Here comes Windows Media 9 Series
WinInfo | at | by Mike
Late today, Microsoft will unveil the Beta 1 release of Windows Media Player 9, a significant upgrade over the Media Player for Windows XP product the company is now shipping as part of Windows XP, as well as a host of other Windows Media 9 Series products that run the gamut from server-side content delivery to local media encoding. Windows Media 9 Series is the company's most comprehensive multimedia product launch ever.
Windows Media 9 Series consists of new versions of the all-in-one Windows Media Player, impressive new Windows Media Audio and Video codecs, Windows Media Encoder for encoding content in the new formats, Windows Media Software Development Kit (SDK) for developers, and Windows Media Services, which will ship as part of Windows .NET Server later this year. Many of the improvements in this revision are based around the player, which will be almost infinitely configurable; attempts at making streaming media over the Web more TV-like; and the new audio and video codecs, which will bring DVD and movie theatre-like experiences to the PC for the first time.