Windows Media vs. Flash

Today content owners face yet another dilemma: Windows Media or Flash? At iStreamPlanet we get regularly asked what format should content owners use. The answer is “it really depends on strategy, short-term vs. long-term, and how will the content be distributed!” First let’s look at latter one. If planning to deliver live content or offer content on a download basis, clearly your choice should be Windows Media. Why? Flash server has no capability to deliver live streams (at least not in a reliable and quality satisfactory manner) and there is no flash player for flash video downloads (player that plays .flv files on a standalone basis). Contrary, if looking to stream on-demand video, Flash is probably your choice because it offers easy integration, appealing programming APIs which are easy to use to customize your media player and it is pretty much platform agnostic. Meaning, if you are on Mac, Linux or Windows, you shouldn’t have any issues getting your content to play. Yet another question is what file format has capability to secure media with digital rights management (DRM) technology. Hands down Windows Media is the clear winner here as Flash has no DRM capability at this point.

Now onto long-term vs. short-term strategy and how it can impact your decision. Please note this is my personal vision, or more likely an opinion, based on six years of experience in this market space. When I analyze distribution and current and future trends, I think in terms of content availability on a wide range of IP connected devices. So let’s roll the dice here. TV sets are already indirectly connected to the Internet through multiple IP devices, been that set-top-boxes, media extenders, PCs or other types of media devices. Secondly, mobile phones are already media enabled, portable devices will soon all be Wi-Fi enabled and PCs were first to take advantage of been able to play media over the Internet. If user wants certain piece of content, in the future it will be absolutely critical that content is seamlessly and transparently available on any device user wants to use! Hence, if user is on a PC, the content has to be readily accessible using media playback software designed for PC. Moreover, if user moves to a TV set, the user needs access to the content via standard TV based interface (e.g. program guide and remote control). Furthermore, If user leaves house and wants to take content on its portable player, this process has to be simple enough and painless.

This is why I believe Microsoft, or Windows Media should I say, have a clear advantage. In fact they are already in all of the aforementioned devices and more importantly have enough resources to push the issue with standards. Competition is great because it pushes both camps to innovate and create value which in the end can only benefit consumers. However, unless interoperability becomes ubiquitous, a single format will have to emerge as a winner.