Below are some of the new features in Silverlight 4:

  • Webcam and microphone access to allow sharing of video and audio for instance for chat or customer service applications.
  • Audio and video local recording capabilities capture RAW video without requiring server interaction, enabling a wide range of end-user interaction and communication scenarios for example video conferencing.
  • Bring data in to your application with features such as copy and paste or drag and drop.
  • Support conventional desktop interaction models through new features such as right-click context menu.
  • Multicast networking, enabling Enterprises to lower the cost of streaming broadcast events such as company meetings and training, interoperating seamlessly with existing Windows Media Server streaming infrastructure.
  • Read and write files to the user's MyDocuments, MyMusic, MyPictures and MyVideos folder (or equivalent for non-windows platforms) for example storage of media files and taking local copies of reports.
  • Run other desktop programs such as Office, for example requesting Outlook to send an email, send a report to Word or data to Excel.
  • COM automation enables access to devices and other system capabilities by calling into application components; for instance to access a USB security card reader.
  • Comprehensive printing support enabling hardcopy reports and documents as well as a virtual print view, independent of screen content.
  • The .NET Common Runtime (CLR) now enables the same compiled code to be run on the desktop and Silverlight without change.