Today at the 2007 National Association of Broadcasters conference NAB2007, Microsoft Corp. unveiled Microsoft® Silverlight™, a new crossbrowser, crossplatform plugin for delivering the next generation of media experiences and rich interactive applications RIAs for the Web. Early supporters of the new platform include Akamai Technologies Inc., Brightcove Inc., Eyeblaster Inc., Limelight Networks, Major League Baseball and Netflix Inc.Microsoft Silverlight, previously called Windows® Presentation Foundation Everywhere WPFE, integrates with existing Web technologies and assets to provide higherquality experiences with lower costs for media delivery. Delivered to end users through a seamless, fast installation, Silverlight offers consistent experiences to both Macintosh and Windows users on a variety of browsers including Internet Explorer®, Firefox and Safari.“Content providers are seeking a way to deliver rich interactive applications using the tools and skills they already have. They want an endtoend solution that enables them to rapidly reach multiple platforms with reasonable deployment costs,” said Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft. “Microsoft Silverlight delivers on this need and marks a real step forward for the industry. Silverlight is the only solution in the market today that enables content creators to tap into the broad ecosystem for Windows Media® technologies while taking the Web’s rich interactive application experience to new levels.Leading media companies and solution providers have announced support for Silverlight including Akamai Technologies, Brightcove, Eyeblaster, Limelight Networks, Major League Baseball, NaviSite Inc., Netflix, Pinnacle Systems Inc., Rhozet Corp., Skinkers, Sonic Solutions, Tarari Inc., Telestream Inc. and Winnov. All have indicated plans to deliver Silverlightbased experiences for their viewers and customers.“We’ve consistently heard from the media companies that they want the ability to easily implement key technologies for Internet video and rich broadband experiences,” said Bob Mason, chief technology officer at Brightcove. “With the release of Silverlight, Microsoft is bringing rich interactive experiences coupled with the VC1 video standard into the browser, and we’re excited to announce plans to support this technology and continue to give our customers access to the cuttingedge technologies that will drive the growth of Internet TV.”

Address: One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052-7329 USA
Telephone: (425) 882-8080
Fax: (425) 706-7329
Website: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/apr07/04-15WPFEPR.mspx