MUMBAI: Comcast Cable and Microsoft Corp. today announced an agreement that extends their existing relationship and gives Comcast the ability to make Microsoft TV Foundation Edition 1.7 software available to up to five million customers, with the option to expand the rollout at a later date.

Taking Microsoft TV Foundation to the next level reinforces Comcast and Microsoft's commitment to driving industry innovation and working together to bring advanced digital television services to consumers.

"We're very impressed with the Microsoft software platform and its ability to enhance and promote video on demand, as well as its capability to launch other interactive services," Comcast Cable president Steve Burke was quoted in an official release. "We're excited about working closely with Microsoft to jointly define the digital TV experiences of the future and to continue bringing innovative services to our cable customers."

As consumers demand more-advanced digital TV services, including digital video recorders (DVRs), video on demand (VOD) and high-definition television (HDTV), cable companies are looking for software platforms such as Microsoft TV Foundation Edition that continue to provide significant competitive advantages in the marketplace.

Foundation Edition is designed to work across a range of set-top boxes, from the tens of millions of set-tops that multiple service operators (MSOs) have in place today to the ongoing deployment of advanced set-tops that enable new services, including dual-tuner DVR, VOD, HDTV, games and more. The software, among the first to support the dual-tuner DVR and HDTV capabilities in Motorola's new DCT 6412 set-top, also helps viewers more easily use these services with an innovative, built-in interactive programming guide (IPG).

"Comcast continues to lead the industry in innovation and in the delivery of exciting services that bring new value to its subscribers," said Microsoft TV Division corporate vice president Moshe Lichtman.

"Comcast's significant commitment to Microsoft TV Foundation is a very powerful stamp of approval. It is another sign that the industry wants cost-effective, scalable software platforms like Microsoft TV to deliver the services consumers want today as well as the future services that have yet to be invented," Lichtman added.