[opendtv] USDTV and Microsoft Join Forces....
- From: "John Golitsis" <john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "OpenDTV" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 11:04:19 -0400
USDTV and Microsoft Join Forces to Deploy Windows Media 9 Series for
``Best-of-TV'' Line Up
NAB2004
SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2004--
Local and Network Affiliated Broadcasters to Benefit from Increased
Channel Capacity and New Revenue Streams
U.S. Digital Television, Inc. (USDTV) today announced it will implement
Microsoft Windows Media 9 Series (WM9S) in its unique "over-the-air" pay-TV
service. By utilizing the compression efficiencies of WM9S, USDTV will enable
more broadcasters to participate in delivering the USDTV service and still
efficiently transmit their high-definition programming. USDTV and Microsoft will
continue to work together to develop services and technologies that deliver
great digital media experiences in the home.
USDTV is the broadcast industry's first pay-TV service to integrate WM9S into
its service. The company plans to fully implement WM9S by Q4 2004 with the
launch of its second-generation set-top box.
"Maximizing available bandwidth with Windows Media 9 Series will allow more
broadcasters, especially network affiliates, to participate with USDTV," said
Steve Lindsley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Digital Television,
Inc. "This will enable us to bring more content variety to viewers and create
additional revenue-sharing opportunities for broadcasters."
"Windows Media 9 Series enables USDTV to expand their programming and reach new
audiences," said Amir Majidimehr, General Manager of the Windows Digital Media
Division at Microsoft. "Windows Media has approximately three times the
compression efficiency of MPEG-2 and easily scales up to high definition (HD),
delivering HD at what would normally be considered SD data rates."
USDTV's unique television subscription service is the first of its kind in the
broadcast industry. The company bundles multiple cable channels to enable
broadcast partners to deliver the service to subscribers' homes through standard
VHF/UHF antennas. Customers view these digital and high-definition broadcasts
via USDTV's proprietary set-top box instead of a direct cable connection or a
satellite dish. The USDTV service offers 12 of the most popular cable channels
and also receives the digital and high definition TV channels of local and
national affiliated broadcast stations all for only $19.95 per month.
The USDTV "over-the-air" subscription television service represents a new
business model for television broadcasters across the country. The company
partners with national and local television broadcast entities to carry its
service of popular cable channels over the station's unused digital spectrum.
Broadcasters share in monthly subscription fees and can also benefit from
additional recurring revenue streams generated by on-demand content enabled by
USDTV's next-generation set-top receiver. The box will fully integrate WM9S with
digital video recording capability and a hard drive and is expected to be
available in Q4, 2004.
About USDTV: U.S. Digital Television, Inc. is introducing the first
"over-the-air" terrestrial digital subscription TV service in the United States
using the new digital broadcast channels of local television stations. USDTV
provides subscribers with cable channels and local broadcast channels in
digital-quality picture and theater-quality sound, including HDTV, at unmatched
prices. The company is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. www.usdtv.com.
About Windows Media: Windows Media is the leading digital media platform, used
by consumers, content providers, solution providers, software developers and
corporations throughout the world. The new Windows Media 9 Series will power the
next wave of digital media, delivering the best playback experience, unmatched
audio and video quality, and integrated optional digital rights management
technology, and is the most comprehensive platform for developing digital media
products and services. The Windows Media platform includes Windows Media Player;
Windows Media Services, the powerful streaming server for distributing content;
Windows Media Encoder for content creation; Windows Media Audio and Video for
the best-quality audio and video; Windows Media DRM for protecting content; and
the Windows Media Software Development Kit for software developers. Windows
Media Player, available in 26 languages, is the fastest-growing and now leading
media player. More information about Windows Media can be found at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040419005245&newsLang=en
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