Microsoft Mediaroom gives TV a reverse gear

Thursday, January 8th, 2009
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Mediaroom-based services can now add Mediaroom Anytime, enabling TV viewers to enjoy previously aired programs or restart currently airing shows without pre-planning or prior DVR recording

LAS VEGAS — At 2009 International CES today, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) unveiled Mediaroom Anytime, a groundbreaking feature set for the Microsoft Mediaroom multimedia and IPTV platform that allows viewers to truly watch TV on their own time. In addition to existing Mediaroom features, such as video on demand, DVR Anywhere and Remote Digital Video Recording, the new Mediaroom Anytime features take time-shifted TV to the next level, enabling viewers to access previously aired shows directly from the Interactive Program Guide or immediately restart currently airing shows without any pre-planning or prior DVR recording. In addition, Microsoft announced that the Mediaroom platform has reached nearly 2.5 million subscriber homes worldwide, an increase of more than 1.5 million new connections in the past year alone.

With the new Mediaroom Anytime feature set, service providers now have the ability to offer their customers the following benefits:

  • Restart Anytime offers the ability for viewers to rewind or restart the currently airing program from any point, regardless of whether the show is being recorded or the TV was switched off or tuned to another channel.
  • Live Anytime allows viewers to scroll backward in the Interactive Program Guide to watch previously aired programs. These previously aired programs also can be made accessible through the service provider’s video on demand library.
  • Download Anytime extends Microsoft Mediaroom-powered services to more consumers by enabling viewers to download on-demand movies and programs to their set-top boxes so they can watch them anytime regardless of bandwidth constraints. For example, viewers could watch high-definition programs on low-bandwidth networks.

SingTel plans to trial Mediaroom Anytime features — Restart Anytime and Live Anytime — and aims to offer the service to its mio TV subscribers in 2009. Mediaroom Anytime functionalities can be added to SingTel’s existing Microsoft Mediaroom-powered connected TV service offerings via a simple software upgrade that requires no action by existing subscribers.

“mio TV aims to be at the forefront of new innovations and services that will let our customers control what they watch, when they want,” said Low Ka Hoe, SingTel’s director of IPTV Business. “The ever-evolving Mediaroom platform and the new Anytime features allow us to continue delivering enhanced value and a truly immersive TV viewing experience to our customers.”