Author |
Message |
Fogmeister
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:35 pm Posts: 6580 Location: Getting there
|
I've just seen an article about Silverlight 3 but I have to be honest and say that I have absolutely no idea what it is?! There don't seem to be any websites (apart from the Microsoft Update site) that even mention it. I have heard people say it's something to do with online media or something but then BBC iPlayer and YouTube seem to be doing fine without it. So what exactly is it? Does anyone know? TVM
|
Tue May 05, 2009 8:50 am |
|
|
ProfessorF
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:56 pm Posts: 12030
|
I believe it cures cancer or something. Dunno.
It's a sort of Flash replacement.
Where's Fin?
|
Tue May 05, 2009 9:00 am |
|
|
forquare1
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:36 pm Posts: 5150 Location: /dev/tty0
|
I think it's just that, Microsoft's take on Flash. I've only been on two sites that wanted me to install a plug-in for it, that was the MS site and either ITV or Channel 4's catchup service site...
|
Tue May 05, 2009 9:04 am |
|
|
big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm Posts: 10691 Location: Bramsche
|
Pretty much. It is Microsoft's take on a "rich internet experience". It is XML based, which means that you can examine the contents more easily than the binary format of Flash, if you are paranoid. It is still pretty rare, there are only a couple of thousand active sites that use it - which, given the billions of sites and pages out there, it isn't surprising that you don't bump into it that often, yet. http://memorabilia.hardrock.com/ Is a good example. It uses the "deep zoom" feature of Silverlight to start with a high level view of all of the memorabilia of Hard Rock Café and then zoom in to a closer level and then to a detailed level smoothly...
_________________ "Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
|
Tue May 05, 2009 9:16 am |
|
|
finlay666
Spends far too much time on here
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:40 pm Posts: 4876 Location: Newcastle
|
Yep a flash replacement, also has other benefits which slip my mind this early in the morning You stole my example big_D!
_________________TwitterCharlie Brooker: Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.
|
Tue May 05, 2009 9:23 am |
|
|
Fogmeister
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:35 pm Posts: 6580 Location: Getting there
|
Dave's example doesn't seem to work in FF
|
Tue May 05, 2009 9:40 am |
|
|
big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm Posts: 10691 Location: Bramsche
|
Working in FF 3.0.5 and 3.0.10 here...
_________________ "Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
|
Tue May 05, 2009 9:43 am |
|
|
leeds_manc
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:19 pm Posts: 5071 Location: Manchester
|
Woah, that Otis Redding concert poster is a bit creepy.
|
Tue May 05, 2009 9:50 am |
|
|
forquare1
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:36 pm Posts: 5150 Location: /dev/tty0
|
Have you installed the Silverlight plug-in?
|
Tue May 05, 2009 10:02 am |
|
|
Fogmeister
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:35 pm Posts: 6580 Location: Getting there
|
I can right click the content and bring up the Silverlight menu and stuff so I presume I have?! It just shows a black square when I load the page.
|
Tue May 05, 2009 10:38 am |
|
|
finlay666
Spends far too much time on here
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:40 pm Posts: 4876 Location: Newcastle
|
You need v2 of silverlight IIRC, you might need to update it
_________________TwitterCharlie Brooker: Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.
|
Tue May 05, 2009 11:21 am |
|
|
Fogmeister
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:35 pm Posts: 6580 Location: Getting there
|
I've got V2 with automatic updates on also. I did notice that the page seems to stick on "transferring data from..." and never finishes. If I switch to another tab it then stops transferring but never loads the page. It might be a company policy stopping it from loading or something.
|
Tue May 05, 2009 11:41 am |
|
|
Nick
Spends far too much time on here
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:36 pm Posts: 3527 Location: Portsmouth
|
The only site I use regularly which uses Silverlight is the ITVplayer site.
I find it pretty slow and clunky, and not very good to use. They really should have used HTML selection boxes IMO - the silverlight ones don't resize, don't scroll, and they're slow and clunky to open.
Video playback itself seems okay, but it seems to get a little confused switchng between adverts and the actual media sometimes.
It's hard to say how much if this is Silverlights fault or whoever made the ITVplayer but regardless, it's given me a bad impression.
_________________
|
Tue May 05, 2009 11:42 am |
|
|
Fogmeister
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:35 pm Posts: 6580 Location: Getting there
|
I agree. I once tried to watch the F1 on ITV Catchup. It was slow to move between adverts and actual program content and when it did eventually switch it didn't always load the correct part. e.g. I was watching part 4 (IIRC) with Martin Brundle on the grid interviewing the drivers and when it came back from the adverts they were on part 6 and 5 or so laps into the race! Because you can't skipp backwards I had to reload the page and skip forwards. It did this 3 or 4 times at different points of the race! In the end I gave up watching. Thank god for the BBC and iPlayer!!!
|
Tue May 05, 2009 11:46 am |
|
|
Nick
Spends far too much time on here
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 11:36 pm Posts: 3527 Location: Portsmouth
|
Yeah I remember when it was that bad. It has improved but is still not perfect.
The first time I used it was awful though-just as you described. I don't see why they can't just embed the adverts into the media rather than switching all the time - it seems more effort than it's worth!
_________________
|
Tue May 05, 2009 11:50 am |
|
|