
Adobe abandoning Flash Player for TVs as well  - shawndumas
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/10/adobe-abandoning-flash-player-for-tvs-as-well/
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andybak
I wonder how this affects platforms such as YouView and Google TV?

I assume Google TV can make do without Flash but how dependent is YouView?

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cube13
I believe that Youtube has had all their content converted to the codec to the
x264 codec for HTML5, so it should be a patchable fix for both.

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avree
Uh, he's talking about YouView and GoogleTV... not YouTube.

Sure, the YouTube content will likely still work under HTML5, but I guarantee
that most people use their GoogleTVs and YouViews to watch actual content—most
of which is on sites like Hulu and played with Flash.

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the_unknown
Next week I was going to begin building my first TV app for Samsung's Smart TV
- using Flash. Given the timelines I'll probably still go this route but do
wonder what this announcement means for Samsung and LG's TV plans.

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tomlin
This is for Flash Player for browsers. If you're going with AIR you'll be
fine.

That's the problem with this conversation. Flash haters are wrongfully
disseminating information (lookin' at you, Gruber), which is causing more
confusion for the consumer - someone we're supposed to be looking out for. I
don't care either way if Flash supports mobile/TV/etc but this is really about
timing for the writers, the death of Steve Jobs, "he was right all this time",
etc, etc.

My issue is, tell the story straight. Hater or not, this isn't the end of
Flash on mobile/tv, it's the end of Flash on mobile/tv within the browser -
something that didn't really exist in the first place. And if you think about
it, hater or not, does a Flash app belong in a browser on smaller screens or
limited resources? It's a logical step for Adobe to prefer HTML5 within the
browser because it is more fitting. Adobe will continue to allow AIR -> device
publishing as it had before.

Before these "Flash discontinued" articles:

    
    
      Able to publish mobile apps with Flash? YES
      Able to publish device apps with Flash? YES
      Flash run in the browser for all mobile/devices? NO
      Create Flash plugin in the future for all mobile/device browsers? *YES*
    

After these "Flash discontinued" articles:

    
    
      Able to publish mobile apps with Flash? YES
      Able to publish device apps with Flash? YES
      Flash run in the browser for all mobile/devices? NO
      Create Flash plugin in the future for all mobile/device browsers? *NO*
    

Adobe is no longer _pursuing_ a Flash Player plugin for mobile/tv browsers.
That's really the story. Whether that spells the end for Flash or not is
anybody's guess. Just tell it straight, please.

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jhugg
The connected world is moving away from PCs.

Adobe's previous plans were to have Flash be a unifying rich media platform
across all these newfangled devices, like TVs, tablets, alarm clocks, etc…
Flash could grow as the "connected market" grew.

Adobe has clearly decided that they can't accomplish this. Since being
everywhere was the only way to keep Flash relevant in the long term, I think
they've acknowlegded that the future is dim for Flash.

AOL slowly become a hush of their former selves when dialup revenue dried up.
Rather than betting the farm on an eventual loser (though a lucrative one),
Adobe is doubling down on the winner. This must have been a tough decision,
but it's clearly the right one.

The future of AIR and other Flash-based app stuff is less clear, but if Adobe
is spending less money on developing Flash, I'm not sure how they can continue
to be successful with stuff that leverages flash.

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tomlin
Here's the thing. If you think of Flash as it is today, you can find how it
will find eventually decline. Again, not disagreeing with that. Flash can die
as a browser plugin and live on - not as a plugin, but as a programming
language (AS3), whereby you code for any device using 1 language, but the
compilation is to native code on various devices. This is a much lower hanging
fruit than say, making a viable browser plugin for each and every browser/OS.
Just an idea.

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jwcooper
The TiVo Premiere uses Flash for their UI, and a TiVo will last many years
beyond this end of life. The article wasn't clear if it included this use of
Flash, or if it is just for TV's using Flash in browsers?

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sanderson1
From all the articles I've read on the demise of Flash, Flash isn't going
away; it's just not moving into the future. I could be wrong, but browsers and
devices that support Flash now will continue to support it, but Adobe won't be
pushing the platform forward.

I think Flash still has a place in the market (device UI, embedded online
gaming, although HTML 5 is catching up really fast), but with the explosion of
connected mobile devices that have a hard time with Flash, that place has
gotten much smaller.

