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24 May 2000
In the wake of several recent announcements by Microsoft Corp.
demonstrating global support for Windows Media Technologies, Microsoft
Australia today announced the availability of the beta version of
the Australian Windows Player 7 Media Guide.
The Australian Media Guide is one of 13 international versions
of the Media Guide being released throughout the world by the end
of this month. Microsoft Australia also announced it currently has
strategic alliances with 20 Australian digital media industry leaders
to develop the Australian Media Guide.
The Australian Media Guide, a feature of Windows Media Player 7,
will offer direct access from the player to featured local Australian
audio and video content.
“In order to ensure that the Australian Media Guide offers
the most compelling localized content available in a player, Microsoft
Australia has partnered with Australia’s leading digital media
content and infrastructure providers,” said Frank Arrigo, Microsoft
Asia/Pacific Windows Media Technologies Business Development Manager.
Currently Microsoft Australia has strategic alliances with 20 entertainment
and Internet media companies, including: ninemsn, Take40 Australia,
Telstra.com, Whoopi, i7, Chaos Music, Noizenet, Sanity, MP3.com.au,
BMG's Click2Music, Ozworld, Digital One, Radio Undercover, NetFM,
MyMovies, Kgrind TV, ITVWorld, Radiocity, and IDmedia.
Digital One, Australia’s leading Internet audio entertainment
network, will be a key partner for Microsoft Australia, enabling
the delivery of high quality, local radio content for the Australian
Media Guide.
“Windows Media offers not only the highest quality audio and
video, but also the international scope we need to reach music fans
around the world,” said Digital One Founder and Executive Chairman,
CM Murphy.
“The Windows Media Player 7 Media Guide is an ideal showcase
for our radio programming. It just sounds better. We are consistently
receiving compliments on the high quality sound of our music and
entertainment.”
Microsoft Australia has chosen ITVWorld.com, Australia’s leading
broadband news and content creation company to be the Australian
Media Guide official vendor.
“We are very excited to be working with Microsoft as the official
Vendor and also as a content provider for the new Australian Media
Guide,” said Mr. John Byrne, Business Development Manager of
ITVWORLD.com.
“ITVWORLD.com’s TV-style technology and business news
products are already a leading showcase for the high quality audio
and video technology of Windows Media in Australia,” he said.
“This agreement demonstrates our continuing commitment to playing
a major role in the convergence of traditional media and the Internet.”
The Australian Media Guide is now available for download as a beta
at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/.
Summary of other Windows Media Technologies Announcements
Third-Party Verification of Scalability and
Reliability
Results from a new report by ZD Labs have verified the streaming
scalability and reliability of Microsoft Windows Media Services,
reporting a 99.9999999 percent accuracy rate in delivering over
26 billion packets of data on the Windows 2000 Advanced Server platform.
The report also confirmed that Microsoft’s digital media technology
is able to distribute more than 9,000 concurrent narrowband and
more than 2,400 broadband video streams on a single physical server.
Microsoft is challenging the digital media industry to publicly
disclose the scalability and reliability of streaming server technology
to allow customers to evaluate solutions for themselves.
Top network operators, content providers and enterprise customers
depend on the Windows Media Services in Windows 2000 Server and
Advanced Server to offer the highest possible streaming scalability
while minimising server costs.
For more information, please see the press release: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2000/05-22wmt.asp
Streaming Media Leader Among Enterprise Customers
Enterprise customers are choosing Windows Media over competing
technologies as their digital media solution because it is more
cost-effective, provides better integration with existing network
and software environments, and has proven reliability and superior
scalability.
Market Decisions Corp. (MDC), another independent research firm,
found in its April 2000 study of 1,200 large organisations that
46 percent of those using streaming media choose Windows Media,
compared to 43 percent for RealNetworks. The study also found that
the use of streaming media in large organisations has doubled from
10 percent to 20 percent since October 1999, indicating that the
use of streaming media among enterprise organisations is growing
dramatically.
For more information, please see the press release: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2000/May00/LeaderPR.asp
Thirteen Localised Windows Media Player 7 Media
Guides
Microsoft has expanded its efforts to make audio and video content
in Windows Media format accessible to global audiences through localised
Media Guides, found in Windows Media Player 7, which offer direct
access from the player to featured audio and video content. More
than 260 top content providers worldwide will supply international
content for the 13 planned international versions of the Media Guide.
To provide even more international content for Windows Media users,
edel music, Europe's largest independent record label, has chosen
Windows Media as its preferred format and will begin digital downloads
from its catalogue this summer.
For more information, please see the press release: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2000/May00/GlobalPR.asp
Industry's First Streaming Screen-Capture Technology
Windows Media screen-capture technology has experienced widespread
support since it was unveiled last month. Leading independent software
vendors and digital media service providers have praised the new
technology, which is designed for real-time streaming of computer-generated
content.
A combination of customer input and intensive work by developers
in Microsoft's Digital Media Division has led to Windows Media screen-capture
technology being able to capture and stream computer motion without
any loss in image quality or screen content.
The growing momentum behind Windows Media Technologies demonstrates
strong industry-wide support for Microsoft’s continued delivery
of innovative technologies and services. The Windows Media player,
available in 24 languages, is the fastest-growing digital media
player - to date, there are over 100 million licensed copies of
the player, and that number is growing by one every second.
For more information, please see the press release: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2000/May00/ScreenCapturePR.asp
About WindowsMedia.com
WindowsMedia.com (http://windowsmedia.com/),
part of the MSN™ network of Internet services, is among the
leading audio and video guides on the Internet. WindowsMedia.com
provides access to localized audio and video content worldwide,
including major music and video events and entertainment from more
than 1,000 content providers.
About Windows Media
Windows Media, the leading digital media platform, provides consumers,
content providers, solution providers, software developers and corporations
with unmatched audio and video quality. Windows Media Technologies,
which include Windows Media Player, Windows Media Services, Windows
Media Tools and the Windows Media Software Development Kit (SDK),
are available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/.
The Windows Media Player is the fastest-growing digital media player
and is available in 24 languages. To date, there are over 100 million
licensed copies of the Windows Media Player, growing by more than
one every second.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide
leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal
and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products
and services designed to empower people through great software -
any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft, Windows Media
and MSN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
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