Microsoft's IPTV software platform...ready for primetime?

Television Weekly started the week out with a column stating that Microsoft's clients and competitors are having second thoughts about whether Microsoft's IPTV system will be up to par for their upcoming rollouts. "Everyone who said they were going with Microsoft [for IPTV] is either hedging when they are going to deliver the service or saying they are going to wait," said Brahm Eiley, president of Convergence Consulting Group in Toronto.

The next day Informitv informed us that, "Microsoft is ready to launch this," according to a representative of AT&T quoted by the publication. "We aren't talking to other vendors about backup plans." Based on what we gathered from Microsoft at the PVR conference in Munich, this appears to be the case.

Both articles are referenced below and be sure to check them out.

As some know, this is nothing new for Microsoft. The discussion around whether they are really ready or not goes back to the Swisscom delay.

Will the skepticism continue?

In other news:

• A la carte TV Programming continues to be discussed
• BT signed their first content deals for their future IPTV service
• And Verizon rolled out FiOS TV to a third city

Here are some interesting reads...

Amsterdam Gets Active With FTTH
Light Reading - December 9, 2005
"Active Ethernet has won out over passive optical network (PON) technology in Amsterdam's fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) CityNet municipal network."

Pushy service on cable TV
The Boston Globe - December 9, 2005
"As a reporter who covered the cable industry from its beginning, I have railed against the fascistic business plan whereby subscribers must support channels they don't want or need. Allowing TV customers to make a la carte program choices -- as they might select a salad and appetizer for dinner from a restaurant menu -- seemed so much more consumer-civilized. Alas, the cable cabal has acted as the pushy waiter forcing us to order entrees when we're not hungry enough to eat. The industry has resisted letting customers make choices because the marketing strategy of channel bundling brings in more advertising. Programming buys are also more cost-effective."

SlingMedia's SlingRemote and SlingPlayer are coming to Windows Mobile
the::unwired - December 8, 2005
"SlingMedia is currently working on Windows Mobile clients for your Pocket PC and Smartphone and Jeremy Toeman gave us at Möbius a live demonstration of the service in general as well as using an HTC Apache to stream the live TV over EVDO to his Pocket PC Phone Edition."

Bill Gates meets Anil Ambani, discusses IPTV
HindustanTimes.com - December 7, 2005
"Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates on Wednesday met Reliance Infocomm chief Anil Ambani and discussed cooperation between the two companies on next-generation Internet Protocol (IP)-based television services in India."

TV a la Carte
Washington Post - December 7, 2005
"The FCC wants pay-TV operators to let you choose your own channels instead of offering packages. Would that raise your bills?"

BellSouth Expects 12-24 Mbps for 50% of Households by 2007
Converge! Network Digest - December 6, 2005
"BellSouth expects to be able to offer 12 to 24 Mbps residential service in 50% of households it covers by year-end 2007. In its top 30 markets, BellSouth expects to offer this level of service in 70% of homes. The company estimates the cost for the upgrade at roughly $150 per household at current levels."

Cisco Everywhere: Meet SONA
Light Reading - December 6, 2005
"Cisco Systems Inc. is diving deeper into applications territory, as the company today announced its latest "convergence" plan -- this time, moving more enterprise applications onto the network. To do this, though, Cisco may have to come dangerously close to tangling with its applications partners."

Microsoft IPTV delivery delays denied
Informitv - December 6, 2005
"Both Microsoft and AT&T are denying any problems. "Microsoft is ready to launch this," according to a representative of AT&T quoted by the publication. "We aren't talking to other vendors about backup plans." However, AT&T is looking at vendors who could provide additional services, such as gaming and interactive features."

Delays In Microsoft IPTV Debut Alarming
TVWeek - December 5, 2005
"Fueled by two delays in deployment by two European telephone companies, speculation is swirling that Microsoft's software to manage telco entry into widely offered video services may be in trouble."

"At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, Microsoft's demonstration of TV services its software could deliver was seen by many observers to be cool, sexy and cutting-edge. But as the year draws to a close, Microsoft's clients and competitors are having second thoughts as to whether the technology powerhouse can pull off the magic for real in a relatively short time frame."