Microsoft Announces Extenders And Internet TV Service Coming Very Soon

Today, Microsoft announced the upcoming release of Internet TV, stating that “on the morning of Sept. 28, 2007, U.S. users of Windows Vista Home Premium edition and Windows Vista Ultimate edition will find a new feature inside Media Center: the beta release of Internet TV. This new feature will allow people to enjoy a range of television and video content on their PCs and TV sets without a TV tuner in their PC.”

The free service will be supported by advertising from YuMe Networks, which, interestingly enough, is a competitor of Podaddies which has recently been working with Apple.

At launch, expect over 100 hours of streaming content including full episodes of various television shows, full-length music concerts by popular artists, movie trailers, MSNBC news segments and sports clips from FOX Sports.

In its press release, Microsoft also mentioned the release of hardware devices, known as Extenders, which will allow “easy access to premium cable, high-definition TV, popular video formats including DivX, music, paid movies, photos and more from any TV in the house, with a wired or wireless network connection. People can even pause a recorded show in one room, and then resume it from the same moment in another room.”

Linksys and D-Link are among the first vendor to create Extenders products, which should begin appearing in stores in time for this holiday season.

“We are excited to reveal the first series of totally quiet, cool, and sleek-looking Media Center Extender devices, designed to deliver the ultimate entertainment experience to every TV set in your home,” said Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president, Entertainment and Devices eHome Division, Microsoft. “These products are the initial third-party devices that can wirelessly connect a TV with a PC, with features including live high-definition TV, PVR, movies, pictures, music and online services. In addition, the Internet TV beta allows Windows Media Center as well as Extender users to enjoy free high-quality television from some of their favorite studios and networks in Media Center, directly over the Internet.”

Microsoft has entered slightly late into the field of IPTV, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. As far as the Extenders, the ideas and intentions sound very promising, but ultimately I believe it will come down to cost and ease-of-use. The devices from Linksys and D-Link are expected to run between $299.99 and $349.99 which is comparable to the AppleTV device that also has a head start on Microsoft Extenders.