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Watch 'Orange Is the New Black' on Virgin America (for a Price)

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Flying can get pretty boring, but Virgin America is hoping to change that with a new-in-flight entertainment platform it's rolling out in partnership with Panasonic.

Built on Android-based software, the new Red Beta platform offers three times as much content, including full seasons of popular shows like Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones, along with movies like Insurgent and Run All Night, Virgin said. If that's not enough, the platform also boasts games like Atari's Asteroids and Pac-Man, interactive maps, and "surround sound" on select content to boost your viewing pleasure.

Connected TravelerThe airline is launching this new beta platform on three of its aircrafts this month. But don't expect all these perks to come free. Four episodes of Orange is the New Black, for instance, will set you back $5 while Insurgent with surround sound is priced at $8.

Virgin is partnering with California-based audio firm Dysonics on the surround sound, and said it's the first airline to offer this type of feature.

"In a first for the airline industry, Dysonics is encoding Red's content in order to create a 3D sound experience over headphones that accurately reproduce the effect of being surrounded by speakers," Virgin wrote in a blog post. "Using any pair of headphones, travelers can hear sounds moving from side to side, from front to back and up and down — and feel like the action is happening all around them."

The platform will run on new, higher-resolution Panasonic EcoV2 capacitive touch-screen monitors offering support for 720p HD content as well as pinch-and-swipe functionality. This means travelers will be able to swipe, pinch, and zoom just like they would on their mobile devices.

Using Android, meanwhile, "gives us the ability to iterate much more quickly," Director of Cabin Systems, Ken Bieler, said in a statement.

The Red Beta system is expected to be available on 18 aircraft by the end of the year, and will continue to roll out to the rest of the fleet in 2016. For a look at the Red Beta in action, check out the video below.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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