Description of Silverlight 3

View products that this article applies to.

INTRODUCTION

Microsoft Silverlight is a cross-browser, multi-environment plug-in that delivers the next generation of Microsoft .NET–based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web. This article describes the release of Silverlight 3.

↑ Back to the top

Summary

Silverlight 3 introduces more than 50 new features, including the following:

Improved security and reliability
Improved media and video support, including support for H.264 video
The ability to run Silverlight applications outside the browser
Significantly improved graphics, graphical performance, and creative effects, including support for Perspective 3D graphics
Improved development productivity for rich Internet applications (RIAs)

Silverlight 3 is backward-compatible with Web applications that were built in earlier versions of Silverlight.

↑ Back to the top

More Information

Installation information

This update is available from the following sources.

Microsoft Silverlight site

The Silverlight installer includes all previous updates in addition to this update. To install the latest version of Silverlight, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight

Microsoft Update

This update is also available to users of Microsoft Update. If you have an earlier version of Silverlight installed, this update will be offered as "Update for Microsoft Silverlight (KB 970363)."

WSUS

This update is also available on Microsoft Update through Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).

If a computer has an earlier version of Microsoft Silverlight installed, this update will be offered as "Update for Microsoft Silverlight (KB 970363)."

If a computer does not have Silverlight installed, this update will be offered by the latest Silverlight 3.0 installer as "Update for Microsoft Silverlight (KB 970363)."

Silverlight 3.0 contains an auto-updating mechanism. By default, this mechanism is turned off in the WSUS package. Future updates will be provided through WSUS updates.

↑ Back to the top