A hit for Microsoft TV software

Back in 1995 I was part of the Microsoft iTV push. Some of the folks I worked
with back then are still driving the vision and it is so fantastic to see a
major cable operator go with the technology. If only we could get this here in
Australia...

A hit
for Microsoft TV software

5 million Comcast set-top boxes to use
new program-guide system
Comcast Corp., the largest cable
operator in the nation, plans to put Microsoft Corp.'s digital television
software in set-top boxes for as many as 5 million of its 21 million
customers.

**

The deal, announced yesterday, is the biggest to date for the Redmond
company's television software, dubbed the Microsoft TV Foundation Edition.
Microsoft has been seeking to take market share from industry leader TV Guide
Interactive.

"The rest of the industry looks up to Comcast as the leader and often
follows in their footsteps," said Ed Graczyk, director of marketing and
communications for Microsoft TV. He called the agreement "a big deal" not only
on its own, but also for the company's efforts to court other cable
operators.

Comcast had been testing the Microsoft software among a limited number of
households in the Seattle market. The companies yesterday declined to say in
which markets the software will be deployed more broadly, but they
acknowledged that one of them is likely to be Seattle.

In addition to an on-screen interactive program guide, the Microsoft
technology includes behind-the-scenes software that cable companies can use to
deliver digital cable services, such as video-on-demand and digital video
recording.

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