Microsoft to enable more battles, more choices!

Before it’s a battle between cable and satellite for video content transport, and a battle between cable and telco for voice/data content transport.

Well, as of today, Microsoft has just made the battles more interesting - now telco can battle cable and satellite for video content transport.

SBC tapped Microsoft with a $400 million contract to provide the software that will enable the telco to transmit video from their head end, to your set top box. Basically, TV over DSL. So someday in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be able to pick from SBC, Comcast, or DirecTV (or plain ol’ over the air) as your television provider. More choices for the consumer! More competition for the vendors! More choice and more competition is always a good thing.

What amuses me is that Microsoft also recently struck a deal with Comcast to provide software for Comcast’s set top HDTV PVR box.

Microsoft is on both sides - telco and cable. All MSFT needs is to get into the satellite industry, and that would be a hat trick.

This is excellent news and it is an example of the directions that some of the big (coughcough20billioncoughcough) bets that pay off.

Come on, stock price, rise! rise!