Windows 7 Media Center gets Mediaroom support — Engadget January 7, 2010
Posted by hruf in Internet & Communities, Multimedia.Tags: IPTV, Media Center, Microsoft, Microsoft Mediaroom, Multimedia
add a comment
During the Microsoft keynote, Ballmer mentioned that customers of IPTV providers like AT&T U-Verse will be able to watch TV on Windows 7 PCs, but he glazed over the how. The how is Windows 7 Media Center — according to the press release that is available after the jump — and there’s no special hardware like a tuner required. The when wasn’t mentioned because it is dependent on the provider, but when they do upgrade to Mediaroom 2.0, Media Center fans will have access to all the same content as a set-top like HD and on-demand, which is something pretty cool.
via Windows 7 Media Center gets Mediaroom support — Engadget.
There’s a Mediaroom App for That November 10, 2009
Posted by pannet in Multimedia.Tags: AT&T, IPTV, Microsoft Mediaroom
add a comment
Microsoft fared badly trying to break into the cable TV world, but it’s had a great deal more success with IPTV. And now that its Mediaroom software has gained widespread global adoption, Microsoft is anxious to keep developers engaged with the platform and pumping out new TV apps. Last month the Redmond giant hosted its third annual Mediaroom Developers Conference. Tracy Swedlow, long famous in the interactive television industry, reports that three applications earned top honors in the event’s ritual app contest.
Coming in first was ES3’s Interactive Workout application for creating a personal workout routine with how-to videos. Second prize went to Pushbutton’s Time Capsules app, which provides a way to navigate content created at specific moments in time. And third-place honors went to Accedo Broadband’s ZapClub application, featuring social networking features for TV shows including live tweets, Wikipedia information, and the ability to rate and share shows.
In the US, Microsoft’s primary Mediaroom deployment comes through AT&T’s U-Verse service. While not as aggressively marketed as the other big stateside telco TV offering, U-Verse continues to plug along quite successfully, with projected revenue hitting $2 billion this year. The continued development of TV apps for U-Verse is what should help set AT&T’s service apart from its cable competitors in the near future. In particular, the IP foundation makes these apps theoretically portable. Want to access that Interactive Workout on both your TV and your iPhone? There’s an app for that… or there soon will be.
IPTV news – “Our Tier-1 customers have a big pipeline of apps on the way” September 13, 2009
Posted by hruf in Internet & Communities, Multimedia.Tags: App Store, IPTV, Microsoft, Microsoft Mediaroom, TV
add a comment
IBC 2009: Having secured customer wins with many of the world’s larger IPTV operators for its Mediaroom software platform, Microsoft is now focusing on consolidation – by enabling its existing operator clients to offer their end-customers new applications and services, as well as cut down costs, and bring Tier-2 and Tier-3 operators into the Mediaroom fold.
Ted Malone, Senior Director of Product Management for the TV, Video and Music Platforms business at Microsoft, acknowledges that operators such as Deutsche Telekom, AT&T and Swisscom are now looking at ways to differentiate their service and offer something compelling out of the marriage between broadcast and broadband services: “Our Tier-1 telco customers have a big pipeline of applications on the way,” he said. “There is now developer momentum behind the Presentation Framework for Mediaroom, and many of these applications can be introduced in a very short space of time,” he said, quoting the multiview service offered by AT&T in the US, as well as an MSN Video application that was developed by a summer student at Microsoft over a few weeks.
The introduction of virtualisation support for the Mediaroom platform (coming out of the Windows Server 2008 team) has also helped Microsoft to address both the smaller Tier-2 and Tier-3 customers that were previously looking at smaller-scale solutions, and the larger Tier-1s such as AT&T that wish to drive down the number of servers to be maintained. It also makes it considerably easier to deploy lab systems to current and potential customers, according to Mr. Malone.
via IPTV news – “Our Tier-1 customers have a big pipeline of apps on the way”.
Nearly 4mn IPTV subscribers using Microsoft Mediaroom September 9, 2009
Posted by hruf in Multimedia.Tags: IPTV, Microsoft, Microsoft Mediaroom, TV
add a comment
Microsoft has seen the number of IPTV subscriber households using its Mediaroom middleware platform more than double in the 12 months to September 2009, rising from 1.5mn to nearly 4mn, including almost 2mn in the EMEA region.
In the past six months alone, operators including du in the UAE, Beeline in Russia, Hellas Online in Greece and SureWest in the US have announced the launch of IPTV services based on the Microsoft Mediaroom platform. These join existing customers including Swisscom in Switzerland, Deutsche Telekom in Germany, Portugal Telecom and AT&T in the US, amongst others.
“This growth, during challenging economic times, reinforces the value proposition these operators are offering to consumers and has allowed them to retain subscribers, increase their overall ARPU and secure solid market positions with their triple- and quad-play offerings versus entrenched subscription TV operators in their regions,” said Ted Malone, Senior Director of Product Management for the TV, Video & Music Platform Business at Microsoft. “We’re now seeing our Mediaroom customers introduce their own interactive apps and what I call ‘triple-screen’ services to offer personal and connected entertainment experiences.”
Microsoft has also started tailoring the platform to smaller operators, having recently introduced virtualisation support for Mediaroom in order to reduce operator costs.
via IPTV news – Nearly 4mn IPTV subscribers using Microsoft Mediaroom.
IPTV news – Motorola to add telephony to STB remotes May 8, 2009
Posted by hruf in Mobile & Gadgets.Tags: IPTV, Media Center, Microsoft Mediaroom, TV, VoIP
add a comment
Motorola is planning on adding telephony features to its rechargeable remote control for IPTV set-top boxes, the company has confirmed to IPTV News, and expects to start production in the fourth quarter of this year, with potential shipment in the first half of 2010.
The company introduced its Motorola R331 VIP remote control at the CES show last January, which includes a speaker and comes with a base station as well as a ‘find’ feature. Mostafa Reza, Product Line Manager at Motorola’s IP Video Solutions group, said voice-enabling the remote will require adding a microphone and Bluetooth wireless connectivity to let the base-station cradle communicate with the handset. “If I had to put VoIP into the set-top box, the cost would be so astronomical nobody would want to add that,” he said. “But I can add that into the remote pretty cost-effectively. Of course it adds cost, but the real question is, Is the customer willing to pay an extra XYZ dollars for this feature?”
A Motorola spokesperson confirmed to us today that the remote can be made compatible with any platform, not just the Microsoft Mediaroom platform which the company is working with to deliver caller ID on the TV screen: “We will work with each customer individually to give them a remote that fits their specific needs while utilising the protocol that is compatible with their specific set-tops,” added the spokesperson.
Will Microsoft Mediaroom have success on IPTV market – AT&T’s First-Quarter Results: U-verse TV Growth April 22, 2009
Posted by hruf in Internet & Communities, Multimedia.Tags: AT&T U-verse TV, IPTV, Micros, Microsoft Mediaroom
add a comment
[…]
Strong growth in AT&T U-verseSM TV subscribers, with a net increase of 284,000, nearly double the company’s gain in the year-earlier first quarter, to reach 1.3 million in service
[…]
An interesting introduction on AT&T U-verse TV could be found via: Online Experience Store at AT&T
Liquid Media 