Comcast will start deploying Microsoft TV Foundation Edition to about one million customers in Washington state later this month, the companies said.
Foundation Edition comprises mainly an interactive program guide that builds on the latest digital video recorder devices by adding customized usage lists and access to additional content channels.
It’s a significant development for Microsoft, which has been hammering mostly fruitlessly at the iTV market for many years. The Foundation name reflects the fact that it has a scaled-back feature list compared to Microsoft’s original plans for the medium.
Comcast and Time Warner both said they would pilot Foundation Edition last June. Earlier this year, Comcast took out a five million box license on the software.
