Digital Design Blog

Adobe Launches Open Screen Project

Adobe, in a bid to increase the proliferation of Flash and Air installations across platforms and devices, launched “The Open Screen Project” and removed all licensing fees for the next release of their players.

The project supporters include “Adobe, ARM, Chunghwa Telecom, Cisco, Intel, LG Electronics Inc., Marvell, Motorola, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Verizon Wireless, and leading content providers, including BBC, MTV Networks, and NBC Universal”

Their aim it to create a consistent runtime environment across multiple platforms which includes desktop computers, mobile devices and set top boxes running on multiple operating systems.

Short of opening its source code of its flash implementation Adobe indicated that it would release the complete specifications which were only available to developers under strict agreements to not create a competing player.

I believe that this is a giant leap forward for Adobe. It’s always hard for a parent the day they start to let their kids go on dates. The payoff - faster and wider adoption of flash on devices that currently is either unsupported on suffers from lackluster to poor performance.

Here is a shortlist of features from the Open Screen Project:

Specifically, this work will include:

• Removing restrictions on use of the SWF and FLV/F4V specifications
• Publishing the device porting layer APIs for Adobe Flash Player
• Publishing the Adobe Flash® Cast™ protocol and the AMF protocol for robust data services
• Removing licensing fees – making next major releases of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR for devices free

For more information head out to http://www.adobe.com/openscreenproject/

*Images courtesy of Adobe