Today at IBC2004, Microsoft Corp. announced leading product vendors would be demonstrating end-to-end high-definition broadcast and encoding and playback solutions using Microsoft� Windows Media� 9 Series. Real-time software- and hardware-based high-definition (HD) encoding solutions were demonstrated by companies including Inlet Technologies Inc., TANDBERG Television, Tarari Inc. and Telestream Inc. Real-time Windows Media Video 9 (WMV 9) hardware-based HD encoding and decoding chipsets and reference designs were announced and will be demonstrated by Equator Technologies Inc., Sigma Designs Inc., STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments Inc. for set-top boxes and next-generation DVD players, further extending the reach of high-definition content beyond the Windows�-based PC.

"Today at IBC2004, with a host of leading broadcast industry partners, we will be demonstrating how Windows Media 9 Series is enabling Windows-based PC, consumer electronics and television experiences in HD," said Amir Majidimehr, corporate vice president of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft. "The quality and compression efficiency of Windows Media 9 Series, combined with its momentum with industry standards organizations, have fueled a wealth of adoption, making a broad range of leading-edge high-definition scenarios available today."