The company says that Windows Media Video 9 (VC-1) can be delivered over the air from digital TV stations and offers "state-of-the-art HD quality" at data rates substantially lower than MPEG-2.
In what is said to be the first major push to deliver high-definition content on optical media in the U.S., Warner Brothers said it plans to offer a "broad range" of next-generation HD-DVD discs using Windows Media Video 9 (VC-1) this fall.
A number of professional tools for delivering HD over digital broadcast, Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) and satellite networks were revealed at this week's National Association of Broadcasters convention (NAB 2005):
- GridIron Software debuted its X-Factor for Windows Media Encoder software that significantly speeds the creation of high-definition Windows Media Video 9 (VC-1) content using the Windows Media Encoder and distributed computing.
- Inlet Technologies introduced the newest version of its Fathom real-time HD-SDI encoder with the industry's first scene-by-scene re-encoding capability for VC-1.
- Tandberg Television demonstrated its EN5980 HD real-time encoder for VC-1 as part of a complete IPTV delivery system. Tandberg says its encoders have been chosen by a number of telephone companies for trial and eventual commercial roll-out of VC-1 IPTV services.
- Tarari announced its Encoder Accelerator for Windows Media, a PCI-bus card that installs in any Windows XP- or Windows Server 2003-powered server or workstation to enable accelerated encoding of high-definition 720p and 1080p VC-1 content.
On the consumer front, Thomson unveiled the RCA IP1100 Platform high definition networked entertainment set-top box supporting advanced compression formats, including VC-1, for content delivered over IPTV networks.
Microsoft says that VC-1 recently reached the critical step of Final Committee Draft (FCD) status with SMPTE's C24 Technology Committee, in which it is officially referenced as SMPTE standard 421M. In the future, content created in VC-1 will be compatible with the Windows Media Video 9-based PCs and consumer electronic devices available today. VC-1 is said to be under consideration by a number of other standards and industry organizations.
"We are on the verge of a massive rollout of high-definition content to consumers, and the industry is turning to Windows Media Video 9 (VC-1) to power those experiences," said Amir Majidimehr, VP of Windows Digital Media at Microsoft.
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