Microsoft has unveiled Silverlight 3, a web application framework that is said to allow web programmers to embed video and other interactive application like features into the webpages. The company has also launched Expression 3 to build internet applications for the platform.
Silverlight and Expression, in conjunction with Microsoft’s Visual Studio, offer development and design environment that is expected to deliver engaging user experiences.
According to Microsoft, the new version of Silverlight provides the ability to add out-of-browser, connected and disconnected scenarios for cross-platform applications to enhance the productivity and capabilities of RIAs. It also supports IIS Smooth Streaming, as part of Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7) Media Services for 1080p HD video experiences with interactivity for both on-demand and live video.
Silverlight 3 also delivers other features and controls including 3-D and hardware graphics acceleration. The company claims that within the nine months of the Silverlight 2 release, more than one-third of all the internet devices had installed it. The company named MGM, Continental Airlines and NBC Sports as its new customers to install Silverlight for delivering online video content.
Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the .NET developer platform at Microsoft, said: “Silverlight and Expression fill a clear need in the marketplace for a complete end-to-end solution that makes it easy for development teams to work together effectively, from concept to deployment, to create the types of rich interactive experiences today’s users expect.”
