Silverlight? Save Flash!
I was planning on just writing about my filming, but this came in the mail and I felt that it warranted a post, so I'll just break the update into two posts. Haha.
In a nutshell, Micro$oft is hungry again. Like a Hungry Hungry Hippo™, it eats up anything and everything it considers competition.
The hapless victim this time is the much beloved Flash format. Yes, it's the format behind everyone's much loved YouTube videos.
Which is all fine and dandy, really. Until I came across this...
Based on Windows Media format? Hmmm...
The following set off my alarm systems:
I felt an uneasy sense of deja vu. It was reminiscent of the Windows Media Format wars, which promised cross-platform compatibility with Macs. And it did, and everyone was happy. Once everyone was using the WMV format, Micro$oft pulled out support for the player (albeit crappy) from under the Mac fanboys' rugs. Of course, that didn't mean that we could not watch WMV files on Macs. We could (and still can). But WMV files with DRM protection is completely unsupported on the Mac, because it uses proprietary Windows Media Player code to liase with its servers.
Dang. That means no more Mobtv for me. (Well, not unless they change their delivery format anyway...)
That whole episode left a bad taste in the mouth. It's like promising someone candy bar, and then giving him a stone. Or giving someone a parachute, only to find out that it's an umbrella - with a hole. Graaah!
And now Silverlight. Will this new technology deliver - and keep - its promise? Or will the Monopolistic Menace rear its ugly head again? Only time will tell.
Till then, I'm sticking with Flash. And I hope content providers do too. After all, Mr Gates does not need any more money.
In a nutshell, Micro$oft is hungry again. Like a Hungry Hungry Hippo™, it eats up anything and everything it considers competition.
The hapless victim this time is the much beloved Flash format. Yes, it's the format behind everyone's much loved YouTube videos.
Forest Key, a director of product management in the Microsoft Server and Tools Division, said Silverlight integrates with existing Web technologies and assets to provide higher quality experiences with lower costs for media delivery. In a briefing with eWEEK, Key demonstrated how Silverlight offers consistent experiences to both Mac and Windows users on a variety of browsers, including Internet Explorer, FireFox and Safari.
As for which platform Silverlight will support next, Key said, "Linux is an open question. We're looking at the desktops and browsers by volume. We want to put muscle behind supporting the bulk of the market." And Linux support is still under discussion, he said.
Which is all fine and dandy, really. Until I came across this...
Silverlight uses WMV (Windows Media Video), Microsoft's implementation of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers VC-1 video standard, ensuring compatibility with the millions of hours of content already available on the Web. It also supports interactive video experiences from full-screen high-definition graphics to mobile scenarios.
Support for the VC-1 codec "means quite a number of surfaces support Silverlight, more than Flash," Key said, noting that Adobe's Flash—which is probably Silverlight's primary competition—has limited support for video.
Based on Windows Media format? Hmmm...
The following set off my alarm systems:
By adding Silverlight and VC-1 support, the Brightcove Internet TV service will provide media owners with another powerful Internet video output format—one that comes with robust content protection through a native DRM solution.
I felt an uneasy sense of deja vu. It was reminiscent of the Windows Media Format wars, which promised cross-platform compatibility with Macs. And it did, and everyone was happy. Once everyone was using the WMV format, Micro$oft pulled out support for the player (albeit crappy) from under the Mac fanboys' rugs. Of course, that didn't mean that we could not watch WMV files on Macs. We could (and still can). But WMV files with DRM protection is completely unsupported on the Mac, because it uses proprietary Windows Media Player code to liase with its servers.
Dang. That means no more Mobtv for me. (Well, not unless they change their delivery format anyway...)
That whole episode left a bad taste in the mouth. It's like promising someone candy bar, and then giving him a stone. Or giving someone a parachute, only to find out that it's an umbrella - with a hole. Graaah!
And now Silverlight. Will this new technology deliver - and keep - its promise? Or will the Monopolistic Menace rear its ugly head again? Only time will tell.
Till then, I'm sticking with Flash. And I hope content providers do too. After all, Mr Gates does not need any more money.
