steven Luo / CALIFORNIA BEAT)

PARIS — Panasonic has been in the business of building seat-back entertainment systems for a while, with airlines such as Virgin America and United using its systems in their planes.

Now the company wants to expand its in-flight experience to your tablet or smartphone.

At the Paris Air Show, Panasonic showed the Beat a demo of a system allowing you to control the in-flight entertainment from your own device — queueing movies and music for playback, bringing up a map while watching a movie on the in-seat screen, or even calling a flight attendant or ordering food and drinks without interrupting the movie.

Selecting the option to connect your own device will bring up a screen like this with a code to enter on your smartphone or tablet. (Steven Luo / CALIFORNIA BEAT)

Here’s how it’s supposed to work: you download your airline’s app to your device beforehand, then connect to Wi-Fi once on board your flight.  By entering a code from your in-seat screen, you can then connect your device directly to the entertainment system, allowing you to use it as a “second screen” for the in-flight entertainment.

Entering a code from the in-flight entertainment system into an app on your tablet or smartphone allows you to change the playlist, bring up a map, or call a flight attendant from your device without interrupting your viewing on the entertainment system. (Steven Luo / CALIFORNIA BEAT)

Panasonic also showed a special microphone-equipped digital noise-canceling headset that solves one of in-flight entertainment’s oldest annoyances: with the press of a button in the entertainment system, you can hear what someone is saying to you without having to take off your headset or interrupt whatever you’re listening to.

When using special microphone-equipped digital noise-canceling headsets, the “open ear” toggle on this Panasonic in-flight entertainment unit will allow you to hear someone talking to you without taking your headset off. (Steven Luo / CALIFORNIA BEAT)

See these and some of Panasonic’s other gadgets on display in our gallery below.

Panasonic’s latest seat-back in-flight entertainment unit, along with the supporting box used for power and data distribution. (Steven Luo / CALIFORNIA BEAT)
Panasonic’s latest seat-back in-flight entertainment unit is essentially a special Android tablet designed to meet airline safety regulations. It’s connected to a media server on board via gigabit Ethernet. (Steven Luo / CALIFORNIA BEAT)
Airlines can choose from several handheld controllers for their in-flight entertainment units, including this one incorporating a 4.3″ touch screen for use as a “second screen.” (Steven Luo / CALIFORNIA BEAT)