Microsoft details next version of Silverlight

Microsoft has said that the latest version of its Silverlight platform will better enable web sites to deliver premium media services.

New features in Silverlight 5 include support for GPU-accelerated video decoding, which will allow users to view HD video while significantly reducing strain on the CPU.

Silverlight 5 will also offer the ability to slow playback speeds with automatic pitch correction, and provide new remote control support and power management components.

The software offers improved out-of-browser support for developers, as well as new graphics features and better text and printing support.

"Silverlight 5 adds significant new features and capabilities, and enables developers to create premium media experiences and deliver rich applications across browsers, desktops and devices," said Scott Guthrie, Microsoft developer division corporate vice president, in a blog post.

"We are really excited about the great new capabilities that Silverlight 5 will deliver, and look forward to getting your feedback."

Guthrie said that the first beta of Silverlight 5 will arrive in the first half of 2011, with a final release scheduled for the second half of the year.

The development of Silverlight 5 comes at a pivotal time for web media platforms, as the adoption of HTML 5 has prompted many companies to question the need for media plug-ins such as Silverlight and Adobe Flash.

Microsoft said in November that it will shift the focus of Silverlight towards enabling software such as web-based client and business applications.