Adobe: Online TV Brings Power of Interactivity

By Carolyn Giardina

Online TV is taking off – and Adobe is watching for developments in interactivity.

“We’ve seen a massive amount of content coming online, and it has shifted end user behavior to consuming more media online,” observes Jen Taylor, director of product management for interactive media at Adobe: “No doubt this is a trend that will continue. What will be interesting to see is how consuming media and delivery evolves to match the flexibility of the online platform. TV has been a one-way conversation. The power of online is a similar paradigm but with opportunity to interact – to learn more about characters, reach other end users, time shift, location shift. That is for different devices including mobiles.

“The living room is really on the cusp of massive revolution,” she continues. “TV set makers are going to be looking to add a level of interactivity. … and content owners and set-top box makers are going to be working to meet those demands.”

Taylor anticipates a hybrid future. “For instance, I think we are going to see people watching content on television and having related experiences on their other devices,” she said, citing as an example that one might watch one baseball game on TV, while at the same time use an online service to watch other games or use the MLB site to track stats about the games.

According to Taylor, Adobe’s Flash Player is used on an estimated 98% of connected desktop PCs. “Through our Open Screen Project, we are working to extend the Flash Player across all devices including the PC, mobiles, game consoles and television – pretty much anywhere there is a screen,” she said. “And we are continuing to invest in enhancing the Flash Player and evolving content protection.”

The Adobe Open Screen Project was launched in 2008 in an effort to driving rich Internet experiences across all consumer electronics devices. It is supported by a group of companies including Cisco, Intel, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Verizon Wireless. Also supporting the project are content providers including BBC, MTV Networks, and NBC Universal.