MICROSOFT HELPS IPTV OPERATORS TO MIGRATE TO MEDIAROOM.

Microsoft Corp. has launched a new program to ease the transition for Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service providers using other platforms to migrate to its solution. Called Microsoft Mediaroom Migration Program and unveiled at the IBC2008 conference, the program provides guidelines and solutions for service providers considering upgrading their IPTV platform. The Microsoft Mediaroom Migration Program delivers a structured assessment process and analytical tools for migration, including business and technical workshops to review set-top-box portability, network compatibility and audio-visual head-end interoperability. The program also includes risk-benefit tools to compare lifetime customer value and build the business case for executive management.

Ben Huang, director of product management for Microsoft Mediaroom, said, "As the IPTV market matures, we're seeing interest from operators on first-generation platforms and homegrown solutions to migrate to Microsoft Mediaroom. These service providers need to add high-definition and advanced digital video recording (DVR) and video-on-demand features that are now fundamental to any competitive TV offering, and they want to remain competitive by being able to easily deploy advanced interactive applications. We are currently engaged in assessing migration opportunities with a number of customers and have been approached by many more. Platform migrations are complex, so this program has been developed to assist with business and technical planning, and reduce the cost and pain of migration."

Ben Keen, chief analyst at Screen Digest, said, "There are now over 250 IPTV operators worldwide, and we expect global IPTV subscriber growth to be nearly 70 percent this year; by comparison, cable and satellite pay-TV subscriber growth will be single-digit. To maintain this growth, operators must retain a competitive edge by utilizing a technology platform that allows them to continue offering innovative new services. Screen Digest estimates that one in seven active IPTV set-top boxes worldwide will be running Microsoft Mediaroom by the end of 2008."

The three key phases of the Microsoft Mediaroom Migration Program aim to take a service provider from initial consideration to full migration of the platform, as follows:

-- Phase 1 -- Planning scenarios around engineering and business metrics, assessment of lifetime value of the customer, marketing research kit, usability testing.

-- Phase 2 -- Trial program creation, including infrastructure and set-top box migration and migration communications planning.

-- Phase 3 -- Delivery of training and workshops, operational readiness planning for commercial deployment, platform migration and eventual legacy decommissioning. This involves review of the architecture including servers, set-top boxes, encoder feeds and video-on-demand assets.

Microsoft Mediaroom has a global customer base of leading telecommunications services providers, including AT&T Inc., BT, Deutsche Telekom, Swisscom and Reliance Communications Ltd. in India, with more than 1.5 million subscribers connected.

About Microsoft Mediaroom

The award-winning Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and multimedia software platform is driving the future of television by enabling broadband service providers to deliver new connected TV and entertainment experiences to consumers worldwide. Microsoft Mediaroom provides new ways for consumers to experience TV as part of their connected, digital lifestyle, while also creating new business opportunities for broadband service providers, hardware manufacturers, content creators, advertisers and application developers. Over 20 of the world's leading service providers across four continents have selected the Microsoft Mediaroom platform to drive their digital TV services. More information on Microsoft Mediaroom and the opportunity to deliver the best in TV plus all your media in one place is available at http://www.microsoft.com/tv and http://www.microsoftmediaroom.com/.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT ) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. >TI AGING SERVICES OF CALIFORNIA SELECTS DAKIM'S [m]POWER >TX Dakim Inc., Santa Monica, Calif., has announced that it has earned exclusive 'Approved Vendor'status in the brain fitness category from Aging Services of California for its dementia-fighting [m]Power(R) Cognitive Fitness System. Aging Services of California represents more than 400 California-based nonprofit senior living and care providers who serve the needs of over 100,000 of the state's seniors.

The selection of Dakim's [m]Power by the organization's Group Services Board reflects the system's senior-friendly design, cost-effectiveness, minimal need for caregiver assistance, and -- critically -- its status as the only solution built for long-term use found to be essential in combating dementia. These factors have led to [m]Power's adoption by over 170 senior living communities around the country -- more than any other cognitive fitness system.

"The subject of dedicated cognitive stimulation has been discussed by our membership for some time, so we were committed to researching the offerings on the market for our members," said Anne Burns Johnson, president and CEO of Aging Services of California. "The [m]Power emerged as the winner in the category because it has features and capabilities that no other system has, including a touch screen that requires no computer skills, enjoyable exercises that promote continued use, and a self-service design that adds virtually no burden to the staff in senior communities. All this contributes to its affordability and effectiveness."

"Aging Services of California is a very prominent AAHSA affiliate, so having their stamp of approval on the [m]Power speaks volumes about the value of the system for senior living and senior care environments," said Dan Michel, Dakim founder and CEO. "This is not only a strong endorsement of our product but an important step for raising awareness of the need for brain wellness programming in senior communities."

The Dakim [m]Power is the result of eight years of development in consultation with top senior care providers and brain health researchers, inspired by studies indicating that regular cognitive stimulation can help fight memory loss and related ailments. One 21-year study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, for example, linked a 63% decreased risk of dementia to frequent participation in stimulating mental activities.

To encourage that sustained use, the [m]Power transforms standardized neurological tests and exercises into proprietary multimedia brain games that are presented in a game show-like format complete with colorful screen images, stories, voiceovers, and pre-1950s film and music clips that evoke seniors' youth. Activities are updated every few days to avoid boredom and played on a touch screen computer appliance that requires no mouse, keyboard, computer knowledge or software loading by care providers.

The system self-adjusts the level of challenge for ability levels ranging from active seniors to early-stage Alzheimer's patients, enabling most seniors to use it without help from caregivers. Users are given positive verbal feedback even when they give the wrong answers to prevent discouragement and build self-esteem.

Each 20- to 30-minute session exercises short- as well as long-term memory, critical thinking, visuospatial ability, calculation and language for a thorough brain workout. Activities range from anagrams and name-that-tune challenges to interactive puzzles and narrated literary passages with follow-up questions requiring use of short-term memory and deductive reasoning.

Online demos of assorted [m]Power exercises are available at http://www.dakim.com/. A free 30-day trial is available to qualified senior living communities by calling Dakim Inc. at [phone].

About Dakim, Inc.

Dakim, Inc., is the leading provider of brain fitness programs amongst senior living providers designed to help seniors reduce their risk of memory loss and dementia. The company's [m]Power Cognitive Fitness System is a touch screen-based mental stimulation system that offers a constantly changing series of rigorous but entertaining multimedia activities to help seniors preserve brain function. Home users can use it to combat a decline in brain function; institutions and home caregivers can use it to provide effective mental stimulation while reducing the cost of resident care. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.

For more information, visit http://www.dakim.com or call 847/415-9311.