Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) today unveiled Mediaroom Anytime, a feature set for its IPTV platform that it claims lets viewers access previously aired shows directly from the Interactive Program Guide or immediately restart currently airing shows without any pre-planning or prior DVR recording.
The IPTV software vendor did not say if its largest telco customers, AT&T Inc. (T) and BT Group plc (BT), will activate the feature for their customers. Microsoft did not say if there’s a price associated with the feature set and if yes, what that charge is.
Microsoft said SingTel has committed to the feature set. The vendor did not say, however, when it will be commercially available.
With the new Mediaroom Anytime feature set, service providers now have the ability to offer their customers new 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, according to the vendor.
Live Anytime allows viewers to scroll backward in the Interactive Program Guide to watch previously aired programs. Microsoft says these programs also can be made accessible through the service provider’s video on demand library.
Download Anytime lets viewers 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.
The IPTV software vendor also introduced applications built atop its presentation framework.
