14 DAY TRIAL // Unveiled at the IBC2008 conference, the Microsoft Mediaroom Migration Program is a solution designed to streamline the transition process from non-Microsoft IPTV platforms to Mediaroom. The Redmond company offers an interesting perspective over migrations from alternative IPTV solutions to its platform, considering them nothing short of upgrades. Mediaroom currently accounts for over 1.5 million subscribers worldwide, and estimates indicate that no less than one out of every seven IPTV set-top boxes in the world will be powered by Microsoft’s IPTV and multimedia platform by the end of 2008.
"As the IPTV market matures, we’re seeing interest from operators on first-generation platforms and homegrown solutions to migrate to Microsoft Mediaroom. These service providers need to add high-definition and advanced digital video recording (DVR) and video-on-demand features that are now fundamental to any competitive TV offering, and they want to remain competitive by being able to easily deploy advanced interactive applications," explained Ben Huang, director of product management for Microsoft Mediaroom.
According to the Redmond company there are a total of three critical steps associated with the Microsoft Mediaroom Migration Program. The first step is related to planning the actual migration, and in this context, the program offers a wide range of resources from a marketing research kit to tools designed to test usability. The second phase is essentially the creation of a trial program including all the aspects of the IPTV infrastructure. The last phase involves the actual migration with all the associated aspects.
"We are currently engaged in assessing migration opportunities with a number of customers and have been approached by many more. Platform migrations are complex, so this program has been developed to assist with business and technical planning, and reduce the cost and pain of migration," Huang added.