Streaming Media Services

Microsoft® Windows Media™, a set of digital media components and features for personal computers and consumer appliances, is fueling a revolution in how news, information, and entertainment is distributed and experienced.

Now with Windows Media, Microsoft is focused on several key initiatives that have already started to broaden the impact of streaming media to the extent that it is having a dramatic impact on the consumer and the worker, and the media and the IT industries.

Broadband Internet: The emergence of DSL and cable connected homes has paved the way for the delivery of CD quality music and near-broadcast quality video. Microsoft is partnering with key infrastructure players, from telcos, to cable television providers, to Internet service providers, to empower them to provide high speed Internet access to the home. This, coupled with the rich interactivity and e-commerce capabilities of the Internet, is now delivering compelling pay-per-use and advertising supported content.

Digital Music: The music industry is at the forefront of the digital media revolution. Microsoft is delivering key enabling technologies, and working closely with the music industry to assist in the deployment of high quality, music promotion, and secure distribution. Windows Media addresses the needs of the music industry, offering features to increase the number of listeners, protect and distribute content, and allow for widespread compatibility with other digital consumer devices, all while providing CD-quality playback in crystal clear Windows Media Format.

Consumer Electronics: Consumers want media throughout their homes, in their cars, while they're exercising, or while they're just out and about. Microsoft is working closely with the consumer electronics industry to ensure that the digital media revolution extends beyond the PC! Digital audio players, the majority of which will include support for Windows Media, are much smaller than the traditional Walkmans® of the past, and allow consumers to create their own personal play lists, and eliminate skipping or scratches. A whole suite of additional Windows Media compatible consumer electronics devices will soon be on the market, that span digital stereos, car stereos, and advanced television set top boxes.

Business: Companies are rapidly discovering the benefits of streaming media in their organizations through virtual company meetings "just-in-time" learning, and the ability to react to changing business conditions quickly with immediate communication to employees, partners and customers. Tight integration between Windows Media and the Windows operating system family allows any company that deploys Windows to easily benefit from the best platform for streaming digital media. And because Windows Media is a part of Windows on the desktop and the server, there are never any additional license fees.

E-commerce: With the rapid growth in usage of digital media use for both consumer and business applications, content providers are looking to move from experimentation to revenue generation as quickly as possible. With the recently announced Digital Broadcast Manager, Microsoft offers a complete, familiar, easy-to-use and secure e-commerce solution that enables content providers to manage, deliver, and sell Pay-Per-Download and Pay-Per-Stream content with Windows Media™ over the Internet. And by interfacing with the Windows Media Rights Manager, Microsoft's digital rights management (DRM) platform, providers are assured that their rights are being preserved and adhered to based on the rules they've established.

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