Flash vs. Windows - What's The Difference?

Both Adobe and Microsoft recently launched new versions of products that create interesting rich media applications for use on cross-platform browsers. Adobe’s Flash, which is both a format (Adobe Flash) and a player (Adobe Flash Player) for rich media applications, has a long-standing development community and market penetration of over 90%. Microsoft’s Windows Media format is also well-entrenched in the video world and available on nearly every system as a player (Windows Media Player). Microsoft recently improved the rich media experience using the new Microsoft Silverlight player, a direct competitor to Adobe Flash Player. Silverlight, the latest entry into the browser/player battle for rich interactive media applications, uses the Microsoft Windows Media format and affords Microsoft a credible entry into the player market.

So what’s the difference between Adobe and Microsoft?

Lining Up The Choices:
Adobe
Microsoft
Format (Codec)
Flash (H.264)
Windows Media
Streaming Server
Adobe Flash Media Server or Wowza Media Server
Windows Media Server
PC Player / Browser Plug-in
Adobe Media Player
Windows Media Player or Silverlight
Multicast Support for Live Broadcast No Yes, for Windows Media Player
Support Video On-Demand Yes Yes

Silverlight vs. Flash - A Summary:

Silverlight is a browser plugin for playing Windows Media encoded files and interactive Web applications. It is available at no charge and works on Windows PCs and Macs with Firefox 3, IE, and Safari. Silverlight provides DRM (digital rights management) and the player window can be resized by the end user on the fly (enabled by the use of vector graphics) for a very clean and dynamic user experience. As the next generation user interface by Microsoft, Silverlight delivers an exceptionally cool experience. Silverlight supports a large number of development languages including C#, Ruby, and Perl.

Flash is a browser plugin for playing Flash media files and for developing interactive Web applications. Flash has a large installed base and lots of traction as it has become the standard on many websites for video, especially consumer video (i.e., YouTube). Flash is also a development environment and supports Flex as the language.

One key criteria for evaluating plugins and their video format is understanding the difference between video on demand (VOD) and live video broadcasts (LIVE). Because of the scale of LIVE, typically in the hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of users, more efficient distribution capabilities are required to minimize the impact of video traffic on corporate networks (Intranets). “Multicast” is the preferred technique for handling this scaling challenge.

The Windows Media protocol supports multicasting but Flash does not, so the Flash format (and as a result the Flash Player) is at a major disadvantage on corporate intranets.

One other important consideration is the format support provided by your content distribution network (CDN). Some CDNs only support one format or the other, and you should check with your CDN vendor for the latest support. If you do not have a CDN installed, try Qumu’s MediaNet – a low-cost video content distribution network that resides on Windows servers, can serve both live and on-demand video content, and provides automated failover for encoders and streaming servers at all levels to ensure error-free broadcast events for the entire viewing audience.

The process of capturing and managing both Adobe Flash and Microsoft Windows formats is managed by Qumu. Distributing these formats to the respective players is part of how Qumu delivers satisfactory viewing experience to all your users, who will benefit from the right application of either format. The options are available and the choice is yours!