Microsoft have announced the forthcoming release of Internet
TV, a feature which will allow people to enjoy a range of television
and video content on their PCs and TV sets without a TV tuner in their
PC.
On September 28th 2007, US users of Windows Vista Home Premium
edition and Windows Vista Ultimate edition will find the new beta
release inside Media Center.
The free service will be supported by advertising from YuMe Networks,
which, interestingly enough, is a competitor of Podaddies which has
recently been working
with Apple.
At launch, expect over 100 hours of streaming content
including full
episodes of various television shows, full-length music concerts by
popular artists, movie trailers, MSNBC
news segments and sports clips from FOX Sports.
Hardware Devices Called Extenders
In its press
release,
Microsoft also mentioned the release of hardware devices, known as
Extenders, which will allow “easy access to premium cable,
high-definition TV, popular video formats including DivX, music, paid
movies, photos and more from any TV in the house, with a wired or
wireless network connection.
People can even pause a recorded show in
one room, and then resume it from the same moment in another room.”
Linksys
and D-Link
are among the first vendor to create Extenders products, which should
begin appearing in stores in time for this holiday season.
Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president, Entertainment and
Devices
eHome Division, Microsoft said:
“We are excited to reveal the first series of
totally quiet, cool,
and sleek-looking Media Center Extender devices, designed to deliver
the ultimate entertainment experience to every TV set in your
home,”“These products are the initial
third-party
devices that can wirelessly connect a TV with a PC, with features
including live high-definition TV, PVR, movies, pictures, music and
online services.”“In addition, the Internet TV beta allows Windows Media
Center as well as Extender users to enjoy free high-quality television
from some of their favorite studios and networks in Media Center,
directly over the Internet.”
Conclusions
Microsoft has entered slightly late into the field of IPTV,
so it
will be interesting to see who comes out on top. As far as the
Extenders, the ideas and intentions sound very promising, but
ultimately I believe it will come down to cost and
ease-of-use.
The
devices from Linksys and D-Link are expected to run between $299.99 and
$349.99 which is comparable to the AppleTV
device that also has a head start on Microsoft
Extenders.
Michael Garrett is a contributing author discussing the social networking world, his work can be found on Profy.com
