Windows Media 9 Series ("Corona") Preview
WinSupSite | at | by Mike
Microsoft introduced "Corona," its next generation of Windows Media technologies, at the Streaming Media East 2001 conference in New York, but because of the surprise early birth of my second child, Kelly, I wasn't able to attend. So I got a Corona demonstration a month later at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, and came away impressed. Since then, I've seen Corona demonstrated at WinHEC 2002 (April 2002) and the Windows .NET Server Reviewer's Workshop (June 2002), and on July 15, Microsoft announced that Corona would be marketed as Windows Media 9 Series.
With the increased emphasis on consumer oriented digital media tasks at Microsoft, the Windows Media division has become increasingly important to the software giant's image. It's Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows Media Video (WMV) codecs are widely acknowledged as being superior to any and all competition, and consumer acceptance increased dramatically in 2001 as CD players, car stereos, and DVD players were added to the ranks of portable audio players that already support the formats. Microsoft notes that Windows Media-compatible devices are the most often used of any players, with over 350 million units sold.