The Remote Desktop Client in Windows 7 is equipped with new features and enhancements via Remote Desktop Protocol 7 (RDP). The most interesting enhancement is the support for Desktop Composition, full Aero glass effect.
Below are the features introduced in Windows 7 Remote Desktop Client
- Windows 7 Aero support
- Direct 2D & Direct 3D 10.1 application support
- True multi-monitor support
- RDP Core Performance Improvements
- Multimedia enhancements
- Media Foundation support
- DirectShow support
- Low Latency audio playback support
- Bi-directional audio support
I fired up the Remote Desktop Client in the latest Windows 7 build 7057 and tested few things. Remote desktop connection experience is very much improved compared to its previous versions and I also found the session to be incredibly responsive even while playing HD videos. Below are few screenshots
Thumbnail Previews
Flip 3D
Aero Peek
Alt+Tab with Aero Peek
HD Video Playback (1080p)
The resolution is very high and rich and is running in full motion with the audio synced
To see a demo of all the features including multi monitor support, Direct 2D support, watch the full length (35 mins) TV episode of Brian Madden, recorded during the MVP Summit 2009. The video includes a demo showing the new RDP 7 multimon support on six displays, DirectX 2D and 3D remoting in RDP 7 and the new client-based rendering for various media pipeline engines.