Thursday, January 8, 2009

Microsoft Mediaroom Advances

Microsoft has announced that it has added NPVR features and new applications to Mediaroom. It also stated that there are now 2.5 million IPTV subscribers served by Mediaroom.

Microsoft's NPVR feature called Mediaroom Anytime include:
  • Restart Anytime offers the ability to rewind or restart the currently airing program from any point.
  • Live Anytime allows viewers to scroll backward in the Interactive Program Guide to watch previously aired programs. These previously aired programs also can be made accessible through the service provider’s video on demand library.
  • Download Anytime enables viewers to download on-demand movies and programs to their set-top boxes so they can watch them anytime regardless of bandwidth constraints. For example, viewers could watch high-definition programs on low-bandwidth networks.
It also announced the following applications:
  • BBC Worldwide TopGear.com is demonstration application that allows fans to access and interact with content found on http://www.topgear.com.
  • Turner Sports and the PGA of America, together with ES3™, built an application that allows viewers to switch dynamically between camera feeds, watch golfing instructional videos and click from static to video advertisements.
  • The Associated Press red carpet events, built by ES3 and the AP, is a celebrity news application which features up-to-the-minute information, photos and video clips at the carpet events.
  • Live Capture of Photos and Video lets viewers upload photos and videos to the Microsoft Live Mesh cloud storage Web site and view their personal content via the TV.
  • Visual Voicemail lets TV users check their voice mail and play back messages, even at pitch-controlled, fast-forward speeds.
  • TV Dashboard, designed and created by ES3, shows local news and information that Mediaroom subscribers can access while watching TV.

These are all good features that move Mediaroom beyond the stage where it was duplicating cable TV services. They will provide good differentiation for service providers using Mediaroom.

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