Microsoft unveiled a service-oriented architecture designed for broadcasters and film studios, with its server software as the center.

The Microsoft Connected Services Framework is an integrated, server-based software system for building and managing services using a service-oriented architecture, an application architecture in which all functions, or services, are defined using a description language and have invokable interfaces that are called to perform business processes. It can help media and entertainment companies manage disparate applications and streamline workflow, Microsoft said.

"Our customers are facing technology disruptions right now, with new distribution models like IPTV or video and music to a portable device," said David Alstadter, senior director of the group. They face the pressure of industry consolidation while scrambling to meet FCC mandates and follow the rules for public broadcasting.