Microsoft's New TV Photo Viewer

Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash., USA, unveiled its TV Photo Viewer, a device designed to extend the viewing and sharing of digital photos from the home office to the living room. Microsoft said TV Photo Viewer offers sharp image technology, a software application and simple setup, making it possible for anyone in the family to transform digital images into photo albums for TV viewing. The company said the user can organize, view and share digital photos in three steps.

The products work with the JPEG format, and images can be uploaded from a digital camera, e-mail, a scanner or developed pictures. Using a PC, consumers can select up to 40 photos and save them to a standard floppy disk. Photos can then be sorted, cropped or rotated; captions or numbers can be added; and a title page inserted. Finally, users insert the floppy disk into the TV Photo Viewer to see their digital album on the television.

Consumers place a high value on the ability to share digital photos in a social setting, according to Darrell West, director of marketing for Hardware at Microsoft. "Based on extensive user research, we discovered that digital camera owners are satisfied with their digital cameras and are looking for new ways to view and share digital photos in the home," West said.

Microsoft TV Photo Viewer is available now for US.