Microsoft has released Silverlight 3, and while the plugin continues to add features, adoption remains low. According to RIAStats.com approximately 31% of computers have a Silverlight version installed versus 96% of computers currently running Flash.
Considering Microsoft’s share of the OS market one would think they could do better. Unfortunately for Microsoft, the 2004 antitrust case won by the EU which prohibited the company from packaging Windows Media Player set a precedent preventing them from packaging Silverlight with the upcoming Windows 7.
To make matters worse Microsoft hasn’t had many success stories with Silverlight. Save for NBC’s digital coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics, which despite reaching a large audience did little to show its potential, Silverlight has failed to prove itself a better solution than Flash, particularly where developers are concerned. MLBAM’s decision to switch entirely to Flash this season underscores this fact.
That said, recently we have finally been able to see what Silverlight can do best, during this year’s 2009 inauguration CBS used Silverlight to deliver live video in HD to hundreds of thousands of viewers, and the viewer experience which can be delivered with Microsoft’s adaptive bitrate Smooth Streaming can’t really be argued with. Add in Silverlight 3’s support for H.264 and out of browser playback and it’s a viable competitor to Flash, if not a fully proven one.