Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

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Silverlight 2 massive deployment.

When Will Silverlight be Available?
While Microsoft has not announced a release date for Silverlight 2.0, a beta version is scheduled for release in March 2008, and it is speculated that there will be a final release in the third or fourth quarter of 2008. http://www.ideablade.com/silverlight_brief.html

Massive Silverlight 2.0 Deployment Planned for August
Jan 14, 2008

On August 8th, the Summer Olympic Games will start in China. To coincide with that, Microsoft has persuaded NBC to use Silverlight 2.0 for online coverage. With millions of people expected to watch the games online, this could very well be fastest deployment of a new online technology.
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As a part of this, we will provide users with exclusive access to over 3000 hours of live and on-demand video content via Silverlight streaming. This means that viewers can access every minute of every event. Additionally, the amount of meta-data attached to each of the streams will be extensive and include links to player bios, medal counts, shortcuts to particular events (i.e. athlete x’s third long-jump attempt), maps of the Olympic facilities, pop-up overlays with real-time event alerts, headlines, video search capabilities, etc.
Silverlight is Microsoft’s newest attempt at a rich client interface for browser-based applications. Unlike previous attempts such as ActiveX controls and embedded WinForms, this time around they are paying attention to important concepts like cross-platform compatibility.

Version 1.0 of Silverlight is already in production. It is based on XAML and Jscript and is interpreted. Version 2.0 of Silverlight will add a lightweight version of the CLR. This gives it the ability to use compiled DLLs written in .NET languages such as VB and C#. There is also a hosted compiler/interpreter, allowing it to support languages such as VB, Python, Ruby, and PHP. http://www.infoq.com/news/2008/01/Silverlight-Olympic

March 3, 2008 1:24 PM PST
Microsoft to take Silverlight offline eventually, says exec
There are a number of software projects that enable Web applications to run offline, including Adobe's AIR, Google Gears, and the Mozilla Foundation's Prism. What about Microsoft and its Silverlight browser plug-in?
Microsoft does not currently have specific plans to bring offline capabilities to Silverlight, but it's something it will eventually do, said John Case, general manager in Microsoft's developer division.

"It's something that we will want to do," Case said in an interview on Monday. "Eventually, customers will expect us to do it."

Silverlight is Microsoft's cross-platform plug-in for running media-rich applications in different browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Apple's Safari.

Microsoft executives are expected to detail more enhancements to Silverlight at its Mix '08 conference in Las Vegas, which starts on Tuesday.

The company developed Silverlight as an alternative to Adobe's Flash Player, which is widely used for Web video and rich Internet application development.

Microsoft is trying to create a common development environment for Windows, Web applications, and its online Web services.
Until now, however, Microsoft executives have been quiet on the idea of bringing offline access to Silverlight, saying that its bigger priority is porting Silverlight to other platforms, including Linux and mobile devices.

Adobe last week released Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) 1.0, a download and development platform for making Web applications behave more like desktop programs, including offline access. Google Gears, still in development, allows Web applications to store local data.

Wavexpress to Provide Internet Video Download Service for NBC’s Coverage of the Beijing Olympic Games
Free Service to Allow Media Center Users the Ability to Download Content During NBC’s Coverage of the Beijing Olympics, August 8-24, 2008

NEW YORK - June 23, 2008 — Wavexpress, a provider of broadband media technology and services, majority-owned by Wave Systems Corp. (NASDAQ: WAVX), has been selected by NBC Universal, Inc., to develop, host, and support a service for viewing NBC’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Microsoft’s Windows Vista Media Center. The announcement was made today by Perkins Miller, Senior Vice President, Digital Media, NBC Sports and Olympics, and Michael Sprague, President of Wavexpress.

The “NBC Olympics on the Go” service will take advantage of Wavexpress’ TVTonic Internet video service to allow Media Center users to watch channels of NBC’s coverage of Olympic events in up-to-HD quality on the go on their laptop. The free service will enable viewers to watch NBC’s extensive coverage of the Beijing Games on a sport-by-sport basis, with channels designated to match the hundreds of events included in the Games. Users can simply sign up for the channels they are interested in, and the service will automatically synchronize NBC’s video clips as they become available, so viewers will have a fresh slate of Olympic content to watch on their morning commute.

“This service will provide a fantastic viewing experience for Olympic fans with Windows Vista Media Center,” said Sprague. “They can choose their favorite sports, from diving to water polo to gymnastics, and extended coverage is automatically synchronized to their PC in the middle of the night. With a laptop, they will get a high-quality video experience to view on the train, the plane, or in the college quad.”

“As we prepare to broadcast the Beijing Olympic Games, we are committed to reaching as many viewers as possible,” said Miller. “Our partnership with Wavexpress will enable us to reach viewers seeking high-quality in-depth coverage of the wide range of sports that make up the Olympics. The service will especially appeal to fast-paced fans who want to catch up on their favorite sports offline.”
Certain terms of the business arrangement between NBC and Wavexpress are subject to final documentation.