In a significant agreement that will improve flexibility for consumers looking to transfer and enjoy digital content on a range of devices, Samsung today announced plans to include Microsoft PlayReady technology in a broad range of its consumer products.

By including support for PlayReady technology in devices spanning mobile phones, digital video players, televisions and other device offerings, Samsung will make it easier for consumers to have flexible access and to experience and move protected digital content throughout the home and on the go.

The first Samsung communications and entertainment devices to support PlayReady are expected to be available for consumers this year, and Samsung expects to migrate from Windows Media Digital Rights Management to PlayReady across its communications and entertainment products worldwide by 2012.

Microsoft PlayReady is content access and protection technology that is designed to enable digital entertainment services across devices and software applications, with a specific focus on meeting the needs of mobile and network operators, service providers, and device manufacturers. PlayReady supports a broad range of different business models that can be applied to almost any type of digital content, including video, games, images and more, and a wide range of audio and video formats, including MPEG Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), AAC+, Enhanced AAC+, H.264, Windows Media Audio and Windows Media Video. PlayReady also provides features such as service domains and embedded licenses that are specifically designed to make it easy for consumers to enjoy content on all their registered devices without the need for an active connection.