| Microsoft trumpets TV set-top successes for Windows Media 9, CE .NET |
Sep. 16, 2003
Microsoft highlighted a string of recent successes for its embedded technologies in the consumer set-top box market. The list spans Internet Protocol television (IP-TV) and video-on-demand (VOD) consumer products and services utilizing Windows Media 9 technologies, and includes seven different set-top boxes running Microsoft's Windows CE .NET embedded operating system.
Windows Media 9 enables operators to deliver standard-definition (SD) video at a fraction of the bandwidth required using traditional MPEG-2, while also ensuring secure delivery of content using Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM), Microsoft said. Trials and deployments of IP-TV services based on these new products are expected to begin being rolled out later this year.
"The compression efficiencies of Windows Media 9 Series enable vendors and network operators to deliver IP-based video with the highest quality possible using the available network bandwidth, whether delivery is over broadband or standards-based broadcast networks," said Amir Majidimehr, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft. "With products now available ranging from real-time hardware-based encoding to content servers, middleware applications and advanced set-top boxes, network operators are now able to deliver more content in less bandwidth, reach new audiences and grow their businesses."
Here is the list of services and applications highlighted by Microsoft . . . - Video-on-Demand Network Operators -- The platforms and tools required to deploy an end-to-end IP-TV or VOD infrastructure supporting Windows Media 9 Series are now available, enabling network operators to deliver services over broadband networks.
- Monaco Telecom, working with Moviesystem of France, offers more than 400 movies in its VOD service using Windows Media Video (WMV) 9 Series streamed from Windows Server 2003.
- Real-Time Hardware-Based Encoding -- Hardware encoders can now deliver live broadcast content in Windows Media 9 Series, meeting customer demand for high-quality video using a fraction of the bandwidth required for MPEG-2.
- TANDBERG Television is announcing the TANDBERG EN5920, a professional broadcast-quality encoding platform for Windows Media 9 Series, as a result of an engineering collaboration between TANDBERG Television and Microsoft.
- Advanced Set-Top Boxes -- Leading manufacturers of set-top boxes, including the following, now support cost-effective delivery of Windows Media 9 Series content through Windows CE .NET-powered set-top boxes, building on various hardware platforms:
- Biostar is announcing that its latest set-top box, ARKplus II, supports Windows Media 9 Series. Windows Media 9 Series enables developers to easily incorporate digital media into their applications and solutions.
- Costron Company Ltd.'s latest set-top box, the CS300, the most advanced IP-based set-top box in its class, runs Windows CE .NET and provides the widest range of features and functionality, including Windows Media 9 Series hardware decoder support for the delivery of high-quality, compression-efficient VOD services.
- Pace Micro Technology, a leader in digital television technology, has recently ported Windows CE .NET to its IP-TV digital set-top boxes. At IBC2003, Pace is unveiling the results of this work with its first prototype demonstration using Windows CE and is also demonstrating advanced broadband services using Windows Media 9 Series on its IP-TV set-top boxes, including broadcast-quality streaming audio and video clips and Web-based services such as Web browsing, e-mail and instant messaging.
- Samsung's latest set-top box, SMT-7000E, now supports Windows Media 9 Series and provides a variety of broadband services. The SMT-7000E supports broadband services, entertainment-on-demand (video, games, music-on-demand), value-added Web-based services, home surveillance, telephony, and mobile commerce (banking, securities, transaction).
- Tcom&dtvro Co Ltd. is announcing that the TD800 set-top box supports Windows Media 9 Series. The TD800 runs Windows CE .NET and provides wireline and wireless home gateway and home surveillance functionality.
- Wyse Technology Inc. is announcing a high-performance advanced digital broadband set-top box platform, which is the first Intel Celeron-based set-top box platform offering the combination of low cost and high performance in addition to support for Microsoft Windows Media 9 Series for the delivery of high-quality audio and video.
- Middleware Independent Software Vendors -- Middleware solution vendors, including the following, enable delivery of living-room user interface components, such as interactive programming guides; back-end content management and provisioning integration also are available for IP-TV and VOD solutions:
- Alcatel has enhanced its carrier-class 5950 Media Manager software platform to support Windows Media 9 Series and Microsoft Windows CE .NET on a number of leading set-top hardware platforms. The Alcatel 5950 Media Manager is an open and flexible deployment-proven middleware platform with an architecture that constantly improves return on investment by rapidly integrating advanced technologies. The Alcatel 5950 Media Manager drives long-term IP-TV and revenue from broadband entertainment services for service providers executing multimedia service strategies.
- Orca Interactive Ltd.'s RiGHTv for Windows enables live TV, near-video-on-demand (NVOD) and VOD services powered by the Windows .NET Framework and Windows CE. This end-to-end broadband-television middleware solution, which supports WMV 9, is available now, helping generate new revenue streams for network operators that want to stream over different digital subscriber lines (xDSL) and other IP broadband networks.
- Stellar One Corp. is announcing that it has released support for Windows Media 9 Series in the StellarTV Product Suite for the delivery of media-on-demand services over IP broadband networks, now enabling consumers to play back content created using Windows Media 9 Series, and will enable network operators to offer new video-on-demand services to end users over existing broadband networks.
- Infogate Online's On Dema for IP-TV utilizes the capabilities of Windows Media 9 Series to enable telephone companies (via their ADSL networks), ISPs, satellite operators and broadcasters to deliver high-quality television services and minimized bandwidth requirements. On Dema for IP-TV with Windows Media 9 Series helps ensure that subscribers will receive a new breed of high-quality television-viewing experiences, including VOD, electronic program guides and personal video recording.
- Video-on-Demand Hardware Server Vendors -- Building on the flexible plug-in architecture offered by Windows Media Services 9 Series in Windows Server 2003, VOD server systems offer highly scalable and available streaming, enabling service providers to deliver a full on-demand entertainment experience.
- SeaChange International Inc. is announcing that its industry-leading VOD system now supports streaming of Windows Media 9 Series. With Windows Media 9 Series, the SeaChange VOD system delivers high-quality video streams in SD and HD to PC and television viewers at significantly lower bandwidths than commensurate MPEG-2 files.
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