REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp.
today released to the Web (RTW) Silverlight(TM) 1.0, a cross-browser,
cross-platform plug-in for delivering richer user experiences on the
Web. In addition, Microsoft will work with Novell Inc. to deliver
Silverlight support for Linux, called Moonlight, and based on the
project started on mono-project.com.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
Silverlight significantly reduces development and deployment costs
and provides enhanced Web audio and video streaming and playback using
industry-leading Windows Media(R) Technologies. Microsoft unveiled new
Silverlight customer experiences on "Entertainment Tonight," HSN and
World Wrestling Entertainment, and also launched the Silverlight
Partner Initiative, a program designed to foster collaboration among
solution providers, content delivery networks, tools vendors and design
agencies.
"Our expectations for compelling, immersive experiences on the Web
are increasing daily," said Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software
architect. "With today's release of Silverlight 1.0, we're making it
possible for developers and designers to deliver to individuals the
kind of high-def experiences they crave by integrating data and
services in rich and unique ways. Silverlight will further accelerate
the growth in rich interactive applications by giving developers and
designers new options for delivering great experiences that span the
Web, PC, phone and other devices."
Microsoft, Novell Respond to Shared Customer Demand for Silverlight and .NET
Microsoft is committed to ensuring that organizations have the best
tools and resources to begin building Silverlight-based solutions with
the broadest possible reach. The decision to work with Novell to offer
Silverlight support for the Linux platform is in direct response to
customer feedback, and both companies are optimistic about the impact
this extended partnership will have in the industry.
"Silverlight is a popular new way to build and deliver
cross-browser, cross-platform experiences on the Web," said Miguel de
Icaza, vice president of Developer Platforms and leader of the Mono
project at Novell. "Novell is excited to work with Microsoft to extend
Silverlight beyond Windows(R) and Macintosh to Linux with Moonlight, so
Linux users everywhere can enhance their rich media and interactive
experiences on the Web."
Leading Broadcast, Online Content Providers Light up the Web With Silverlight
"Entertainment Tonight," HSN and World Wrestling Entertainment as
well as several Microsoft Web initiatives including the "Halo(R) 3"
preview, Tafiti.com and The Podium '08 are just a few of the brands
already demonstrating the power of Silverlight. "Entertainment
Tonight," the No. 1 entertainment newsmagazine, worked with interactive
design agencies REZN8 and IdentityMine Inc. to build a complete
minisite dedicated to Emmy Award coverage linked from ETOnline.com and
TheInsiderOnline.com. This is the first phase in ET's long-term
commitment to build Silverlight-powered minisites to cover high-profile
entertainment events.
"When 'Entertainment Tonight' was launched 27 years ago, we changed
the way the world saw celebrity news. I'm thrilled to be partnering
with Microsoft(R) Silverlight to put 'Entertainment Tonight' on the
leading edge again and give our viewers a virtual front-row seat at
Hollywood's biggest events," said Linda Bell Blue, executive producer
of Entertainment Tonight. "'ET' is the first stop for the stars at the
59th annual Emmy Awards, and with Microsoft's revolutionary new
technology we will create a truly unique interactive experience -- from
the red carpet for all the fashions and backstage with Mary Hart and
the winners to going inside our exclusive after-party that all of
Hollywood is talking about. This is going to be fun."
To foster greater involvement and collaboration within the
interactive media industry, Microsoft is rolling out the Silverlight
Partner Initiative. More than 35 companies have already signed up to
support Silverlight and take advantage of a broad range of marketing
and technical benefits enabling them to be more successful. The current
list of Silverlight Initiative partners by category follows:
-- Content delivery networks, infrastructure providers: Advection, Akamai Technologies Inc., CacheLogic, Edgecast Networks Inc., Internap Network Services Corp., iStreamPlanet Co., Level3 and Limelight Networks -- Design agencies: Avenue A|Razorfish, BLITZ, Cynergy Systems Inc., frog design inc., IdentityMine Inc., Lightmaker Group Ltd., Metaliq, Resolute Solutions Corp., REZN8, Schematic and VML Inc. -- ISVs/IHVs: Anystream Inc., DayPort Inc., Electric Rain Inc., Inlet Technologies Inc., Pinnacle Systems Inc., Rhozet, Sonic Solutions, Tarari Inc., Telestream Inc. and Winnov LP -- Solution providers, systems integrators: BUYDRM, Liquid Compass, MPS Broadband AB, Narrowstep Inc., Skinkers, Swarmcast and Twofour Digital
With its portfolio of application platform technology capabilities
and products, Microsoft is both a longtime leader in development tools
and a pioneer in enhancing user experiences on the Web and desktop. The
tight integration between Visual Studio(R) and Expression Studio allows
developers and designers to easily share projects, designs and code to
create stunning, high-quality applications faster and in a more
cost-effective manner.
In addition to the release of Silverlight 1.0, Microsoft released Expression Encoder 1.0 (formerly Expression Media Encoder), a tool that makes it simple for professionals to encode, enhance and publish rich media content to Silverlight. The intuitive interface allows users to rapidly encode a wide array of file-based media content formats into a Silverlight experience. Expression Encoder also eases production of live events using sought-after features such as multisource switching and publishing of content to services including Silverlight Streaming by Windows Live(TM).
