Microsoft Mediaroom Adds Virtualization Support for IPTV

Microsoft announced virtualization support for tis Mediaroom IPTV platform, enabling up to a sixfold reduction in the number of physical servers required to support a full-featured IPTV service, according to the company's calculation. With virtualization support, Microsoft said it is possible to deploy and operate a full Mediaroom-powered TV service for up to 30,000 subscriber homes per market using fewer than 10 physical servers.


Mediaroom with virtualization offers the full functionality of Microsoft's IPTV platform, including video on demand, DVR Anywhere for viewing and managing recorded shows in any room, and Mediaroom Anytime for viewing of previously aired programs or restarting currently airing shows without any preplanning or prior digital video recording. Other capabilities include high-definition video for live and on-demand content, multiview, instant channel zapping, and TV applications that support rich interactivity and seamless blending of Web content and services with broadcast TV.


"Mediaroom with virtualization provides the industry's lowest platform footprint for deploying a full IPTV service," said Andreas Mueller-Schubert, general manager for the TV, Video and Music Business at Microsoft. "Given the pressures of today's economic environment, the reduction in capital expenditure and ongoing efficiencies make Mediaroom with virtualization an attractive proposition for operators of all sizes as they launch and grow their IPTV businesses."


To power virtualization in Mediaroom, Microsoft is using Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, Microsoft's hypervisor-based server virtualization technology. Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V enables multiple virtual servers to be hosted on the same physical server. Virtual servers share the physical server's resources, such as memory, disk access and CPU cycles. Sharing these resources efficiently can result in a dramatic reduction in the number of physical servers that are needed to deliver services.
http://www.microsoft.com/Mediaroom