Nagravision, the world’s leading independent provider of value-added content protection solutions, and Microsoft Corp., the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions, today announced a joint commitment to enable technology solutions that help provide the secure reception of digital pay-TV programs on personal computers and devices running Microsoft® Windows® operating systems.

Nagravision and Microsoft will work together to enable the development of cost-effective products and services that use both parties’ technologies for the delivery of premium television content to personal computers running the Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system and its ecosystem of connected devices, including Xbox 360™ and Portable Media Centers. The agreement includes a plan for joint marketing and business development activities.

Today at IBC2005, Microsoft and Nagravision are demonstrating the first results of their collaboration: a proof-of-concept device, implemented on Microsoft’s reference design by Digital Keystone Inc. This demo shows CANAL+ Group’s TV programs being securely broadcasted through Nagravision’s conditional access system before being securely “bridged” into Microsoft’s digital rights management (DRM) content protection technology to enable authorized access on Windows Media Center PCs and their ecosystem of connected devices. This Nagravision CA-to-DRM bridge, shown on Nagravision’s booth #1.420, supports current business models and enables quality-perfect, authorized access of premium TV content. It allows network operators to take advantage of the innovation around media consumption on Media Center PCs and their entire ecosystem of connected devices.