Adobe Releases Its Own Media Player
Today gives us the release of yet another contender in the online media maze, as Adobe releases AMP, or Adobe Media Player. The release version is 1.0 and comes in at only a little over a megabyte, but that is deceptive, as the installer calls up the installation of the AIR platform, also from Adobe.
another winner it seems
While the player might be dismissed as simply another attempt to get a piece of the multimedia online pie, Adobe seems to have done things right, as they have enlisted the help of some heavyweight content providers to assure the success of the project. Users can find, then sort their favorite content and can search for new material. They can also subscribe to favorite shows that are featured, and are then reminded when new episodes are available.
During the product’s beta period of almost exactly one year, it had already obtained official partners — including CBS, MTV Networks, and NBC/Fox joint venture Hulu — which began using the non-release version anyway as an alternate delivery platform for their shows. So the player was already receiving widespread attention before its official release.
some content heavyweights have been enlisted
The player was designed from the start to be advertiser supported, so it will, ostensibly, remain free throughout its life - nice to know, since many things begin as a labor of love, then the profit motive rears its ugly head. At least here both sides are getting what they want, with only minor inconveniences to the users.
The guys at Adobe know how to appeal to many, with things like full episodes of programs like CSI: Miami all the way to 79 episodes of the original Star Trek, complete and uncut.
Another nice thing is that the content will be available for online or offline viewing. The media player will also be delivering high definition content in either 720p or 1080p. Very nice since this will allow machines with less raw power to share the high def experience, albeit slightly truncated.
For the budget home theater user (discussed here) this means another way to get quality high definition content on the cheap.
Just a few hours old, and the player looks like another winner from Adobe. (and something else for Microsoft to try to copy!)
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Adobe, Media Player, AIR, CBS, MTV, high definition content, FOX, NBC, television programming
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