The future of streaming content is about to change in vast ways, as the following two articles highlight:
ttp://www.microsoft.com/tv/IPTVEdition.mspx
Microsoft TV IPTV Edition is an integrated and comprehensive software platform developed specifically to deliver broadcast-quality video and new, integrated TV services over broadband networks. The platform combines market-leading features such as instant channel change (ICC) and multiple picture-in-picture (PIP) with traditional TV services such as broadcast programming, VOD, and DVR. The software is developed to integrate seamlessly and economically with other IP-based communications and media services for PCs, phones, and other consumer devices. Microsoft TV IPTV Edition is ideal for telecommunications carriers and for cable operators looking to deliver differentiated TV services and experiences.
Commercial trials of Microsoft TV IPTV Edition are complete or are in progress with leading broadband network operators around the world.
IPTV Edition brochure
(PDF, 675 KB)
Microsoft/Alcatel integrated IPTV Solution
(PDF, 757 KB)
Information for Broadband Providers
AT&T is working with Microsoft TV to change how we watch television
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s Better TV, not "me too" TV.
Microsoft TV IPTV Edition enables new opportunities for delivering the differentiated TV experiences consumers want.
Robust Navigation
The multimedia Program Guide provides a unified user experience with integrated listings for broadcast and on-demand content, consistent navigation and search features, and picture-in-picture.
A Mini Guide provides a convenient way to browse guide listings without interrupting the show currently airing. Discretely displayed along the bottom of the screen, the Mini Guide shows comprehensive program information plus a real-time video stream for each show currently airing. Consumers can browse listings by shows currently airing, shows on next, and shows airing later.
Fast Channel Surfing
Patent-pending technology from Microsoft enables channel changing in a fraction of a second, effectively eliminating the delay associated with tuning channels in a digital system.
Integrated Video-On-Demand (VOD)
All content - including HDTV - can be distributed on a subscription or a pay-per-play basis with content promotion integrated into the user experience.
Increased Bandwidth Utilization
Windows Media® 9 Series advanced compression technology — a core component of the Microsoft TV IPTV Edition platform — delivers standard definition video at bit rates ranging between 1.5 and 1.8 Mbps (Megabits per second) and high definition programming ranging between 7 and 9 Mbps. That is as little as one half to one third of the bandwidth required by comparable MPEG-2 solutions.
Learn more about creating and distributing a high-quality IPTV experience with Windows Media Services.
Digital Video Recording
With an internal or external hard disk drive, customers can pause, fast-forward, and rewind live and recorded content. With IPTV Edition, multiple recordings can be made without the need for multiple tuners, so there is no need for costly hardware upgrades.
Management and Maintenance Software
IPTV Edition incorporates industry leading SQL Server, BizTalk® Server, Systems Management Server and Operations Management software, which help simplify the day-to-day management and maintenance of the IPTV solution.
Build Value With Connected Experiences.
Microsoft TV IPTV Edition is a comprehensive software solution that supports exciting new features, services, and experiences across devices in the home.
Connected Devices and Media
Provide simple, encrypted access from consumers' TVs to photos, music, and video located anywhere on a home network. Enable consumers to review and record TV programming remotely via the Internet.
Connected Content, Applications, and Services
Capitalize on built-in Windows Media 9 Series compression and Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies to help deliver protected digital video, music, and game services to consumers through television set-top boxes and other devices, including hundreds of portable media products that support Windows Media technologies
Connected Communications
The Microsoft TV IPTV Edition platform enables operators to display caller ID information, instant messages, e-mail, or SMS on the TV — even notify consumers about TV schedule changes as they occur.
Connected Systems and Delivery
Use unified configuration, operation, and management tools and interfaces to manage legacy back-office systems. Integrate delivery of TV services with voice and data services over a common network architecture.
Latens Announces Deep Integration of its CA/DRM Solution With Minerva Networks iTVManager Platform
http://www.iptvmagazine.com/2005_11/...05_11_news.htm
Tight integration with Minerva's service management platform significantly reduces solution cost and interoperability concerns
Latens Systems, the leading provider of software based Conditional Access (CA) Content & Revenue Protection systems, announced that its FCAS Content & Revenue Protection has been tightly integrated with the Minerva iTVManager platform. Operators worldwide will have access to a highly secure and cost effective end-to-end IPTV service delivery solution.
"Latens FCAS solution combines operational flexibility with carrier-grade robustness and scalability," says Matt Cuson, Director of Marketing at Minerva Networks. "The Latens protected Minerva iTVManager platform will offer excellent content packaging, scalability and robustness."
This deep integration between a leading middleware platform and a state-of-the-art content protection system is great news for all
concerned," said Andy Mathieson, Director, Latens. "The close integration means that IPTV operators 'have fewer moving parts in their end-to-end solution', removing all concerns over interoperability between conditional access and middleware while providing a cost-effective route to market. We already have joint customers in the USA and I look forward to many more Minerva powered IPTV operators being secured by Latens FCAS."
Entone Announces World's HIGHEST PERFORMING Video On Demand Server with HP
Entone announced its collaboration with HP in launching the world's highest performing video on demand (VOD) server solution that will significantly lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) for video service operators.
The breakthrough VOD server solution achieves single-server throughput of over 100 Gb/s. The Entone platform on a 64 processor
HP Integrity Superdome server running Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 delivers over 27,400 simultaneous MPEG-2 video streams at 3.75 Mb/s per stream or over 50,000 MPEG-4 streams at 2 Mb/s per stream.
The world-leading performance of the Entone VOD platform is enabled by Entone's StreamLiner XL software coupled with HP Integrity servers. Entone's StreamLiner XL and HP Integrity servers provide an extremely reliable, scalable, and flexible VOD platform with a track record for supporting 24x7 operations for many of the world's most demanding workloads. This combination of performance and reliability is unprecedented in the industry and can result in a significant reduction in the TCO for operators deploying large-scale, carrier-class VOD services.
"There was a time when deploying a video server of this scale was impractical due to technical and cost limitations," said Tim Warren, Entone CTO. "By working closely with HP for the past 18 months, we have jointly developed a solution that sets a new performance and TCO standard for the industry."
Libraries of video assets for the Entone StreamLiner XL platform running on HP Integrity servers can reside in RAM, on disk, or a hybrid of the two. The HP Integrity Superdome server is massively-scalable and capable of supporting multiple operating systems and up to 1TB of RAM, 128 Intel® Itanium® 2 processors and a virtually unlimited amount of disk storage.
HP Integrity servers run many of the world's mission-critical businesses and are widely deployed in the communications and media industries," said Rich Marcello, senior vice president and general manager, Business Critical Systems, HP. "The performance and TCO results we have achieved with Entone
