Microsoft Goes to China with Mediaroom IPTV
In
the fast-growing convergence market, TV is fast embracing Net-based
technologies. Now, Microsoft says China’s Guangzhou Digital Media Group
has launched Zhujiang Digital, a connected TV service using Microsoft
Mediaroom Internet Protocol television (IPTV) platform. It’s the first
time Mediaroom is delivered over a cable network anywhere in the world.
Also,
this is the first Mediaroom-enabled TV service in China, says Microsoft.
Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV and multimedia software platform enables
broadband service providers to deliver TV services.
The new
service, available to residents in the Guangzhou region of China,
includes the first deployment of the Mediaroom Anytime feature set,
which is for allowing time-shifted TV. Mediaroom Anytime will let
subscribers access previously aired shows from their Interactive Program
Guide and immediately restart currently airing programs without any
preplanning or prior digital video recording (DVR).
Guangzhou Digital Media Group plans to connect its total of 2.5 million
subscribers with the new service within three to five years.
The
service will allow high-definition content for live, recorded and
on-demand TV while video-on-demand features will let users view shows
whenever they want.
The
Guangzhou Digital Media Group plans to use the new Mediaroom
Presentation Framework to launch other applications, including online
shopping and the ability to search for local information such as the
latest on restaurants, hotels, entertainment, and traffic news.
Microsoft Mediaroom, says the company, has a global customer base of
service providers including AT&T, BT, and Deutsche Telekom, delivering
connected TV services to nearly 2.5 million subscriber homes worldwide.
As
Yahoo! too is quite aggressive in the Web-to-TV markets, its Connected
TV group has roped in top consumer electronics makers to launch a
widget platform for
TV that brings Web to living room devices.
