eli5: Why do most airlines still use 2-pin audio jacks for the in-flight entertainment systems on their planes?
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Because there is no real need to update them. I think you might be surprised at how old some/most commercial airplanes are.
People don’t realize just how old these airline jets actually are. I’m sure 2-pin audio jacks was cutting edge technology when they were first put in. I had it explained to me once that the interior of the starship USS Enterprise from Star Trek: The Next Generateion was heavily inspired by the Boeing 747 (which had a lifespan between 1968 and 2022). That’s saying alot considering that Next Generation came out in 1987.
I’m poor as hell. Is that the red and white wires? Lol
well you see, back in roman times the width of two horses on a chariot created ruts in the road. then trains were invented to run in those roads. then they built the space shuttle to fit on a train. So the audio jacks need 2 pins on planes because of two horeses asses.
Lots of folks have the right answers for old planes and plenty of folks have noted that newer planes are mostly switching to standard 3.5mm plugs. One thing nobody has mentioned is that new planes will sometimes have 2 prong plugs in first and business class for long distance international flights. The reason for this is that in first and business class, the seats often come with noise cancelling headphones and the second prong is used to power te noise cancelling circuitry. Typically on these newer 2 prong plugs, the audio prong is still a standard 3.5mm so you can use any headphones if you choose not to use the provided ones.
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