QuickTime, Windows Media Player and RealPlayer/RealAudio are dead web technologies

Why do we need the QuickTime, Windows Media and Real Players when it comes to video and audio on the web? I, for one, am seriously tired of Apple's persistent begging for me to upgrade to Pro when I launch their player. I am absolutely frustrated with Windows Media Player and its inability to either find a codec or to tell me which flipping codec is missing. Real, to me is a litterbug, strewing my desktop with RAM files. Not only that, I have absolutely no guarantee the users even have the plug ins and can see the content.

Flash isn't just for website intros anymore!! (I know better than that, but seriously, everytime I ask a group of people what Flash it to them, the inevitably come up with "website intros"...)

These facts became readily apparent on a recent venture where we were experimenting extensively with the merits of the .flv format, and it's power within Flash. Consider the following stats.

Media Player Market Penetration:
Macromedia’s Flash - 98%
Viewpoint Media Player - 64.3%.
Shockwave - 58.1%
Windows Media Player 9 - 57.5%
RealNetworks RealPlayer - 46.5%
Apple’s QuickTime - 43.1%

Taken from: Bye Bye Quicktime, By: Tom Green