Adobe Video Player Gains Support

Adobe Systems today announced that major television broadcasters and leading content publishers including CBS, PBS, Yahoo! Video, Meredith Corporation, Blip.tv, Fora.tv, Motionbox, MyToons and StimTV are collaborating with Adobe to distribute video content via the new Adobe Media Player.

Adobe Media Player is Adobe’s first application built on Adobe AIR software, the cross operating system application that extends rich Internet applications to the desktop. Leveraging Adobe’s award winning Flash technology, Adobe Media Player enables viewers to enjoy content from these television and [tag-tec]Web video providers[/tag-tec], giving them control to watch their favorite shows both online and offline in an engaging, customized video experience.

‘As a pioneer in rich interactive Web video experiences, Adobe is committed to driving the next generation of video delivery and accelerating the fusion of TV and the Internet’. said Jim Guerard, vice president for Dynamic Media at Adobe. ‘Adobe Media Player enables us to work with content publishers and offer them innovative ways to create, deliver, and monetize high-quality video experiences that are supported both by streaming and download. By collaborating with these media and entertainment industry giants, we will be able to provide viewers an extensive catalog of their favorite shows for viewing at their convenience’.

Adobe Media Player is a lightweight desktop application that offers new features for both viewers and content owners. The player allows viewers to watch content online or download and view videos offline, all with full-screen playback. A powerful subscription feature easily enables viewers to subscribe to their favorite shows or podcasts and then automatically receive new episodes as they become available. Adobe Media Player is a cross platform program, based on open standards, including Really Simple Syndication (RSS) and Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL), and brings viewers the highly desired ability to play Adobe Flash Player compatible video, the Web’s most popular video format, outside of their browser.

The beta version of the Adobe Media Player is available immediately as a free download from Adobe Labs at labs.adobe.com. The final release of the Adobe Media Player is scheduled to be available in early 2008. I have downloaded the player from this site and am currently evaluating it. To enable the player to function you have to download Adobe Air software first but everything downloads and installs easily from one link.