Reliance Communications signs $500 million IPTV deal with Microsoft

gaganjain

gaganjain

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Today, Reliance Communications Ltd. and the one and only Xbox 360 maker and breaker Microsoft Corp. have signed an IPTV-related deal. Worth $500 million, the papers will see Microsoft provide its Mediaroom IPTV software platform to Reliance who will use it for its IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service in India.

"Reliance is about to change the way consumers experience television," said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. "TV is the only major digital device that has been left out of the networking revolution, and Microsoft and Reliance are now making the TV a first-class citizen in the connected entertainment landscape. By connecting the TV to an intelligent two-way network and adding powerful software, new connected and personalized experiences will become possible here in India."

The new MS-powered service will provide Indian consumers with advanced features like video on demand (VOD), digital video recording (DVR), instant channel changing, and personal media sharing. The programs offered by Reliance will be available in both SD (standard definition) and HD but all this will arrive in March 2008 when the service will be launched.

Reliance Communications signs $500 million IPTV deal with Microsoft
 
i dont believe this will be HD at all, the infrastructure isn't there and how many ppl have HD tvs to watch this on anyway.

More like approximating DVD like the other DTH providers.

Still one more vendor in the mix to get rid of that often cursed cabel wallah is a good thing :)
 
They can easily add HD if they want to - the cost to them using MS's technology is minimal. Of course, the source will need to be HD to enable that, so if they can tie up with the channels...
 
I go with eagle. I will see it when i believe it. Reliance promised "true broadband" a couple of years back. I'm still waiting. My friend gets 300kbps for 1.3k a month. Dont tell me that is broadband!

The plan is good. Lets hope they go about the execution in better way
 
They don't need broadband for IPTV. You have to realize that the problems that Reliance has with broadband are not last mile. It is the lack of bandwidth overall. While last mile bandwidth is an issue in traditional DSL, in IPTV there is a somewhat different setup (they use fibre and then copper for last mile...). Read up on AT&T's U-verse service if you want to see what is likely to be done by Reliance. The thing to note here is that it will not cost Reliance anything extra to deliver the HDTV channels. Not much anyway, just some equipment which is one time and not expensive for them. Which means they might just do it. As I said, the source is what is likely to be a problem.
 
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