Free Player and Tools One advantage that Microsoft has over its competitors is cash. They have a lot of it. That means they can pretty much afford to do the research and give the resulting products away whenever possible. As a result, you will find that the tools you need to produce and view Windows Media and the Advanced Streaming Format are readily available from their Web site.

As streaming players go, the Windows Media Player does the job with little fanfare. It lacks the sophisticated look of Apple's QuickTime or the extra features of RealNetwork's RealPlayer. Capable simplicity appears to be Microsoft's goal.

On the production tools side, Microsoft offers a very healthy package for a free download. The Windows Media Tools download comes with the usual encoder. But thrown in there as well is Windows Media Indexer and Windows Media Author. Windows Media Indexer adds properties to your file so that the user can move within the clip (fast forward, rewind, scroll). It also adds title information. Both of these features are included with most other typical encoders. What is not included is the functionality of Windows Media Author. Developed for Microsoft as a flavor of the former T.A.G. authoring package (see our review), this application is offered free instead its usual hefty price tag. For those with other tools like Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe Premiere already installed on their systems, a pleasant surprise will occur. Your applications will gain new Windows Media options automatically when you install Windows Media Tools.