Back in September 2007, Adobe held its MAX event in Chicago, where the company had the initial announcement of its new AIR-based Media Player application. Today marks the release of product version 1.0.
My own initial impression? Pretty good. The user interface is simple enough to operate. The menu layout could use a few tweaks, but overall, for a first official launch, not too shabby. Perhaps the most improvement could be had in the way of more content. Despite having signed distribution partnerships with publishers like CBS, MTV Networks, Universal Music Group, PBS, CondeNet, and others, the amount of material provided at the moment isn’t much more than a sampling of what Adobe will need to make it’s new player compelling enough to achieve ubiquity similar to, say, its Flash platform, which is presently employed by third-party content delivery. (I.e., YouTube, Hulu, etc.)
Quality-wise, Adobe certainly supplies a decent service. From the near-immediate playback of video to the definition some streams, one can, if equipped with a reasonably robust Internet connection, see that Adobe delivers very “watchable” content to the screen. Which is what they will consistently need to provide if Media Player is to be a great success. The massive global penetration of Flash is one thing to accomplish. That platform is a multifaceted one. It’s utility is far-reaching, of which video is only part of the package. Obtaining a significant market share with Adobe Media Player in the burgeoning Web video market, where consumers are gradually learning the ways of IPTV, is another. Adobe obviously is off to a substantial start with the underlying technology to Media Player. But that may not necessary convince prospective viewers that Media Player is the product to have. Content, after all, draws more eyes than anything else.