Can WM9 Deliver on the Hype?

Microsoft has not yet released a beta version of its heavily-hyped Windows Media 9 (formerly 'Corona') platform, but tongues are already wagging about its advanced capabilities.

The revamped WM9 player, promising to virtually purge buffering delays when streams are launched and take full advantage of a user's high-speed connection, is being touted as the best thing to happen to the streaming media industry. But despite the PR shimmying from the software giant, executives from rival RealNetworks insist the market is still wide open.

"It's unclear what it (WM9) is. It sounds like an incremental update to what they've been doing for some time. It's interesting in that Microsoft first announced Corona a year ago and they've been talking about this magical thing for over a year and they've never even shipped a beta product," RealNetworks VP of strategic relations Steve Banfield told internetnews.

"While they are busy announcing that they'll announce something next month, we are focused on delivering custom solutions and marketing our own services. We've done all kinds of things in the same time period during which Microsoft has been talking about this forthcoming launch," Banfield added.

Banfield's bristling may be understandable. Microsoft has spent the past few months teasing everyone about the wild capabilities of Corona, but a beta product has not yet been launched. And, even though demos offer an interesting peek at video clip playback and the content creation and distribution capabilities, Real's Banfield is unimpressed. The sniping is indicative of the firms' competitive natures.

News source: Internet News