Microsoft's Mediaroom boosts IPTV platform capabilities

Stephen Withers
Monday, 18 June 2007 12:00

Business IT - Technology

Microsoft has re-branded its IPTV platform as Mediaroom, coinciding with a update that brings a more contemporary view of home entertainment to the product.

The reason for the name-change from Microsoft IPTV Edition is "to offer service providers a powerful way to differentiate their service and enhance consumer perceptions in the TV marketplace by leveraging the awareness of Microsoft's proven software solutions, innovation and connected entertainment pedigree" and to "communciate more easily the potential of the platform," according to Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president, Microsoft TV Business.

Mediaroom is intended for incorporation in set top boxes offered by IPTV providers. 17 providers (including AT&T's U-Verse) have selected Microsoft's platform, and nine of them have begun commercial deployments.

The new Mediaroom software incorporates many of the features people have come to expect on PCs and high-end TV services, including listening to music and viewing digital photos stored elsewhere on a home network, picture-in-picture, and digital terrestrial television support.

Mediaroom offers improved support for Web services and applications, enabling features such as dynamic video-on-demand portals, casual games and interactive TV services. Microsoft has also announced the Mediaroom Application Development toolkit to assist in the creation of such applications.

"With personal media sharing and new application development capabilities, Microsoft Mediaroom brings the consumer television experience to a new level, enabling the best in TV, plus access to all your media in one place," said Rodriguez.