By Don Burnett
As some of you know Microsoft announced new DRM functionality for Silverlight 2 and qualified more of the functionality today... I end up talking to quite a few customers who are into streaming video (some of them still use Windows Media Server and Windows Media Services).. Here's some questions I have been asked and here are some of the best answers that I could come up with.. While some of this comes across like I have been talking to a marketing person (which), the depths of these answers pretty much layout the how's and the why's.. I apologize again if it comes across as the "Microsoft Answer" but it does spell things out..
Will Microsoft update Silverlight Streaming and improve format transcoding?
Silverlight™ Streaming by Windows Live is the companion service to Silverlight. We are increasing the free hosting and storage limit to 10 GB and can now stream HD content at 1400Kbps (see a sample here). During the alpha of the service, most scenarios were video/audio. Now Microsoft is making it easier for content producers to get their media in front of their users, They have now introduced a video management scenario which allows media to be uploaded in many formats (Flash, DIVX, MPEG-4, QuickTime, H.264, H.263, WMV1, WMV2, MPEG-1, MPEG-2) and be transcoded into a Silverlight™ compatible WMV/VC-1 format. For developers, there is a new WebDAV API for Silverlight Streaming which allows for file by file management and Web Folders support.
What Browsers are currently supported by Silverlight 2
For browsers, Silverlight will support all current versions of IE, FireFox, Safari, (and others if you lobby Microsoft).
Will Silverlight run on any web server? What are the benefits to using a Windows server?
Silverlight works with any web server. Video and audio content can also be progressively downloaded and played back from any Web server platform. The benefits of Windows server-based distribution in the final 2.0 release of Silverlight will include Windows Media Services with Fast Stream (instant playback) and Fast reconnect technologies, lower distribution costs (streaming users only download what they watch), and will fully take advantage of the entire Windows server ecosystem of platform components and partner solutions.
In terms of localization, which languages does Silverlight provide?
In Beta 1, the installation and control runtime are available in English. Developers may provide an in-page "Get Microsoft Silverlight" experience for their customers in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Korean, Japanese, Russian and Brazilian Portuguese. Support for additional languages is planned for future releases. End-to-End application localization is supported and will be introduced in the Beta 2 release. There is full support of East Asian languages via TextBlock element. TextBlock supports and uses the East Asian fonts installed on the user's machine. In addition TextBlock supports surrogate content as well as handling proper line breaking for East Asian text. For beta 1 text entry is provided via an IME..
Is Bi-directional scripting support available with Silverlight 2 beta 1?
Silverlight does not, yet ,support bi-directionality, shaping or justification support required by complex script languages. A developer, however, may utilize the rendering of the browser (DHTML) or text-graphics as alternative approaches.
What is ADO.NET Data Services?
ADO.NET Data Services are REST-based HTTP end-points enabling robust interoperation between ADO.NET Data Services and other technologies and Silverlight support is enabled via a client library. This includes third-party HTTP stacks. As ADO.NET Data Services progresses Microsoft will continue to refresh the client library as appropriate to enable compelling data experiences between Silverlight and ADO.NET Data Services.
What exactly is the DRM Microsoft is announcing?
Silverlight 2 will provide digital rights management support powered by Microsoft PlayReady™ content access technology, on Windows and Mac. The beta 2 release of Silverlight 2 will have support for Silverlight DRM. Both WMDRM-protected content and PlayReady-protected content can be played back via the Silverlight 2 plug-in for Windows and Mac, using Silverlight DRM Powered by Microsoft PlayReady. Also, content providers with existing content protected using WMDRM 10 can use the PlayReady Server SDK to deliver that content to Silverlight 2 plug-ins for Windows and Mac.
How will PlayReady Servers be Licensed? I already have WMDRM 10 content,I just want to deliver the content I already have..
Silverlight DRM, Powered by PlayReady, will be completely contained in the Silverlight 2 plug-in that users will download. To maximize performance – both over the network, and in terms of minimizing the size and of the plug-in, Silverlight DRM has support for only processing the new PlayReady license format which is even more compact than old WMDRM license format. Because of this, a PlayReady license server is needed to deliver all licenses to the Silverlight 2 plug-in.
What about licensing fees?
Silverlight DRM is powered by PlayReady and will be available for licensing in coordination with the launch of the Silverlight 2 plug-in. The PlayReady Server SDK runs on Windows® Server 2003 (which is licensed separately) and will be offered to Silverlight customers at a reported cost of USD$30,000 per CPU, with no limits on the number of cores. Microsoft will offer a 120-day evaluation license to qualified customers. Note this is quite different from licensing for PlayReady for Mobile, specifically... Silverlight DRM supports a subset of the full PlayReady features that are most applicable for Silverlight scenarios (online content streaming and progressive download). Microsoft isn't really different than other industry solutions where a per-CPU royalty is commonly applied to server technologies that best meets customer needs for these specific scenarios.
Will the new DRM enable protection of live A/V content?
YES! TOTALLY
What formats will PlayReady for Silverlight Support?
Audio and Video codecs that are in ASF, that are supported by Silverlight will be able to be protected in Silverlight 2. The first release will include protection for content streamed (or progressively downloaded) via web and video on demand.
What about disconnected offline playback?
Microsoft is investigating the support of disconnected scenarios for a future version of Silverlight. That's all Microsoft will say at this time.
What will Microsoft do if there is a breach in DRM?
Silverlight DRM also benefits from an already established Microsoft DRM breach response process including dedicated monitoring. Microsoft provides guaranteed response times to breaches and improved renewability. If a DRM plug-in is breached, Microsoft will update the plug-in to ensure content protection remains effective.
Content licenses are not normally persisted on the client machine for enhanced security, and since Silverlight is a web delivery solution it requires a new license for each playback. You can use isolated storage to cache these licenses to enhance playback experience for the user. CORRECTION: (Thanks goes to Mark Ramberg of Microsoft for clarification on this item..)
Isolated storage can be used to cache the encrypted content, but the licenses cannot be cached there currently. Licenses only exist in memory and have a lifespan of the browser session.
Do I have to use your DRM Technology
There many ways to protect content, Silverlight is an open platform. Third-parties can plug-in their DRM systems and protect premium content using other technologies. One example is Widevine, which is announcing their DRM solution for Silverlight. Content decryption at playback should be a seamless, and end-users shouldn’t be able to detect which system is protecting content behind the curtain.
Does Silverlight 2 really provide HD Quality?
Yes, but performance is dependent upon CPU capabilities of individual machines/configurations. A modern CPU is recommended.
We all know VC-1 is a Standard, but isn't H2.64 ahead in terms of adoption?
Don't confuse industry adoption with industry standards. There are numerous third parties that have already announced support for VC-1, such as those delivering HD formats such as BluRay. From set-top-box makers to software and hardware-based encoders. Also content owners and aggregators are getting in the game too. Microsoft has announced that they have over 85 partners building experiences on WVM/VC-1 and Silverlight today.
Does Move Networks use VC-1? Adobe says that they use flash video or On2’s video codec?
Move Networks uses On2 VP7 codecs, which is different from the VP6 technology in Flash. Move Networks has committed to using the WMV/VC-1 codec for playback in Silverlight.
Will Windows Media still continue development?
YES!!
Will Silverlight support On2?
Silverlight already supports major mainstream codecs. Current plans don’t include including other codecs, like On2’s VP7 or On2 VP6 used in Flash.
What is Adobe Media Player?
Adobe Media Player is based on AIR, and is a 12MB download, and has 0% adoption versus Flash's reported 98% adoption, so their customers will have to download AIR to get this experience. And because it's based on AIR, it has full access to your entire file system and tells users about this up front, making it a target for security concerns. Based on my own experience, I imagine this will not help them get adoption quickly.
How does Microsoft's Experience differ from the Adobe one?
Microsoft offers a dramatically different approach to content creation and delivering experiences that are focused on Microsoft's own customers’ development and deployment needs. They are building a development platform, not just a player or a browser. From Windows to the Web, and the media/living room, as well as mobile devices.
- Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) provides the richest client experiences the client hardware can offer offering both online/offline scenarios. WPF is based on Microsoft operating systems, making it possible to deliver applications that support 3D hardware acceleration, access to devices and ports, and Microsoft Software Application Integration. Microsoft also offers a full range of offline storage capabilities. Microsoft's new Sync Framework enables offline and collaboration capabilities for any device, application, service or rich internet application.
- Silverlight applications offer improved security over other vendor's technologies. Applications run within the browser security sandbox and are authored as "open" code that is just part of the HTML page and can thus be viewed in the browser easily unlike other browser-based RIA technologies.
- Silverlight 2 includes .NET, Microsoft’s cross-platform, cross-browser implementation of the .NET Framework that enables the building the next generation of interactive applications across the Web, Windows, and devices.
- Microsoft is tackling “development complexity”, bridging the gap between creative designers and development teams, enabling rich user experiences at reduced cost which in turn optimizes business opportunity.
Why is Microsoft Supporting VC-1?
Silverlight provides superior Web streaming experiences over H.264.
Facts important to Web Playback..
- WMV/VC-1 offers advanced decode efficiency (up to 2x as efficient) to H.264, enabling better quality playback experiences on less-capable PCs.
- Windows Media Services offers proven server reliability and scalability for WMV/VC-1 streaming, as well as lower TCO.
- VC-1 with Silverlight provide more compelling Web streaming experience.
- WMV/VC-1 is compatible with millions of hours of Windows Media, from HD to mobile.
- Support from the Windows Media ecosystem, including third-party tools, service providers and content delivery networks.
- H.264 is more suitable for playback on dedicated consumer hardware, and for lower bit-rate web download situations.
- VC-1 is better today for streaming Web scenarios, especially for HD, where HD can be decoded without any PC hardware acceleration.
- Windows Media Services offers proven reliability and scalability and a lower TCO.
- Adobe has announced H.264 streaming with Flash Media Server (FMS). Adobe charges a premium for Flash Media Server, and indications are that Adobe will stream MPEG-4/ H.264 files using a proprietary streaming protocol. This will likely not be compatible with existing MPEG4-based streaming servers and content. (Can anyone from Adobe comment on this? I know I have a few readers if you know the scoop please respond)..
Why is Microsoft reaching out to designers, really?
Microsoft recognizes the importance of design in today’s application lifecycle. Microsoft understands the central role that designers play in delivering engaging and usable experiences. Microsoft wants to show what is possible with software experiences. To reach furthers this, they are committed to bringing designers tools to realize the potential of Windows and Windows Server. Okay, that was a mouthful, but hey it's corporate philosophy and vision!
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