News

  • Home > News

        Microsoft targets CE .NET at set-top boxes

        jill | Date: Apr 8, 2003 | Comments: 1


        In conjunction with the National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas, Microsoft announced today that the soon-to-be-released Windows CE .NET version 4.2 includes several key enhancements that will be valuable for next-generation TV set-top box designs.



        One new feature is the inclusion Microsoft's Windows Media 9 and Video 9 Series multimedia technologies, which provide enhanced compression that enables full-screen streaming video, resulting in "the same video quality in one-third the bit rate of MPEG-2, and in one-half the bit rate of MPEG-4," the company said.

        Additionally, the new release of CE .NET provides a version of Internet Explorer 6.0 that includes "special support for a richer television Web browsing experience," such as "easy navigation with remote controls," Microsoft said. Additionally, CE .NET 4.2 offers Digital Rights Management (DRM) 7.1, and provides multimedia compatibility with MPEG-1, MPEG-4, and MP3.

        Microsoft also disclosed several set-top box market design wins, including . . .
        • CosTron -- the CS 300, an advanced set-top box with video-on-demand streaming, IE 6.0, MSN Messenger chat, DRM, and Internet shopping.
        • HUMAX -- an advanced set-top box optimized for IP multicast broadcast television. Applications will include video on demand, Web surfing, email and games, high-end Web browser applications, and an electronic programming guide.
        • iMagicTV -- a software platform to enable on-demand and broadcast content on multiple devices. This solution includes support for digital-broadcast television and pay-per-view with an interactive programming guide, video on demand and network digital video recorder.
        • NEC -- deploying set-top boxes based on Windows CE .NET that include streaming video, residential gateway and personal video recorder capabilities.
        • Stellar One -- shipping StellarTV Client 4 software on Windows CE .NET for the delivery of digital television and on-demand services over IP broadband networks.
        • Tcom&DTVro -- an advanced IP TV set-top box that includes capabilities such as video on demand, games, video phone, voice over IP (VoIP), Web browsing, email, electronic programming guides, and picture-in-picture and picture-in-graphic functionalities. Some of the company's high-end Windows CE .NET-based set-top boxes also include home gateway functionality.
        Microsoft said it will release Windows CE .NET 4.2 during the second quarter of 2003. Stay tuned for more details as soon as they become available.


        Related stories: