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Microsoft Corp. today announced the final release of its breakthrough Windows Media:tm: Audio and Video 8, the first digital media technology to make possible the real-time delivery of full-screen, near-DVD-quality film content over today´s broadband connections. Microsoft:registered: Windows Media Audio and Video 8 delivers a 30 percent improvement in quality compared with the previous version, delivering unmatched quality for narrowband and broadband users. Leading online film and video providers ALWAYSi, CinemaNow Inc., FILMSPEED, IMAX Corp., Intertainer Inc., Kanakaris Wireless and SightSound Technologies have embraced the new technology and are releasing thousands of hours of film content using Windows Media Video 8.

Achieving key benchmarks for the delivery of the highest-quality audio and video in the smallest bandwidth, Microsoft´s new compression technology enables the delivery of film content at near-DVD quality across Internet broadband connections at rates as low as 500 Kbps and near-CD-quality audio at 48 Kbps. To demonstrate the quality of the new codecs, Microsoft is showcasing a selection of films, music and videos at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/audiovideo8/.

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