STMicroelectronics, Adobe Clearing the Path for TV Apps, Streaming Video

STMicroelectronics, Adobe Clearing the Path for TV Apps, Streaming Video

Roku, Apple TV, and Google TV from Sony or Logitech are just the beginning of the so-called hybrid set-top box market, which should exceed $1.4 billion annually by 2014.

As Internet and television continue the trend toward convergence and as consumers seemingly want to be able to use mobile-like apps on their televisions, there is going to be increased demand for both new set-top boxes and more secure ways to deliver premium content and applications to those new boxes.

This past week, STMicroelectronics announced that its popular semiconductor solutions for set-top boxes and digital TVs would now support Adobe's Flash Access 2.0 software, which enables content providers to control streaming video and application content.

Flash Access is part of Adobe's Flash Platform, and, in the context of consumer electronics, requires Adobe Air for TV, which is an application platform that debuted in 2010 and was featured in several new Samsung television products shown at CES 2011.

“Support for Adobe AIR for TV with Flash Access on STMicroelectronics chipsets allows device manufacturers and content providers to rely on a secure, flexible, and scalable solution for content distribution and monetization across many devices,” explained Danny Winokur, vice president of Flash Runtime at Adobe in an official ST statement. “This is the future of entertainment, as devices powered by AIR for TV and Flash Access enables a wave of innovation in how consumers discover and enjoy premium content on their TV.”

For EEs working on new game consoles, TVs, or set-top boxes this integration may be a feature worth considering, especially if it creates a competitive advantage. For example, there is already an existing community of, perhaps, three million Adobe Air and Adobe Flash developers that could readily create applications for devices using the Adobe platform.

Armando Roggio