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Adobe Media Player: The killer app for Internet TV?

James Thornton

James Thornton

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Adobe Media Player has made some impressive partnershipsMore and more people are turning to the Net to watch television these, with some commentators predicting that traditional TV will be dead within 10 years. Up to now though, the range of programs available through online TV services hasn’t been that great. By that I don’t mean there’s not a lot of shows – there are – it’s just that a huge percentage of these aren’t worth watching.

Things are changing quickly though, and the release of Adobe Media Player 1.1 today marks a big step in the evolution of online TV. Now out of Beta, the AIR-based software boasts a slick new interface that makes it easy to enjoy your favourite TV shows without having to switch on your television set. You can use the software to search for streaming and downloadable video content, get alerts when new episodes appear and even download these new episodes automatically.

Adobe Media Player still doesn’t have the sheer volume of content as the likes of Joost, Veoh TV, or Babelgum, but it’s certainly showing signs of carrying more ‘quality’ content. Adobe has partnered with the likes of Comedy Central, MTV, Nikelodeon and Showtime to deliver some truly great shows. It’s even teamed up with Sony Pictures to offer some movies on the site, such as Jerry Maguire and Men In Black.

Unfortunately, Adobe Media Player isn’t quite the finished article yet. Finding some of the best content still requires a bit of digging around, and even when you do it might be unavailable. If you live outside the US then prepare to be disappointed, because a large number of the shows are only available in America. Be warned also, that the RAM-hungry Media Player client has a huge appetite for memory. Hopefully, these issues will be rectified over time and, I’m sure if Adobe can keep making connections with the major content providers, Media Player will be able to play a large part in kicking the TV set into touch.

James Thornton

James Thornton

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