Microsoft Silverlight

Microsoft Silverlight is a plug-in designed to enhance your video streaming capabilities and improve your overall viewing experience. It generally works in the background, but you can adjust your preferences and other settings from the app's dashboard.

Pros

Configuration options: You can determine Silverlight's behavior in a number of situations by making selections in the app's control panel. For instance, you may choose how and when to update the program, configure your webcam and microphone, and set permissions for certain websites.

Improved video quality: This plug-in does improve the quality of streaming video on your computer. Most of the time you won't even know it's there, as it just integrates into your browser and other video programs to get results.

Cons

Occasional crashes: Even when you're not streaming video, Silverlight can cause your browser to crash. We encountered this problem several times after installing the software, and we were presented with a message stating that Silverlight had encountered a problem. Generally closing the browser and reopening it solved the problem.

Bottom Line

Microsoft Silverlight is a useful program, and certain other services, like Netflix, require it in order to play streaming video. It's not without issues, but it's free, and the improvements in video performance and other capabilities make it worth checking out.