19 replies to this topic

[Nvyseal]

Is anyone using Silverlight yet? Just was wondering how clear it is and its advantages are

[m.oreilly]

i can't make heads or tails of what it even is

[Nvyseal]

I think its like Flash or a WMV ...

But im not gonna be a guinna pig. So tell me what its like

[m.oreilly]

Nvyseal, on Jun 25 2007, 03:59 PM, said:

I think its like Flash or a WMV ...

But im not gonna be a guinna pig. So tell me what its like

uh, ok

[mysticalmoose]

wait.... what exactly is it?

[m.oreilly]

mysticalmoose, on Jun 25 2007, 05:14 PM, said:

wait.... what exactly is it?

[m.oreilly]

well, i installed it. now what...

[Nvyseal]

Did you try some of the DreamScene wallpapers or look at the Videos? Did it ask for a WGA validation?

OK, now that im home, i can play with it on a test machine, No there is no WGA check, although it will update itself when an update is out.

If you have Silverlight, you can see this Fox Video HERE either in FF or IE Its acutally really very good Superb picture, Great sound

What is Silverlight?

Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of Microsoft .NET–based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web.

Is Silverlight free?

Yes, Microsoft will make the Silverlight browser plug-in freely available for all supported platforms.

Is Silverlight the official name for "WPF/E"?

Yes. Silverlight was formerly code-named "WPF/E."

What is the long-term goal or vision for Silverlight?

Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of .NET-based media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIAs) for the Web. Silverlight offers a flexible programming model that supports AJAX, Visual Basic .NET, C#, Python, and Ruby and integrates with existing Web applications. Silverlight media capabilities include fast, cost-effective delivery of high-quality audio and video to all major browsers including Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Windows Internet Explorer running on Mac OS or Microsoft Windows. By using Microsoft Expression Studio and Microsoft Visual Studio, designers and developers can collaborate more effectively using the skills they have today to light up the Web of tomorrow.

What are the main features and benefits of Silverlight?

Key benefits of Silverlight include:
1. Compelling cross-platform user experiences

* Deliver media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIA) for the Web that incorporate video, animation, interactivity, and stunning user interfaces (UIs).
* Seamless, fast installation for users, thanks to a small, on-demand, easy-to-install plug-in that is under 2 megabyte (MB) in size and works with all leading browsers.
* Consistent experiences on Windows and on Mac OS without any additional installation requirements.
* Create richer, more compelling Web experiences that take greater advantage of the client for increased performance.
* Stunning vector-based graphics, media, text, animation, and overlays enable seamless integration of graphics and effects into any existing Web application.
* Enhance existing standards/AJAX-based applications with richer graphics and media and improve their performance and capabilities by using Silverlight.

2. Flexible Programming Model with Collaboration Tools

* Based on the Microsoft .NET Framework, Silverlight enables developers and designers to easily use existing skills and tools to deliver media experiences and RIAs for the Web.
* Choice of programming languages such as AJAX, Visual Basic .NET, C#, Python, and Ruby offers developers and designers the flexibility to use their existing skills without the need to learn a new language.
* Simple integration with existing Web technologies and assets means Silverlight works with any back-end Web platform or technology. No "rip and replace" required. Silverlight integrates with your existing infrastructure and applications, including Apache and PHP, as well as with JavaScript and XHTML on the client.
* Role-specific tools for both designers and developers that take advantage of Web standards and the breadth of the Microsoft .NET-connected software features.

* Designers will like that Expression Studio creates interactive UIs and media rich experiences, prepares media for encoding and distribution, and creates World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards-compliant sites by using modern XHTML, XML, XSLT, CSS, and Microsoft ASP.NET.
* Developers will use Visual Studio for development of client and server code with full Microsoft IntelliSense, powerful debugging, rich language support, and more.

* Consistent presentation model using XAML, the declarative presentation language used in Windows Vista applications. Controls, visual designs, media, and other elements can be presented with full design fidelity in both Silverlight and Windows-based applications.
* Dramatically improved performance for AJAX-enabled Web sites with the power, performance, and flexibility of Silverlight and .NET-connected software.

3. High-quality media, low-cost delivery

* Unified media format scales from high definition (HD) to mobile with Windows Media Video (WMV), the Microsoft implementation of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) VC-1 video standard, as well as support for Windows Media Audio (WMA) and MP3 audio.
* Add vector-based graphics and overlays to media with support for integration of graphics that scale to any size and broadcast-style overlays for tickers and closed captioning.
* Flexible ad-insertion solutions with video and animation including the ability to deliver fluid, broadcast-style video or animated advertisements without any loss of visual fidelity or motion quality.
* Lower-cost media streaming with Emmy Award–winning Windows Media technologies that can significantly lower the cost of streaming delivery with the flexibility to work with existing Windows Media streaming deployments. Even further cost reductions are possible with the upcoming Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Media Pack for Windows Server Code Name “Longhorn.”
* Broad ecosystem of media tools, servers, and solutions compatible with the Windows Media operating system.
* Powerful encoding tools for live and on-demand publishing of media experiences with Expression Media Encoder, including hardware-accelerated encoding of WMV and VC-1 at up to 15 times the performance of software alone when paired with a Tarari Encoder Accelerator board (based on Tarari internal tests).

4. Connected to data, servers, and services

* Create mash-ups by incorporating data and services from anywhere on the Web by using Silverlight support for LINQ and LINQ-to-XML. Access data with common protocols like JSON, RSS, POX, and REST.
* Increase discoverability of RIA content that can be indexed and searched, thanks to the Silverlight text-based XAML format.
* Rapidly scale Silverlight applications by using SilverlightTM Streaming by Windows Live

Is the re-released Silverlight Beta different from "WPF/E" February 2007 Customer Technology Preview (CTP)?

Yes, the Beta is a new release. Read more about what is new in the Beta in the What's New in the Silverlight February 2007 CTP whitepaper.

How do Silverlight 1.0 Beta and Silverlight 1.1 Alpha differ?

Silverlight 1.1 Alpha builds on the Silverlight 1.0 Beta to add managed code programmability and a managed object model.

Can I deploy Silverlight-based applications with the CTP?

Yes. Although Silverlight Beta releases are for evaluation and testing purposes, it has a go-live license enabling commercial deployment. Note that although commercial deployments are enabled, the software is still in Beta and the support is thus limited.

Is there an expiration date for the Beta?

Yes, the Beta expires on August 1, 2007. An update will be available prior to the expiration. Upon expiration, the client will prompt you with an expiration notice and ask you to upgrade. Web developers will be able to offer the update programmatically, making the experience easy for their users.

Is Microsoft on schedule to ship Silverlight in the first half of this year?

Yes.

What features are available in the Silverlight 1.0 Beta?

Silverlight 1.0 Beta includes:

* Enhanced Web audio and video streaming and playback with industry-leading Windows Media technologies tapping into the existing ecosystem of tools, servers, and solutions, as well as new features for interactive video, overlays, ad presentation, and more.
* A cross-platform, cross-browser plug-in with fast and easy install (Beta plug-in is approximately 2 MB) for Mac OS and Windows operating systems.
* Easy integration with client-based and server-based AJAX solutions including ASP.NET AJAX. This empowers developers to use standards-based Web techniques to enhance AJAX applications with Silverlight.
* Lower-cost deployment and distribution of streamed audio and video when compared to other comparable solutions (up to 50% less cost reported by content delivery networks (CDNs).
* Broad support of tools for designers, developers, and video professionals, that tap into Web standards plus a breadth of Microsoft application platform features:

* For designers, Expression Design and Expression Blend 2 May Preview for creating XAML-based rich interfaces. Expression Web for Web-standards-based design using XHTML, XML, XSLT, and ASP.NET for building compelling modern Web sites.
* For video professionals, Expression Media, a full-featured digital asset management and video encoding solution for the enhancement, compression, and publishing of video for Silverlight.
* For developers, Visual Studio–based support for Web standards development including ASP.NET AJAX with full IntelliSense editing for client script and server code.

What features are available in the Silverlight 1.1 Alpha?

The Silverlight 1.1 Alpha includes all the features available in Silverlight 1.0 Beta plus a number of new features focused primarily on improving the developer productivity and power, including:

* Managed code support
* Support for dynamic languages including managed Microsoft JScript and Python
* Rich UI control model based on WPF
* Improved networking stack with support for REST, RSS, JSON, and POX
* Enhanced, two-way HTML/AJAX bridge
* Comprehensive and consistent base class library
* Support for LINQ (LINQ to Objects, LINQ to XML)

Which platforms and browsers will Silverlight support?

Silverlight will support all major browsers on both Mac OS X and on Windows. Particular care is being taken to account for differences in platform and browser capabilities to ensure a consistent experience including experiences on FireFox, Safari, and Internet Explorer.

What Macintosh OS versions and hardware will be supported?

Macintosh OS X 10.4.8 or later will be supported for both Power PC–based and Intel-based hardware via a Universal Binary.

How will Silverlight be distributed by Microsoft?

Microsoft designed Silverlight to fit a broad range of uses that require reach and a compelling user experience. Many Microsoft projects will be using Silverlight for delivering richer user experiences and applications for the Web.

Is the installation experience of the Beta representative of what customers will see when released?

The installation experience for the Beta is close to the final installation experience. The final release will be even more refined.

Will I need more memory, a faster processor, or a better Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)?

Microsoft designed Silverlight with the ability to deliver high-fidelity experiences on the broadest set of system configurations. Some features, such as HD video, may benefit from newer personal computers. Final system requirements will be available at release.

Is Microsoft considering support for additional operating systems?

Microsoft is gathering feedback from customers like you on Silverlight and to help determine which platforms should be supported in the future.

Which devices will be supported?

Device platforms are being considered based on customer feedback.
Silverlight installation and Web site issue

Where can I go to install Silverlight?

Go to the Silverlight installationpage to start.

How do I ensure that the installation of Silverlight will be successful?

For most customers, these steps help:

* • Before you download Silverlight, read the system requirements for Macintosh computers or the system requirements for Windows-based computers to ensure your system is compatible.
* • Make sure you uninstall any previous version of Silverlight, formerly code-named "WPF/E."
* If you are running Firefox or Safari, restart your browser.

[m.oreilly]

hummm...don't notice anything different. and a big PLAYBACK VOLUME WARNING!!! when trying the "fox video" link!!!

[Nvyseal]

Its actually really nice very good picture quality, even with full screen almost like watching a DVD and guess what... You can capture the video with printscreen. Overall, 2 thumbs up very nice!
 Silverlight.JPG   106.95K   4 downloads  SL2.JPG   36.8K   4 downloads

[Nvyseal]

The First one is Flash on a 19" monitor, the second one is Silverlight

 FlashSS.JPG   116.58K   7 downloads  SL.JPG   96.41K   7 downloads

[m.oreilly]

well , it is a bit better...i think you can do screen capture in vista using wmp anyway...i guess i'll have to check out more streaming stuff...ok, a lot better

[talker]

OK, I installed Silverlight and tried the MS videos. The standard looked like a grainy flash presentation. I then tried the HiDef. The image greatly improved but nothing that I would right home about. Is this suppose the be the coming web animation standard (or at least according to and hoping from MS)? Anyway, I gave it a try. Is there anything around the web now that is using this for a real life test? We shall see...talker.

[Nvyseal]

Dont know talker, its still in very early beta (1.0), but from what i see, its an excellent quality tool, that takes very little bandwidth. It looks like MS is pushing it out on a lot of their pages for .net and such. Time will tell who adopts it.

[brewin]

talker, on Jun 25 2007, 10:06 PM, said:

Is this suppose the be the coming web animation standard (or at least according to and hoping from MS)?

Yes, exactly.

talker, on Jun 25 2007, 10:06 PM, said:

Is there anything around the web now that is using this for a real life test? We shall see...talker.

No. Will there ever be? Maybe. Adobe has a pretty strong hold on this market. I don't personally care whether Flash dies and this replaces it, as long as it works in Linux and it supposedly does.