How Offshore Oil Rigs Are Using IPTV To Boost Crew Wellbeing, Safety And Operational Uptime

For more than 40 years, Michigan-based technology firm LEIGHTRONIX has delivered advanced media and control systems for niche environments, from hospitals and cruise ships to government and educational facilities. In recent years, the company turned its focus to one of the most demanding environments on the planet: offshore oil and gas platforms.

Across multiple offshore facilities, and working closely with its integration partners, LEIGHTRONIX deploys powerful IPTV solutions that marry LG’s commercial smart televisions with its own ipMergeNX video control platform, delivering reliable entertainment, corporate communications and rapid-response emergency alerts to crews living and working, in some cases, over a hundred miles from land.

Why IPTV? Replacing Outdated Systems Offshore

Traditional coaxial television systems had long been the standard offshore, but now they carry some serious baggage: aging infrastructure, dwindling vendor support and extensive coaxial cabling requirements that complicate upgrades.

“Coax systems were already crumbling ten years ago when we started working with the companies that own or operate the rigs,” said David Leighton, founder of LEIGHTRONIX. “Existing systems were aging out, and support was disappearing. There were also all kinds of technical challenges unique to oil and gas. We knew it was time to look ahead – and that meant going with IPTV, with LG at the heart of the solution.”

When LEIGHTRONIX was tasked with adapting IPTV for its first offshore project in 2015, it standardized on LG commercial TVs for hundreds of endpoints across living quarters and common areas.

Hardware Built for Harsh Conditions

“It had to be LG,” explained Leighton. “Unmatched reliability, best-in-class support, and solutions tailored for extreme environments that few other manufacturers offer – like LG’s conformally coated marine grade televisions which reduce environmental risks from salt, dust, iron powder, humidity, etc. – made it a no-brainer.”

Tom Mottlau, director of sales at LG Electronics USA, added “LEIGHTRONIX is a pioneer in the oil rig integration industry, and by leveraging LG’s Pro:Centric platform, they’ve delivered a truly state-of-the-art solution for offshore operations. David and I have worked together for over a decade, and it’s exciting to see how our partnership continues to evolve to meet the unique demands of these environments.”

LG’s Pro:Centric smart TVs with Pro:Idiom encryption and LG’s webOS™ smart platform provide the ideal foundation for offshore IPTV. Compatibility with LEIGHTRONIX’s ipMergeNX – via webOS, IDCAP – also ensures each display functions as more than a television: it becomes an integrated node in a resilient communication and entertainment ecosystem.

“All that is required for connection to LG’s fully integrated smart TVs is power and ethernet – that’s it,” said Leighton. “Nothing else needs to be connected. Although necessary when driving projectors or other display types, with set-top boxes you’ve got two power cords, HDMI cables, and multiple remotes. That’s just not feasible on a rig. With LG’s TVs, we only need one device on the wall. That means fewer cables, fewer failure points, and only one remote – which is critical in small bunk rooms or shared quarters.”

The Pro:Centric platform’s API allows ipMergeNX to deliver functionality that other solutions can’t match, while LG’s multi-code IR feature ensures each TV’s remote control is unique to each worker’s area on the rig, allowing for normal operation even in shared quarters.

A Smarter IPTV Experience — More Than Just TV

At the heart of the system, the LEIGHTRONIX ipMergeNX platform brings together IPTV middleware, on-demand video, file-based playback, and more. It allows rig operators to centrally manage the entire system from a single point to include streaming training content, corporate messaging, and even safety briefings — all alongside entertainment options to boost crew morale. “It’s not just about movies,” said Leighton. “It’s about delivering helicopter training and safety briefings before flights, custom operator content, superior picture quality, and rapid emergency alerts – plus of course the ability to distribute all of it seamlessly using standard data networking technology. That’s what makes ipMergeNX such a powerful tool for offshore rigs.

“LG’s Pro:Centric smart platform lets us talk directly to every display – controlling volume, power, input source, or even triggering emergency alerts via our Total Alert System. With the previous set-top box schemes used by others, if the TV isn’t on, the alert – sent to the set-top box – won’t be seen by workers. But with commercial LG Smart TVs, we can power it on, set the volume, and push the message instantly. It’s signage, education, and broadcast rolled into one,” he continued.

Instant Alerts with the Total Alert System (TAS)

A signature feature of the LEIGHTRONIX IPTV deployment is the Total Alert System (TAS) – designed for Coast Guard–level compliance, making it a crucial supplemental safety tool, ensuring primary visual alerts reach every crew member whether they’re in their sleeping or communal quarters.

“TAS can interrupt all TVs in under a second with audio muting, text, video, or forced channel changes,” added Leighton. “Priorities can be set – if you had a coffee shortage announcement, for instance, followed by an H₂S gas release warning, the system automatically overrides any previous messages to the most important alert. TVs can also be grouped by areas – bunks, hallways, mess halls – so each area responds differently to the same event.”

Built-In Reliability for the Long Haul

Deploying IPTV offshore isn’t like installing it in a hotel or cruise ship. Systems undergo rigorous testing by way of multiple design review meetings, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) procedures, ensuring every endpoint, remote, and emergency alert functions as designed before integration on the rigs.

“We run through several dozen pages of test procedures before shipment,” explained Leighton. That level of rigor ensures stability in places where support could be days away.

“The payoff is proven longevity. That first rig we equipped nine years ago is still running every day without a single support call. Everything just works – and that’s exactly what operators demand offshore.”

The synergy between LEIGHTRONIX and LG goes beyond integration, with LG providing the kind of direct engineering support that other manufacturers often fail to deliver.

“We’ll raise an issue with LG, they reproduce it, and, amazingly fast, they’ll send us test firmware, even for older products,” said Leighton. “We confirm the fix, and they officially release it, then we update everything via the ipMergeNX “over the wire” vs. inserting a USB stick in every television. They’re a huge company that acts like a partner. That’s rare, and it’s one of the reasons this solution works so well.”

Wellbeing Is the New ROI

For rig operators, the benefit of IPTV goes beyond operational efficiency and safety. Crew morale and retention are growing priorities – and entertainment, connectivity and comfort play a bigger role than ever.

“Living and working on a rig is very demanding,” Leighton emphasized, “so it’s crucial to provide the best possible living conditions, and that includes the best chefs, Wi-Fi, and entertainment systems. Workers tend to gravitate to companies whose rigs offer the best lifestyle. Retention in the industry is critical, and our IPTV platform is part of that strategy. It makes life offshore feel a little more like home.”

From conformally coated displays with headphone jacks in sleeping quarters, to large communal lounge screens, commercial LG TVs create a balance of durability, usability, and comfort that meets both crew and operator needs. Indeed, partnering LG and LEIGHTRONIX is extending beyond rigs into research platforms, marine vessels, and – if David Leighton gets his way – control room applications too.

“We’re just getting started,” he concluded. “We’ve built something with LG that works perfectly, and the rigs that have adopted it don’t want to go back. We got it right – and thanks to LG’s seamless integration with ipMergeNX, the future looks bright.”