Microsoft TV Boots Up New Interoperability and Qualification Lab

Microsoft has a new Mediaroom interoperability and qualification (IQ) lab, designed to foster the interoperability and compliance of digital video encoders deploying Microsoft’s Mediaroom multimedia and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) software platform.

IQ Lab-compliant encoding vendors will become recommended Microsoft Mediaroom ecosystem partners, the company said at IBC2007.

Envivio, Harmonic, Motorola, Tandberg Television, and Thomson have already signed up for the IQ Lab. Commercial deployments are under way with 11 providers.

Based in Microsoft’s Silicon Valley campus in Mountain View, Calif., the IQ Lab gives encoding vendors the opportunity to test their products in a controlled IPTV production environment with set-top boxes from several vendors. The program provides access to Microsoft IPTV training sessions, a dedicated team of Microsoft engineers and program managers to evaluate encoding specifications, testing, access to the qualification lab, test tools and consulting services. Participants have access to test kits, Mediaroom software and AV consulting expertise to support future versions of the software platform.