So, in a free moment (like I have any), I thought I’d try a little experiment.
What this small test is showing is that with very little work (half an hour or so, end to end) you can create a very high end streaming experience from any web server and in virtually any browser. No special software on the web server. Only the SilverLight plug-in on the browser.
I created the slideshow video in the Windows Movie Maker that comes with Vista, including adding an audio track. I then encoded it for streaming, using a mid-range quality specification targeted for typical broadband scenarios (DSL speeds). I choose to use a minimal media player in the browser (notice how the playback controls slide up if you move your mouse over the lower part of the video).
If your browser does not currently have the plug-in, you are prompted with an icon. The 1.0 Beta is about a 1.4 MB download. The download is the SilverLight plug-in installation file. Once it’s saved, you need to run it to install the plug-in. Then you can revisit the page to see the contents.
Silverlight works on FireFox (I’ve tested it) as well as the Macintosh.
This streaming test only shows a small portion of what SilverLight is going to be capable of. I’m stoked because it appears to solve a lot of the issues around streaming that I’ve recently been wrestling with, such as server support and integration of streams into existing web pages, all with my current toolset.
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