AMSTERDAM, September 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- Expanded offerings enable content producers and broadcasters to deliver 
fresh content and new experiences across three screens -- PC, TV and mobile.

At the International Broadcasting Conference (IBC), Sept. 11-15 in
Amsterdam, Microsoft Corp. will reveal new partner solutions built on
Microsoft technology for the media and entertainment industry. In tandem with
today's announcements of U.S. and European customers deploying solutions for
the broadcast industry based on the Microsoft platform, delivering consumer
experiences across PC, TV and mobile, Microsoft will showcase the latest
developments at the Microsoft exhibit in the Topaz Lounge, at the Amsterdam
RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

IBC 2009

Microsoft will showcase four solution areas on the company booth and
across 14 different partner demonstrations: digital content management,
search and monetization, media business management, and digital content
experiences.

"Working with the leading organizations in the broadcast and
entertainment world, we aim to deliver insights and innovations through
technology, making content immersive and experiential for the consumer while
also more easily managed and produced behind the scenes. Consumers can now
access this new world of entertainment via the PC, through the TV or on a
mobile device, a choice that allows them to enjoy content in a way they never
have before," said Gabriele Di Piazza, senior director of the Media &
Entertainment Business in the Communications Sector at Microsoft. "The
evolution of Silverlight, Smooth Streaming and new partner solutions
integrated with our new editorial collaboration framework ensure that we
continue to work closely with customers like Blueprint Digital, which works
with companies such as Tesco, to address their changing business needs."

Digital Content Experiences: Growing Number of Customers Adopting
Microsoft Platform

Several demonstrations highlight the growing number of customers
including Tesco, Canal+, France 24, ESPN, NBC Sports, ProSieben, Sat.1 and
TV2 that are using the Microsoft platform including Silverlight and Internet
Information Services (IIS) Media Services 3.0 to enable rich and compelling
consumer experiences globally.

Microsoft will also preview the latest media feature developments planned
for Microsoft Silverlight 4, including native multicast support and support
for offline digital rights management (DRM) powered by Microsoft PlayReady
technology.

In three years, Microsoft Mediaroom has become the most deployed Internet
Protocol TV (IPTV) software platform, according to data from Screen Digest,
and with nearly 4 million of the total estimated 24 million IPTV subscriber
households worldwide, that means approximately one in six IPTV subscribers is
now connected via a Mediaroom-powered service. At the current growth rate,
Microsoft expects Mediaroom households to pass the 4 million mark in October
2009.

Microsoft will also be showing a number of live Mediaroom services,
giving visitors the opportunity to see how global operators are delivering
compelling TV experiences on the Mediaroom IPTV and multimedia platform. In
the 12 months since IBC in September 2008, Microsoft has seen the number of
Mediaroom subscriber households more than double from 1.5 million to almost 4
million, of which nearly 2 million are in the Europe, Middle East and Africa
(EMEA) region.

Delivering Global Digital Content Experiences

To enhance digital content experiences for customers, Microsoft has also
developed a blueprint for online video services using Microsoft Silverlight,
Microsoft PlayReady and Windows Server as key technologies. NBC.com is using
this blueprint for its online broadcast of "Sunday Night Football."

Furthermore, since May 2009, key broadcasters around the world have used
beta versions of Live Smooth Streaming, a new feature of IIS Media Services
3.0, to successfully broadcast some of the world's premier live events. These
include the Tour de France and the Roland Garros 2009 International French
Open Tennis Tournament on France Television; the IAAF Athletics World
Championships and FINA Swimming World Championships on both France Television
and RAI; and Champions League Soccer on BSkyB. In a combined effort with
Microsoft, NBC Sports and other media partners, Wimbledon Live delivered over
6,500 minutes of live and on-demand Smooth Streaming video via a
high-definition, interactive online video experience with personal video
recorder (PVR) support.

Bringing TV to the Personal Computer

Microsoft is making Windows Media Center the best place to experience TV
on a PC, regardless of broadcast network. Enhancements to Windows Media
Center in Windows 7 include a new electronic program guide (EPG) that brings
consumers Internet and broadcast TV all in one place. There is also
additional broadcast network support enabling more consumers to turn their PC
into a digital video recorder (DVR) and record broadcast TV, delivered
securely through the Protected Broadcast Driver Architecture (PBDA). Windows
7 natively supports ATSC, DRI (US Cable), DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2,
ISDB-S, ISDB-T and QAM. At IBC 2009 Microsoft's hardware partners, including
AVerMedia, Hauppauge, NXP Semiconductors and ViXS Systems, will announce
Windows 7-ready product lines for additional digital formats, including
DMB-TH in China, Premium DVB-C TV in China and Europe, and improved support
for US Cable and Switched Digital Video (SDV).

Bringing Multichannel Content to Consumers

On Sept. 9, Microsoft and Tesco, one of the world's leading retailers,
announced a collaboration to launch the next generation of home video
viewing. The new service, built on Microsoft Silverlight technology, will
deliver a similar level of quality as consumers have come to expect from DVD
and Blu-ray, but with advanced Web-based interactivity and a viewing
experience that goes beyond other digital playback products in the
marketplace.

Media Business Management: Editorial Collaboration Solution Framework
Based on 2007 Microsoft Office System

Demonstrated at IBC for the first time, the Microsoft solution framework
for editorial collaboration supports journalists and editors in topic
planning, event calendaring and coverage planning, resource allocation,
content gathering and sharing, and output planning in news production for
broadcasting, publishing, and media and entertainment industry partners.
Similar solutions based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 have been
recently deployed by customers including The Associated Press, and
Stuttgarter Zeitung.

The solution framework for editorial collaboration is designed to improve
the efficiency of editorial work and enable effective multichannel
publishing. It is based on the 2007 Microsoft Office system and integrates
with Microsoft unified communications and Microsoft Office Mobile to make
editorial communication and team collaboration more effective and enable
mobile users such as reporters and journalists to stay in touch with their
editorial team while on the road. The solution framework is designed to
integrate with vertical industry solutions including those from Avid
Technology Inc., ANNOVA Systems GmbH, Solutions for Media (S4M) GmbH and
DAVID Systems GmbH.

Additional partner solutions in this area announced at IBC include a new
version of S4M Dynamics Media, an end-to-end broadcast business management
solution, and S4M S4 AdSales, a media sales solution recently deployed at RTL
Nederland; Ness Content Office (NCO), integrated with Microsoft Office
SharePoint Server 2007; a content sales solution based on Microsoft Dynamics
CRM developed by CRM Resultants and deployed at Endemol; and a Web analytics
solution developed by pmONE for Der Standard, a leading newspaper in Austria,
based on Microsoft Business Intelligence.

Digital Content Management

At the Microsoft stand, TechPath will be showcasing its expertise in
integrating complex media workflow solutions leveraging core Microsoft
technologies based on the Microsoft Blueprint for Digital Content Management
solutions. The blueprint allows companies to leverage their existing IT
investments as well as giving controllable access to customers and partners
along the media value chain.

S4M will present its Video Production Management System (VPMS),
integrated with S4M's Dynamics Media broadcast business management solution,
and also integrated with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server.

Also demonstrating integration of its DAM solution with Microsoft Office
SharePoint to allow Web-based content sharing and a wide range of
collaboration functionality will be DAVID Systems, which recently deployed a
solution at P4 in Norway.

With S4M's VPMS and DAVID Systems' DigaSystem now being integrated with
SharePoint, this ensures that wherever journalists work on their story, they
can access audio and video content directly through SharePoint Web parts,
facilitating collaboration and bridging the formerly separate worlds of
digital asset management and business productivity solutions.

A number of leading media companies have recently deployed the above
digital content management solutions based on the Microsoft platform: ESPN
Brazil, VMMA Belgium and TVN Poland with partner Blue Order, NDR Germany with
partner S4M, P4 in Norway with partner DAVID Systems, and Discovery in the
U.S. with partner TransMedia Dynamics.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.