Microsoft TV to Accelerate Microsoft Mediaroom Deployments With New Interoperability and Qualification Lab
07/09/2007 06:03
PR Newswire
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, September 7 /PRNewswire/ --
- Programme will facilitate quality control and enable faster time to
market for IPTV ecosystem vendors and service providers.
Today at IBC2007 Microsoft Corp announced the Microsoft(R) Mediaroom(TM)
Interoperability and Qualification Lab (IQ Lab) for digital video encoders.
This programme will help enable the ongoing interoperability and compliance
of encoders used in deployments of the award-winning Microsoft Mediaroom
multimedia and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) software platform. IQ
Lab-compliant encoding vendors will become recommended Microsoft Mediaroom
ecosystem partners. As the Microsoft Mediaroom software platform continues to
gain momentum around the world, encoding partners will be able to capitalise
on this growth by enabling their solutions to seamlessly integrate with the
platform to deliver fast and smooth service provider deployments.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
Based in Microsoft's Silicon Valley campus in Mountain View, California,
the IQ Lab gives encoding vendors the opportunity to test their products in a
controlled IPTV production environment, with set-top boxes from several
vendors. The programme also provides the following services for encoding
vendors:
-- Support and training. Access to Microsoft IPTV training sessions and a
dedicated team of Microsoft engineers and programme managers to
evaluate whether encoding specifications are met
-- Testing and qualification lab access. Dedicated testing time in the
lab with access to test reporting and analysis resources
-- Test tools and consulting services. Access to test kits and Mediaroom
software and AV consulting expertise to encoding solutions to support
future versions of the software platform
For Microsoft Mediaroom service provider customers, the IQ Lab helps
enhance encoder product quality and gives them an opportunity to work with a
broad array of encoding vendors as they deploy advanced digital TV services.
In addition, with the IQ Lab programme Microsoft and its encoding partners
can remain aligned as the Microsoft Mediaroom platform evolves. Several of
Microsoft TV's encoding partners, including Envivio Inc, Harmonic Inc,
Motorola, TANDBERG Television and Thomson, have already signed up for the IQ
Lab. Each of these companies has also completed the qualification of one or
more encoders, which are now in use by several Mediaroom customers.
"As worldwide deployments of Microsoft Mediaroom accelerate, we plan to
offer our service provider customers the strongest set of encoding solutions
to choose from, while enabling our encoding partners to succeed," said Joe
Seidel, director of global partner development for the Microsoft TV business
at Microsoft. "The investment and commitment on our part and by our encoding
partners is an indication of the strength of our global IPTV ecosystem."
More than 19 of the world's leading service providers have selected the
Microsoft Mediaroom platform for their digital TV offerings. Commercial
deployments are under way with 11 providers. Microsoft Mediaroom will be on
display at the Topaz stand at IBC2007, taking place 6-11 Sept at Amsterdam's
RAI Congress Centre. Additional information about the IQ Lab programme can be
obtained by sending e-mail to salesinf@microsoft.com.
About Microsoft TV
Microsoft TV enables the future of television by helping broadband
network operators deliver advanced digital TV services and new connected
entertainment experiences to audiences worldwide. Microsoft TV solutions
offer a rich, personalised consumer experience while creating new business
opportunities for broadband service providers, hardware manufacturers,
content creators, advertisers and application developers. Microsoft Mediaroom
is the latest update to Microsoft's award-winning Internet Protocol
Television (IPTV) software platform. With Microsoft Mediaroom, service
providers can deliver a superior experience, with advanced digital TV
features and multimedia capabilities. More information about Microsoft
Mediaroom and the opportunity to deliver the best in TV plus all your media
in one place is available at http://www.microsoft.com/TV and
http://www.microsoftmediaroom.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise
their full potential.
About Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
Microsoft has operated in EMEA since 1982. In the region Microsoft
employs more than 12,000 people in over 55 subsidiaries, delivering products
and services in more than 139 countries and territories.
This material is for informational purposes only. Microsoft Corp
disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to use of the material
for other purposes. Microsoft Corp shall not, at any time, be liable for any
special, direct, indirect or consequential damages, whether in an action of
contract, negligence or other action arising out of or in connection with the
use or performance of the material. Nothing herein should be construed as
constituting any kind of warranty.
Web site: http://www.microsoft.com
Microsoft TV Team of Weber Shandwick, +1-425-452-5400, mstv@webershandwick.com, for Microsoft Corp.; NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft in EMEA, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/emea or the EMEA Press Centre at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at the time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact the Microsoft EMEA Press Office at +44-870-243-0515 or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/contactus. If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft Corp, please visit the Microsoft web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages.; Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO, AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org, PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com