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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Thursday, November 13, 2003

Windows Media continues to dominate QuickTime, Real
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Windows Media is the dominant format for multimedia playback. "Microsoft has been making key conquests," the report reads. "With the exception of Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Store, all the major online music downloading services rolled out world-wide recently -- and almost all portable digital audio devices on sale -- support Microsoft's Windows Media Audio (WMA) standard. The standard is a combination of compression and encryption technology designed to ease downloads, store more music in less space and prevent piracy. Some 400 device manufacturers and more than 150 software companies support the Microsoft standard, including RealNetworks Inc., Musicmatch Inc. and Roxio Inc.'s Napster 2.0. Analysts and competitors agree with regulators that the fact Microsoft's WMA-based Windows Media Player is installed on more than 90% of all new PCs world-wide gives it a leg-up on the competition for related services. 'Windows Media Player is going to be the dominant player' despite the current success of Apple's iTunes and RealNetworks' RealOne players, predicts Mark Mulligan, senior analyst at Jupiter Research in London. 'The majority of consumers like to have the easy option. They don't want to have to download another piece of software.' Or, in the case of Apple's non-supported AAC, yet another codec.

[ Posted at 9:07 AM | Permalink ]