Adobe Flash being ported to TVs, STBs

LONDON — NXP Semiconductors has started porting the Adobe Flash Platform into some of its chips targeting set top boxes. The move is part of plans by Adobe to extend the Flash Platform into televisions, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players.

It is expected that the first devices with the runtime will start shipping in the second half of 2009.

STMicroelectronics and Broadcom will also be porting the Adobe technology into some of their devices.

In NXP's case, the technology is initially being ported into the STB225 and STB22IP platforms, and the first commercial release is expected in the second half of the year.

Adobe Flash Platform for the Digital Home allows consumers to enjoy web content, applications and user interfaces on their televisions, and, the company says, could change how Internet video content is viewed.

Flash will, for instance, enable the delivery of user generated content, enabling access to the full YouTube library in H.264, rather than wait for it to be re-encoded.

Sony and Samsung already have a number of connected TVs on the market, but they are using Yahoo's rich media platform of widgets instead of Flash.

"The the growth in IP-based video content has been outstanding – consumers are eager to access to the large libraries of Internet video content available through their TVs, and not be tied to PCs," said Mark Samuel, general manager for cable and IP STB, NXP Semiconductors.

The STB225 and STB222 are integrated IP STB reference design platforms targeting the HD and SD markets respectively. Both use NXP's recently introduced multi format source decoders (PNX8935 and PNX8932), combining advanced video decoding with traditional STB features and integrating key connectivity protocols such as USB2.0, SATA and Ethernet.

Earlier this year, Intel Corporation and Adobe Systems said they would are collaborate to port and optimize Adobe Flash technology to the Media Processor CE 3100 which will offer seamless Web-based and video viewing through advanced Intel-based cable set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc players, digital TVs and retail connected AV devices.

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