Windows Media 9 Series in Windows Server 2003

Microsoft Corp. today announced a broad range of customers and organizations that have deployed the Windows Media® 9 Series streaming server in Windows® Server 2003 and have collectively delivered 300 terabytes of streaming audio and video using the new server. These customers are already delivering their most-valued news, sports, music and film content from major networks, sports leagues, record labels and movie studios, and are reaping the benefits of the high-quality engineering in Windows Server 2003 using prerelease versions.

"Our goal in designing Windows Media Services 9 Series in Windows Server 2003 was to improve the economics of streaming for our customers by delivering more streams per server, and to create a breakthrough experience for streaming audio and video on the Web," said Dave Fester, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft. "The breadth of companies using this server technology with prerelease versions says volumes about how our customers can do more with less using Windows Media 9 Series in Windows Server 2003."

A key benefit of Windows Media Services 9 Series in Windows Server 2003 is its ability to provide Fast Streaming, which offers a more-television-like experience with instant-on, always-on streaming audio and video for broadband users, and significant performance improvements for dial-up users. This means that broadband consumers can get near-instant responsiveness when streaming, whether they are watching breaking news, listening to music, watching movies or enjoying sports programs.

Yours truly has been experimenting with this and it works rather well. The quality can be adjusted depending on the target audience. I have been using the Xvid codec to stream some media to a few of the staff of TZ from my server. Works great. :D