Andre Yoskowitz
13 Apr 2011 21:06
Two days into the MIX11 event Microsoft has launched its first public beta of Silverlight 5.
The platform promises "dramatic video quality and performance improvements, and features that improve developer productivity.'
In total, there are about 40 added features/improvements.
TCM has all the updates:
- a XNA-based interface enabling 'stunning' 3D visualizations in apps
- support for running Silverlight applications with desktop features in the browser
- support for 64bit operating systems
- Hardware Decode and presentation of H.264 improve performance for lower-power devices to render high-definition video using GPU support.
- the TrickPlay function allows video to be played at different speeds and supports fast-forward and rewind.
- Improved power awareness that prevents the screen saver from being shown while watching video and allows the computer to sleep when video is not active.
- Remote control support
- Reduced network latency by using a background thread for networking
- Digital rights management advancements allow seamless switching between DRM media sources