Adobe Flash Player 11 and Air 3 will enable immersive television experiences

Adobe has new versions of Flash Player and AIR that will make possible apps based on this technology already available on Samsung SmartTVs and that will soon reach digital devices from LG and TiVo, among others.

Adobe announced at its MAX 2011 technology conference the availability of the latest versions of Flash Player 11 and AIR 3, which will enable next-generation immersive application experiences across multiple devices such as Android, Apple iOS (via AIR), BlackBerry, Tablet OS, Mac OS, Windows, connected TVs and other platforms. Content partners can leverage AIR to deliver console-quality games, high-quality video and sophisticated data-driven applications across TVs, Blue-Ray players and set-top boxes.

With more than 100 unique digital home devices already certified compatible with Adobe Flash and AIR, including Samsung Smart TVs, Adobe expects rapid growth of Flash-based applications across TVs and other devices. LG and TiVo have become the latest partners to bring Adobe Flash-based apps to digital home devices and connected TVs through Adobe AIR.

Among the new Flash-based apps that AIR makes possible are games like Zombie Tycoon from Frima Studio, 'I Love the 80's', Trivia from VH1 or Raider from Playjam, as well as high-quality video experiences from SnagFilms, Flingo and EPIX. Danny Winokur, vice president and general manager of Adobe's Platform business unit, said, "TVs and other connected devices in the digital home living room are the next frontier for rich application experiences. Flash-based apps are beginning to transform content consumption on televisions as developers embrace new opportunities to deliver engaging HD content across more and more devices in the digital home connected to a big screen."

With the AIR SDK, Flash Builder, and Flash Professional CS5.5 software development kit, developers can create new apps for connected digital devices in the home or extend existing Flash-based applications from desktop computers and mobile devices to televisions. AIR 3 brings a number of advancements to TVs, including hardware-accelerated rendering of 2D and 3D graphics to help bring gaming apps to console quality. Content publishers can deliver HD videos with Dolby and DTS 7.1 surround sound to fully support home theater systems. Developers, thanks to the new Game Input application programming interface (API), can also make a variety of devices, including joysticks, smartphones and tablets, an integral part of the gaming experience on TV screens.

Satisfaction among content providers

Kyungsik Kevin Lee, vice president of display business at Samsung Electronics, said: "We are excited to be the first TV manufacturers to offer support for Adobe AIR, specifically on our Smart TVs, bringing sophisticated Flash-based applications to millions of customers today. With the dramatic advancements of AIR 3, Adobe continues to push the boundaries with innovative new features that will soon enable 3D gaming and other next-generation app experiences on TVs."

Youngjae Seo, vice president of LG Smart TV Team, said his company is “working closely with Adobe to bring Flash-based applications with AIR to LG Smart TVs in 2012. We look forward to seeing what kind of application experiences the three million Flash developers will bring to our customers with AIR 3.”

Likewise, Jim Denney, vice president and general manager of Product Marketing at TiVo, stated that "the availability of AIR will give us the tools necessary to deliver better functionality, more features and the sophisticated, seamless experience that our users expect from TiVo products. We look forward to developing a rich ecosystem of cross-platform applications that will make the TV experience even better."

Emil Rensing, CEO of EPIX, highlighted that "Adobe AIR helps us provide high-definition video and more sophisticated and immersive cinema-like experiences to our customers on a wide variety of screens that can be viewed anytime, anywhere, whether on the desktop, mobile device or TV. Adobe solutions continue to help us bring innovative products to market in less time without sacrificing the quality of video that our customers will enjoy."

Likewise, Steve Couture, president of Frima Studio, noted that “the number of digital home devices on the market is growing at a rapid rate and we are very happy to see that we can continually rely on Adobe to make them compatible.” "Adobe AIR allows us to easily publish games and applications on a variety of digital home platforms. We are excited about the future possibilities of games like Zombie Tycoon by bringing them to televisions, enhancing the excitement that these games convey and introducing them to new audiences. As a third party and multi-platform developer, this means new revenue opportunities for us and our partners," he added.

Stuart Walsh, COO of PlayJam, said: "PlayJam has always been a pioneer in interactive TV gaming and will continue to push the boundaries of social and casual gaming with Adobe AIR 3, including Stage 3D. With the nearly ubiquitous adoption of Flash technology by connected TV manufacturers, we believe Flash-enabled TVs will further energize the casual gaming community and provide a strong revenue channel for PlayJam and content partners such as Slingo and “Relentless.”

Finally, Kristin Frank, CEO of MTV and VH1 Digital, said: "We are thrilled to bring the 'I Love the 80's' Trivia app to AIR-connected TVs. The rich content and rich colors bring the '80s to life and give our audience another screen to celebrate the decade."