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Semiconductor industry

Adobe Flash Platform Expands to Connected Digital Home Devices

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Adobe Flash Platform has been extended to connected digital home devices, enabling the delivery of high-definition (HD) video and rich applications to Internet-connected televisions, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, and other devices in the digital living room. Major System on Chips (SoC) vendors, OEMs, cable operators, and content providers have announced support for the optimized Flash technology, which is now available to OEMs. The first devices and SoC platforms with support for the optimized Flash technology are expected to ship in the second half of 2009.

Key Takeaways:

  • Adobe has optimized Flash technology for digital home devices, enabling the delivery of HD Web videos and rich applications to Internet-connected televisions, set-top boxes, and Blu-ray players.
  • Major SoC vendors, OEMs, cable operators, and content providers, including Atlantic Records, Broadcom, Comcast, Disney Interactive Media Group, Intel, Netflix, STMicroelectronics, The New York Times Company, NXP Semiconductors, and Sigma Designs, have announced support for the optimized Flash technology.
  • The Adobe Flash Platform for the Digital Home enables the delivery of HD Web videos to digital home devices via the Flash Video (FLV) file format.
  • Consumers will be able to enjoy rich, interactive viewing experiences and engage with HD content on televisions using Flash technology-based applications.
  • Flash technology-based applications will allow users to quickly switch between television programming and Web content outside the Web browser.
  • Content providers can extend their reach to millions of connected digital home devices, and cable operators and device manufacturers can develop new services and powerful user interfaces that deliver immersive experiences.
  • The first devices and SoC platforms with support for the optimized Flash technology are expected to ship in the second half of 2009.
  • The Open Screen Project, a broad industry initiative, aims to deliver a consistent runtime environment across devices by enabling Web content and standalone applications across televisions, desktops, mobile devices, and other consumer electronics.

Statistics:

  • Adobe Flash technology is the No. 1 platform for video on the Web (over 98% of Internet-enabled desktops).
  • Flash runtime has shipped and delivered Flash technology-based content on close to 40% of all new mobile phones and devices in 2008.
  • The Adobe Flash Platform is a complete system of integrated tools, frameworks, clients, and servers for the development of Web applications, content, and video (visit www.adobe.com/flashplatform).

Sources:

  • "Adobe Flash Platform for the Digital Home will dramatically change the way we view content on televisions." (David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Platform Business Unit at Adobe)
  • "Comcast is constantly working to deliver richer user interfaces and services to our customers." (Labeeb Ismail, vice president, Technology at Comcast)
  • "As a new contributor to the Open Screen Project, Disney shares Adobe's vision of extending HD video and rich, engaging experiences across multiple screens." (Bud Albers, CTO and executive vice president at Disney Interactive Media Group)
  • "Intel and Adobe have a long history of collaboration and have worked together to optimize Flash technology for the digital home on the Intel Media Processor CE 3100..." (William O. Leszinske Jr., general manager of Intel's Digital Home Group)
  • "The New York Times is pleased to work with Adobe on the Open Screen Project." (Michael Zimbalist, vice president of Research and Development Operations at The New York Times Company)
  • "Sigma Designs has long recognized that IPTV is the future..." (Ken Lowe, vice president for Business Development and Strategic Marketing at Sigma Designs)
  • www.openscreenproject.org
  • www.adobe.com/flashplatform
  • www.adobe.com

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