Adobe Championing Flash as File Format for TV

We expect to see flash in one form or another every time we get online. From banner ads challenging you to snatch the flying iPod to watching Susan Boyle sing on YouTube, Flash is the backbone of web video and interactive web 2.0ing. Now we're seeing Adobe jockeying to get their file format on conventional TV too. Adobe already powers the whole of the internet. One wonders: What does Adobe want to do with the living room TV set?



Does Adobe plan to replace the cherished remote control with a keyboard and mouse combo?

To a degree, yes they do.

Ultimately, expanded support for Flash on TV sets would make YouTube, Hulu, browser-based games, and web surfing central components of the couch potato's lifestyle. Television has already moved toward an "on demand" model where viewers don't wait around for live broadcasts, but use DVRs and pay-per-view services to access desired media instantaneously.

With streaming services available through many cable companies, Xbox Live and Playstation 3, the internet is already becoming a central component of the living room media experience. Given that Adobe's Flash technology is already widely used by Intel, Comcast, Netflix and other power players on their cable boxes, the arrival of more internet-oriented TV sets is just a matter of time.

Flash enabled TV sets will probably start shipping later in the year.

For more on TVs, read our reviews of the best LCD HD TVs on the market.

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