Microsoft’s Mediaroom application may be coming to its Windows Phone 7 handsets, according to a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) that appeared on Microsoft’s accessibility website. The document reveals the existence of the aptly named “Microsoft Mediaroom Client for Windows Phone 7 v1.0”. Though the application is not detailed within the document, we need only look at the Windows Mobile version and Microsoft’s website to get a sneak peek at the core features of this upcoming Mediaroom client .
With its emphasis on media, Windows Phone 7 is a perfect fit for Mediaroom, an IPTV platform introduced by Microsoft in 2007. Mediaroom integrates into set-top boxes to deliver live and on-demand media content over a Microsoft IPTV network. This platform has been adopted by 26 providers worldwide as their primary Internet TV solution and includes DVR features like video recording and scheduling, time shifting, and a program guide. A prime example of Mediaroom in action is AT&T’s U-Verse service in the US, which ironically just launched an iPhone version on Monday.
It only makes sense that Microsoft is planning to launch Mediaroom on its make-or-break Windows Phone 7 mobile OS. The first Mediaroom application was rolled out for Windows Mobile and was unveiled during Ballmer’sCES 2010 keynote. This Windows Mobile version of Mediaroom allows users to watch video-on-demand and stream recorded content to their handsets. The Mediaroom website expands on these early features and suggests that future versions will allow users to browse an on-phone program guide as well as schedule and manage recordings.
With AT&T as a launch partner for Windows Phone 7 and the Mediaroom-powered U-Verse as a service offered by the broadband division of this telecommunications giant, we would expect to see this mobile debut alongside these hot, new handsets. Anyone excited by the prospect of streaming mobile TV on your Windows Phone 7 handset?
[Via Istartedsomething]