Microsoft Starts Hiring for a "Cloud TV" Project

push going forward. With that in mind, it seems Microsoft is working on yet another new service, this time some kind of cloud-based TV platform. While we don’t know tons of details yet, Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business is hiring for what they are calling “Cloud TV”. The job listing call for skilled engineers with experience in web technologies such as Java and HTML5. Here is an example of one of the Cloud TV-related job listings for a software engineer:

Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business is revolutionizing entertainment. IEB has a rich set of entertainment offerings from Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE to Zune Marketplace and Mediaroom. Our customer base is growing fast and our pace of innovation has been incredible with our latest product Kinect selling over 10 million units since its launch in November of 2010. We’re looking for a Software Engineer who is passionate about building awesome client applications for a new Cloud-based TV platform. Why work for the Cloud TV team? -Get in on the ground floor of an ambitious new project – Work on a small tightly-knit team -Follow Agile methodology to deliver results at web-speed -Use cutting edge technologies Minimum Qualifications: • Passionate about building applications that consumers love to use • Hold yourself and coworkers to high standards of excellence • Strong verbal and written communications skills • Fast learner, able to pick up new technologies rapidly Preferred Qualifications: • BS in Computer Science or equivalent • Experience with web application technologies (HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript) and common frameworks (jQuery/knockout.js/sammy.js/less) • Experience with mobile and browser application development (iOS/Android/Windows 8/RT or IE/Webkit based browsers) • Agile development experience

So what is this “Cloud TV” project all about? As you can tell from the listing– we know next to nothing. Microsoft already has a wide range of movie and television rentals and other multimedia through its PC, tablet and Xbox devices so it is hard to say what this initiative represents. Personally I’d like to see a real network provider that offers true channels and content in a manner similar to a “cable and satellite provider” but completely through the cloud. What we do know is that the name “Cloud TV” is already trademarked elsewhere so we can pretty much bet this just a placeholder name for the project that is in works. Considering the advent of Xbox Music and Video, odds are that this project is the beginning of Xbox TV. What do you think? Source – Microsoft via Liveslide]]>