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Originally published at Internet.comNo longer in beta, Adobe has launched the Adobe Media Player, which lets viewers automatically download new episodes of favorite Web programs for offline viewing.
On Wednesday, Adobe took the wraps off its new Adobe Media Player (AMP), releasing the 1.0 version. The Adobe Media Player is something of a digital video recorder for online content, letting people subscribe to their favorite programs. New episodes are downloaded automatically, and are available for online viewing. The Adobe Media Player even lets users view stored FLV files, without needing to convert them to another format first.
System Requirements
The program is free, although usage requirements are high. Anyone who loaded the AMP beta on an older computer knows that it didn't run well on slower machines. System requirements for the 1.0 version make it clear that a newer computer is required. Mac users need at least a 1.8GHz G5 PowerPC machine, while Windows users need at least a 2.33GHz Pentium 4. Both platforms require 1GB of RAM and 64MB of VRAM.
Those base requirements, however, are just for standard definition content. As the system requirements page makes clear, high-definition content requires much newer and more powerful machines.
Monetization Options
Besides allowing viewers to easily download content, AMP offers simple monetization options for content providers. The player supports banner, overlay, pre-, mid-, and post-roll advertising. It can pull ads from partner sites, such as DoubleClick, and use a company's existing advertising assets.
At launch, Adobe is announcing that MTV, CBS, Scripps Networks (HGTV, Food Network), PBS, CondéNet, and Universal Music are all content partners. Users can view the content page to discover videos to download and watch.
"We're thrilled to enable viewers to not only discover content, but to subscribe to their favorite shows," said Ashley Still, senior product manager, Adobe Media Player. "In addition, this enables content owners to reach users in a more meaningful and powerful way."
AMP can store FLV files stored locally, so viewers can use it to watch videos grabbed from YouTube or other user-generated content sites. The player doesn't sync videos with portable devices, however.
1.0 Improvements
People who tried the AMP beta will notice a few differences with this release, including a slightly redesigned interface, better surfacing of partner content, and faster performance.
Will AMP 1.0 take off with the masses of people now watching millions of online videos each month? Time will tell, but we're skeptical that people want to bother with another desktop application, and will instead prefer to access video through the browser. Portable device compatibility would make AMP a must-have, but that isn't part of it yet.
Along with the AMP news, Adobe has also announced the creation of Adobe TV, the company's own video content channel. Adobe TV will highlight largely instructional videos that Adobe has already been producing. Besides being available through the Adobe Media Player, Adobe TV content can be found at http://tv.adobe.com.
To download the Adobe Media Player, go to http://www.adobe.com/go/mp.
Author: Troy Dreier
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