Microsoft Announces New Partners, Customers and Programmes at IBC2007 to Further Its Digital Media Strategy
07/09/2007 06:06
PR Newswire
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, September 7 /PRNewswire/ --
- Adopting Microsoft technologies and solutions helps media and
entertainment organisations simplify the digital content life cycle.
This week at IBC2007, Microsoft Corp is announcing new customers,
partners and programmes that further underscore the value Microsoft provides
to organisations in the media and entertainment industry. Through its broad
range of solutions, Microsoft enables media and entertainment companies to
create and manage nearly endless varieties of media and deliver stunning
entertainment experiences to their customers.
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Microsoft is highlighting updates, including new customers and partners,
for two solutions launched in April at NAB2007: Microsoft(R) Silverlight(TM)
and Microsoft Interactive Media Manager (IMM). Also, Microsoft is detailing
new customer and partner adoption of the Microsoft VC-1 Encoder software
developer kit (SDK) and is announcing the Microsoft Mediaroom(TM)
Interoperability and Qualification Lab (IQ Lab) for digital video encoders.
Microsoft is also outlining collaborative efforts with KT Corp and SBSi, a
subsidiary of SBS Media Group, to create a digital content and syndication
hub for suppliers and distributors of content.
"The continuing changes in the media and entertainment industry signal
the need for solutions that help companies simplify the complexities in
creating and managing content and delivering an enticing user experience
whether on a television, mobile phone or PC," said Michael O'Hara, general
manager of the Communications Sector at Microsoft. "The new customers and
partners that are lining up to support solutions such as Silverlight, IMM and
VC-1 Encoder are just a few examples of the positive reinforcement we've
received from the industry that show our strategy is on the right path."
Content Creation
Microsoft continues to develop the foundational technologies that help
media companies create rich media content easily, quickly and
cost-effectively.
At IBC2007, Microsoft is announcing broad industry support for the
Microsoft VC-1 Encoder SDK, a commercial offering first announced in April.
Leading product vendors are taking advantage of the substantial quality and
performance improvements delivered through the new technology and are
building next-generation products that efficiently produce exceptional video
imagery for a variety of distribution and consumption scenarios.
Consequently, major content providers, recognising the benefits of faster
encoding and the value of delivering best-of-breed video quality to their
customers, are also adopting the new VC-1 Encoder technology through these
new tools.
In the broadband and mobile content distribution segments, Red Bee Media
Ltd has chosen tools based on the VC-1 Encoder from Anystream Inc to rapidly
repurpose and streamline the delivery of high-quality, bandwidth-efficient
video content for the BBC's innovative new iPlayer service.
Managing Content
The amount of data produced for digital media is increasing
exponentially, and to add to the complexity, there are a vast number of data
types and formats that must be supported. Microsoft is working with its
partners to help ensure that all this content can be used productively as an
asset, rather than presenting a challenge for broadcasters.
This week at IBC2007, Microsoft is announcing a new early adopter
customer and expanded partner ecosystem for IMM. Italian broadcaster RAI has
joined the Technology Adoption Program for IMM, which will enable RAI to
manage the media work flow process as it digitises assets for viewing over
the web through a variety of screens and devices. Also, Microsoft is bringing
an expanded set of capabilities available to media companies in conjunction
with IMM through new partner relationships. To deliver these capabilities,
Microsoft has forged relationships with independent software vendors
including FileCatalyst, Marquis Broadcast Ltd, Rhozet Corp and TeleStream,
and system integrators such as Accenture, Ascentium Corp, The Computer
Merchant Ltd, Intellinet, SpeakTECH and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.
Also being highlighted at IBC2007 this week, Microsoft, KT, Korea's
leading communications service provider, and SBSi, a subsidiary of SBS Media
Group, are developing Global Media Hub, a digital content and distribution
point in Korea. The partners have come together to address the challenges and
opportunities faced by suppliers and distributors of content with an eye on
cross-border services and worldwide access to content, rights management and
rights technology. The Global Media Hub aims to be the content owners',
aggregators' and service providers' platform of choice for their online
delivery strategy.
Global Media Hub will have a multiplatform asset management and
distribution system that provides an integrated service which enables
one-stop convenience for buyers and sellers in trading and managing digital
media content distribution across multiple platforms. Global Media Hub will
utilise Microsoft Connected Services Framework as an aggregation engine that
uses web services to streamline content management and distribution.
Improving the Content Experience
Microsoft is continually enriching the consumer experience with new
platforms that make content more engaging and enjoyable, and new services
that make it accessible to a wider audience. At IBC2007 this week, Microsoft
TV announced the Microsoft Mediaroom IQ Lab for digital video encoders, a
programme that will help enable the ongoing interoperability and compliance
of encoders used in deployments of the award-winning Microsoft Mediaroom
Internet Protocol Television and multimedia software platform. IQ
Lab-compliant encoding vendors will become recommended Microsoft Mediaroom
ecosystem partners. As the Microsoft Mediaroom software platform continues to
gain momentum round 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 deployments by service providers.
Several of Microsoft TV's encoding partners, including Envivio Inc,
Harmonic Inc, Motorola Inc, 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.
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.
On Wednesday, Microsoft announced the release to web of Silverlight 1.0,
a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering richer user
experiences on the web, and Expression Encoder 1.0, a tool that makes it
simple for professionals to encode, enhance and publish rich media content to
Silverlight. Also, Microsoft announced it will work with Novell Inc to
deliver Silverlight support for Linux, called Moonlight, and based on the
project started on mono-project.com. Microsoft also unveiled new customer
experiences on "Entertainment Tonight," HSN, World Wrestling Entertainment
and break.com, and the Silverlight Partner Initiative, which includes more
than 35 companies that have committed to supporting Silverlight and taking
advantage of a broad range of marketing and technical benefits the programme
offers.
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)
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employs more than 13,000 people in 60 subsidiaries, delivering products and
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