Bolstering its ability to provide the richest user experiences to consumers, Microsoft Corp. today announced plans to release Internet Information Services (IIS) Media Services 3.0, which enables delivery of interactive, high-definition-quality Live Smooth Streaming, along with new tools to simplify the process of delivering online experiences with Microsoft Silverlight. At the International Broadcasting Conference (IBC), Sept.11–15 in Amsterdam, Microsoft also will preview the latest media feature developments in Microsoft Silverlight 4, including native multicast support and support for offline digital rights management (DRM) powered by Microsoft PlayReady technology. In addition, the company announced the release of its IIS Smooth Streaming Transport Protocol and Protected Interoperable File Format (PIFF) specification under the Microsoft Community Promise, helping to ensure openness and industry interoperability.

In an early preview of Silverlight 4 media-specific features, at IBC Microsoft will showcase the next generation of movie experiences enabled by advanced offline PlayReady DRM and out of browser capabilities. These features will enable movie studios and retailers to provide the same rich interactive experiences via digital copy and Internet distribution as consumers get with DVD or Blu-ray. Silverlight 4 will enable movie studios to go beyond these experiences and also offer network-delivered updates, special offers and live events, and extend their relationship with consumers past the single movie purchase.

Microsoft also announced additional tools that deliver on the company’s commitment to support the developer community. A beta version of a Smooth Streaming player development kit, which makes it easier for developers to build custom players using templates, will be available with the release of IIS Media Services 3.0. Developers can simplify the production of Silverlight video by taking advantage of the encoding and publishing capabilities in Microsoft Expression Encoder 3, now available as a standalone product from the Microsoft Expression Studio suite.