Microsoft Renames Microsoft IPTV to "Microsoft Mediaroom"

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/jun07/06-17NXTDebutPR.mspx' target='_blank'>http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/jun07/06-17NXTDebutPR.mspx</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of Microsoft® Mediaroom™, the latest update to its award-winning Internet Protocol television (IPTV) software platform, featuring several new multimedia capabilities, including in-home personal music and photo sharing, dynamic MultiView (multiple picture-in-picture) capabilities, Multimedia Application Environment for development of interactive services and advanced applications, and digital terrestrial television (DTT) support. Microsoft also introduced the Microsoft Mediaroom Application Development toolkit, which provides service providers and third-party developers with tools to create compelling, revenue-generating TV-based applications that run on the platform. With this latest release, Microsoft is renaming its IPTV platform Microsoft Mediaroom to better reflect the broader set of new connected entertainment experiences made possible today and the types of experiences anticipated in the future. In addition, the Microsoft Mediaroom name and identity are designed to be used by service providers as an ingredient brand to create a powerful competitive differentiator to support their consumer marketing activities."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/06-17DVRScheduling-lg.jpg" /><br /><br />This is one of those "Hey, good news!" announcements that I'll probably never get to see come to the market where I live. Still, if you live in a market where Microsoft might deploy this technology in conjunction with a TV set-top box partner, you might appreciate this more than I do.

[Felix Torres]

I was pleasantly surprised by the renaming; its actually sensible, descriptive, and pretty snappy. At least compared to the usual MS naming practices that would've given use something like Microsoft Screen or Microsoft Switched-Packet Video Client 2008. ;-)

Instead we get a nice easy to remember name that conjures the right images and a product that deliveres everything except two conspicuously missing features. (And the fingerprints of the telcos are all over the omissions.)
- Multi-room DVR is something that MCE PCs can do and a good IPTV system should be able to emulate, except its a "lower priority at the telcos" since they presumable prefer to lease you multiple STBs instead.
- The latest software allows for streaming music and photos from PCs to the STBs but *not* video. Presumably they want to keeo all those bit-torrents off their boxes. Of course, they also keep the home movies of junior's birthday party but I'm sure that is a plus in the eyes of the guest that are space the amateur cinematography, right? ;-)

Of course, the big question at this point is whow will the Mediaroom software and services integrate with the XBOX 360...