NetShow

NetShow was Microsoft's original framework for Internet network broadcasting, intended to compete with RealNetworks RealMedia & Vivo (acquired in 1998 by RealNetworks).[1] It was later renamed and marketed under the Windows Media umbrella.

NetShow 1.0 came out in 1996.[2] A newer version, 2.0, was included in Windows NT 4.0 SP3 in 1997.[3] Version 3.0 came out mid-1998.[2] The whole product line was renamed Windows Media in October, 1999, four months before Windows 2000 appeared.[2]

The NetShow name is still carried on in the user-agent string in current versions of Windows Media Player, which reports as "NSPlayer".

  1. ^ "Microsoft Netshow Server". ServerWatch. December 30, 1999. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Shaw, Russell (January 17, 2004). "The Evolution of Rich Media". iMedia.
  3. ^ "Microsoft Announces Immediate Availability of NetShow 2.0 Beta; Brings Multimedia Broadcast and Communication To the Internet and Intranets". News Center. Microsoft. March 10, 1997.