Progress bar or similar control for web forms

 
I'd like to indicate the status of an item visually (color) or graphically (progress / level, cf: progress bar).
I'm prototyping with an 
<asp:ImageButton

and setting BackColor, but it's hardly sophisticated.
Any candidates or suggestions in:
i) basic form [code myself with standard html / asp.net controls
ii) ajax / mvc / latest protocols
iii) 3rd party controls?
Cheers,
Andrew.
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