CNN and Video on Acela

One of the listed 'services' that is offered in the Café on Acela trains is the CNN News channel. Now, I have ridden five Acela trains (all different sets, one #2 'Sparky' and #5 'Doris' to name a few) in the last two weeks and not one of them has had the CNN or even video working.

In my conversation with the OBS crew they told me that there was a problem with staff stealing the DVD players that fed the system. Since that had been happening they are planning on removing all video systems from the Acela and blanking the walls. Pity.

I think that the CNN and video features offered a welcome new feature in Acela sets. I was also under the impression that it was live but was told it was taped. Is there a way to get live TV streams to Acela trains? It does not seem like it would be that hard, it's just that cost might be an issue.

If cars can get satellite radio, there is no reason that Amtrack could not get it for trains. Frankly, I would prefer XM Radio over video. However, I don't think it will add to ridership in any way, so why bother?

Acela seats were outfitted with jacks for some sort of audio system. To my knowledge it's never been used.

Seems there is an opportunity for on train audio or video. The free DirectTV offered on JetBlue is a big hit and helps draw passengers (and keep them from getting too bored). TV no doubt would be a winner with Amtrak passengers, too.

Of course, the cost of retrofitting cars makes this prohibitive. The other issue is how to get clear reception when you have to contend with 25,000 volt catenary.

Have made several trips to DC from NY on Acela in the past 2 years and brought my own headphones to listen to the on-board audio. Seemed to work fine. The CNN video in the Cafe car was also working then as well. My last trip was to DC in July, maybe things have changed?

Duh! Amtrak doesn't provide headsets. At $150+ for a ticket to DC, you'd think they could pop for them. JetBlue gives them out and they'll take you across the country for that kind of dough. Next time I'll bring my own.

Actually Amtrak sold headphones in the Cafe car for like five bucks. I thought my money was better left in my pocket!

They still sell headphones in the cafe car. Somehow, it seems that they should supply them free in first class. I didn't see any in my trip last week.

<i>In my conversation with the OBS crew they told me that there was a problem with staff stealing the DVD players that fed the system. </i>

This 'problem' has a very easy solution - find out who's stealing them and fire them. Or, since it shouldn't be fairly hard to get a list of everyone who's been in contacts with these units, get said list, then tell everyone that the DVD player replacements + installation time is comming out of <b>everyone's</b> pay until the responsible party is found, or the theft stops.

Further, it shouldn't be hard to get DVD players with special region encodng, which would make them *useless* for anything but those discs - the DVD standard has provisions for a 'special services' region. Restricting play to those discs only would make the players useless on the stolen goods market, since they wouldn't play 'normal' region 1 DVDs.

<i>Of course, the cost of retrofitting cars makes this prohibitive. The other issue is how to get clear reception when you have to contend with 25,000 volt catenary.</i>

Of course, if not for Tier II, they could have used standard airliner seats, had these features, and saved a bundle...

Clear reception near catenary is pretty easy, it's the harmonics off the locomotive's inverters that is the issue. I don't know how JetBlue's system works, but it's probbably pretty slick, given that airliners are pretty noisy EFI wise too...

Firing would work if the responsible party could be adequately identified. Witholding of pay violates both labor laws and the collective bargaining agreements so that would not work. One would think that a tamper proof cage could be built around the players such that any force would damage the player as well as the cage.