Windows Media Aims for Broadband and Mobile

Microsoft is pressing forward with its goal of making Windows Media the dominant multimedia format, with two recent enhancements: a new file format with improved compression and a Windows Media video player for Pocket PCs. Microsoft has also demonstrated future applications that could make video easier to use in corporate presentations.

New Windows Media Formats, Applications

The new Windows Media Audio and Video 8, shown in beta, is the successor to Windows Media Format 7. The dual format names notwithstanding, both audio and video files can be encoded, hosted, streamed, and played using the same tools. A beta encoding tool is already available, and although the Windows Media Player 8 client is not yet available, the new file types can be played on versions 6.4 and 7 (an upgrade to the new format is offered automatically when users first play a video file; audio files require no upgrade).

The new compression codec permits “near DVD quality” video (640×480 pixels at 24 frames per second) to be streamed at 500Kbps, compared with 750Kbps previously, and allows 50% more audio storage at a given level of quality.