Microsoft Netflix Exclusive
Microsoft Netflix Exclusive
Amadeus Consulting Explains the Magic Behind Microsoft Silverlight
Understanding Microsoft Silverlight
Microsoft Silverlight® is a development platform that allows you to create powerful applications for the web, but also for mobile and enterprise systems. Silverlight is a mix between a strong architecture framework, which allows developers to create very powerful applications, and also excellent graphics capabilities which makes it ideal for media and data visualization. In fact, Silverlight is the technology the powers Netflix's smooth streaming capability since it can deliver high quality video with very little buffering.
In many ways, Silverlight is the lesser known brother to Adobe® Flash®. Everyone is fairly familiar with Flash (it is on 93% of all computers), but Silverlight's capabilities outshine what Flash can do.
Development
From a development perspective, one of the reasons that Silverlight excels is because it is based on .NET and C#, which are the two main enterprise development languages and are very familiar to most developers. Compared to Flash, which runs on a proprietary language called Action Script, programming in Silverlight has a very low learning curve and uses the same tools and skill set that are already familiar to developers.
Development in .NET and C# also makes it much easier to integrate into existing systems and databases. This helps take advantage of many of Silverlight's unique features and gives developers much more power and capability with the system.
From a design perspective, it also separates the business layer from the UI layer, and even gives you the ability to "nest" HTML into your app which can make your rich Internet application SEO friendly, as our CEO has discussed previously on our blog.
This separation of the business and UI layers also makes it easier to control graphical elements through the use of XAML. XAML is also used extensively in .NET Framework, especially in Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and it used to define the rich UI components, data binding, eventing, workflows, and other features. The benefit is that it allows easy creation, editing and sharing of common UI elements, as well as making it easier to provide cross-platform compatibility.
Comparisons to JavaScript and Flash
One of Silverlight's primary uses is in rich Internet application development. Rich Internet applications (RIAs) are small applications that run inside of a webpage and provide interactive capability and the ability to display high quality media.
In the case of Silverlight or Flash, these run inside of a plugin which acts as an intermediary between the app and the browser. The plugin is designed to work in each device and provide a sort of universal compatibility so app developers only need to create one version of the app and it will work on almost all computers.
Silverlight and Flash use the browser to manage communications, cookies and proxies, but they use their own UI elements (and can even access the computers GPU for faster graphics processing) that enhance what the browser can do itself.
JavaScript is a bit different. Instead of a compiled language, where all the code is put together ahead of time into a functioning application, JavaScript is a "run-time" language that interprets the code on the fly. JavaScript can be used to create fancy and interactive web pages and RIAs and is also intended as a "write once, run anywhere" type of language, except that it does not need its own plugin.
As a run-time language this makes it a bit harder to catch errors and find mistakes – something a compiled language will often do. The other major difference is that JavaScript is loosely typed, meaning that you don't need to declare specific variables, which makes it easy for typos and simple errors (different capitalizations for variables and objects will cause errors or produce unexpected results).
As a side note, when browsers like Firefox or Chrome talk about being faster than their competition, they are often referring to their JavaScript engines which each use a slightly different method for running JavaScript code, which can create small differences in speed and performance.
Both JavaScript and Silverlight can run online or offline, although other forms of .NET are usually used instead of Silverlight if an app is going to be exclusively offline, though Silverlight is a very capable choice for mixed projects. For example, on a recent project for All Traffic Solutions, we created a Silverlight application that allows authorities to update road signs through the web or through a direct connection to the sign within the same application.
Deciding whether to use JavaScript and Silverlight for rich Internet applications is fairly straightforward since they both have their own defined strengths and benefits depending on which type of application you want. However, the differences between Silverlight and Flash are less distinct, so we encourage you to read our CEO's thoughts on when Flash and Silverlight Design is Appropriate.
About the Author
Steve Loper is the Quality Engineer at Amadeus Consulting. Steve has been recognized by Microsoft as a "Most Valuable Professional" and led the project that won the Microsoft XP Solution Challenge. Steve is regarded as one of the top .NET application and SQL Server database architects in the country, and currently oversees projects to ensure that a strong technical approach is put in place to address even the most complex issues.
Xbox 360 spotlight on E3?
I was watching the xbox 360 spotlight on e3 o8 this morning live. i saw the new dashboard, avatars, partnership with netflix etc. and i was like "wow, good for them!" then they showed the games.
some of them i thought was going to an exclusive and one other i thoght was a ripoff. but the of the press conference was what made me mad. i thought Final Fantasy XIII was going to be a ps3 exclusive but they are going to release an xbox 360 version! i thought that game would absolutely crush xbox!
so how do you think sony will do on there ps3 spotlight at e3 08? i thought microsoft's spotlight was outstanding (even though i have only a ps3) do you think xbox at e3 is the one to watch out for?
in the 2nd paragraph i meant the ending of the press conference
ph yeah the xbox avatars reminded me of the miis on the wii
I watched it this after noon. I thought it was quiet funny watching them. A true money hungry company. The only thing they really do is copy others. It not to be unexpected though. They will do whatever they think will get them more money. It's funny how some of you say that the Ps3 is only a media center. When the 360 is on a "dlc" life support.
I think Microsoft is getting a little too jealous of Sony. They were too bisy trying to matching Sony’s Home thing with avatars of their own. To bad they didn’t notice were the concept came from. LOL They were probably playing a Wii at the time.
The difference between Microsoft getting exclusive's and Sony having Exclusive’s is just that. Sony's got them and M$ has to get them.
After all this is done do you really think any of these companies are going to keep making them games? Xbox people want things simple, flashy, and fast. They don’t have the brain power to comprehend story lines.
The field has done a complete 180. Sony's got the Hardware and the game's. I think Sony is going to have a great E3.
I myself would love to hear about a new Tourist trophy. Great game but I haven’t heard of anything talk about a sequel. Also Disgaea 3. It should be interesting never the less.
Something to really ponder about is what Nintendo is going to have. I have no clue myself.
Well I suppose that’s good. You should be feeling great after tomorrow.
LATER : P
Microsoft Netflix Exclusive
New xbox 360 dashboard - Microsoft E3 2008
Xbox Live Overview - Get More Online
Xbox Live is Microsoft's online connectivity service for the Xbox 360 console. The service originally debuted on the original Xbox console in 2002, and was heavily updated upon the release of the 360 in 2005. Unlike Sony's PlayStation Network and the Nintendo Wii online service, an Xbox Live subscription can cost a nominal fee to use.
Xbox Live Gold and Silver Accounts
Xbox Live is available with two different account levels: Gold and Silver. The Silver account is free, and provides basic online connectivity. The Silver account includes free game demos, HD movies and television programming, downloadable arcade games, game add-ons and expansion packs, avatars, and voice and text chat.
Upgrading to Xbox Live Gold, which costs a subscription fee, will unlock the full Xbox Live experience that you'll need to play multiplayer online games. In addition, you'll have access to Netflix streaming (so long as you have a Netflix subscription), Xbox Live video chat and photo sharing, Facebook, Twitter, and Last.FM applications, and exclusive early access to game demos. The ability to play multiplayer games and the Netflix streaming access are the main reasons to join Xbox Live Gold.
Connecting to Xbox Live
Connecting to Xbox Live is a relatively simple process that will only take a few moments to complete. First, you'll need a broadband Internet connection. You can connect your Xbox 360 to a router or directly to a broadband modem. Alternatively, you can purchase a separate wireless adaptor for the Xbox 360 that will allow you to connect to Xbox Live wirelessly.
Next, you'll need to configure your network settings. After powering on your Xbox, go to My Xbox and then System Settings. Choose Network Settings, and then Configure Network. If you're using a wireless adaptor, pick Wireless Mode, followed by Scan for Networks. Your Xbox 360 will automatically scan for all of the available networks in your area. Enter your network password and choose Done. Next, press B and choose Text Xbox Live Connection.
Using Xbox Live to Play Multiplayer Online Games
Playing Xbox 360 games online through Xbox Live is easy. You won't have to log in to Xbox live every time you want to play, nor will you need to configure any additional settings for each game. Simply insert the game you'd like to play into your console and enter its multiplayer online mode. Your console will automatically connect to Xbox Live and make the necessary connections to other players participating in the game. Each game will have its own interface for playing with other gamers online.
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is divided into three areas: the Games Marketplace, Video Marketplace, and Avatar Marketplace. The Video Marketplace is where you can watch pay-per-view, new release movies in 1080P resolution with 5.1 surround sound. Note that this service is separate from and supplementary to a Netflix account. The Games Marketplace allows you to download free game demos, purchase independent games, and download full Xbox 360 and classic Xbox games.
Xbox Live is a full-featured online service that is well worth paying for. The service is generally rated higher than the online services for the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii, which serves as justification for its subscription cost.
About the Author
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Microsoft Netflix Exclusive
