href="http://www.windowsfordevices.com/articles/AT2468909181.html" target="new">
Smartphones and
Pocket PCs with content provided by MSNBC.com, Food Network, FOX Sports, and IFILM, among other sources, Microsoft said, in a statement.
Portable Media Center devices (pictured above),
launched last fall, are currently supported by more than 20 online content partners -- including CinemaNow, MLB.com, MSNBC.com, MSN Music, MTV Networks Music, Napster, SnapStream Media, and TiVo -- all of whom provide content formatted specifically for the Windows Mobile based multimedia devices, according to Microsoft.
The MSN Video Downloads service, claimed to be one of the first online video download services dedicated to portable entertainment,
debuted at CES in January. Types of content currently available include sports highlights, news headlines, children's programming, music videos, independent films, and comedy shows, Microsoft said.
The service downloads digital videos daily to a Windows Media Player 10 library on the user's Windows XP-based PC, according to preset configuration settings. Users synchronize the downloaded content with their Portable Media Centers or other
PlaysForSure-compliant devices. According to Microsoft, the downloaded video content is optimized for Portable Media Centers and compatible with Windows Mobile based Smartphones and Pocket PCs that support Windows Media Player 10 Mobile.
MSN Video Downloads for the US is available
here. A one-year premium membership to the service, including access to all available videos, costs $19.95. Additionally, a limited amount of content is available free (without a paid membership).
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