Today at MIX09 ScottGu announced the availability of Silverlight 3 Beta. I am very excited about the new databinding capabilities and the HD streaming support. Microsoft definitely put a lot of efforts in this release. Check out the Silverlight 3 Beta release page.

Interesting fact – although all the new features that are added, the download distributive of Silverlight 3 Beta is 4.4MB, with 40Kb less than Silverlight 2.0 – says ScottGu.

Check out Silverlight 3 Beta Development Center.

Here are some of my highlights in this release:

  • Live and on-demand true HD (720p+) Smooth Streaming
  • IIS Media Services
  • Native support for MPEG-4-based H.264/AAC Audio
  • True HD playback in full-screen
  • Bitmap Caching
  • New Bitmap API
  • 60+ controls with source code
  • Element to Element binding
  • Data Forms
  • New features for data validation
  • Support for business objects
  • Enhanced Deep Zoom
  • Internet connectivity detection
  • Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator import
  • Team Foundation Server support allows easier integration of the Blend user into Team System