Rainbow DBS's Satellite Service VOOM, U.S. Digital Television and Akimbo to Support Windows Media 9 Series; Submission of VC-9 to SMPTE Reaches Committee Draft Status

Today at NAB2004, Microsoft Corp. announced that leading broadcast companies are developing or deploying tools and services that support Microsoft� Windows Media� 9 Series. Among the companies adopting Windows Media 9 Series for its high quality and compression efficiency are Rainbow DBS, the satellite services division of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Akimbo Systems; Shanghai Broadcasting Lab; and U.S. Digital Television Inc. (USDTV).

Rainbow DBS's satellite service, VOOM, is the first television service to offer a comprehensive array of high-definition (HD) programming to customers throughout the continental United States. VOOM will use Windows Media 9 Series as one of the compression technologies to expand its available satellite capacity for HD offerings from more than 30 to more than 60 channels. VOOM plans to roll out advanced codecs beginning with standard definition (SD) later this year and HD next year.