April 18, 2011, 1:47 PM — The biggest Apple-related announcement at the 2011 National Association of Broadcasters trade show was the company's revealing of Final Cut Pro X. But the second biggest Apple announcement at the event didn't even come from Apple. Rather, it was Adobe's declaration that it will add support for HTTP Live Streaming to its Flash Media Server.
HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is an Apple-developed technology for sending live or pre-recorded video (and audio) to iOS devices and Macs alike, using a traditional Web server; the company has also submitted it for consideration as an Internet standard. Adobe's announcement means that publishers who already create Flash video as part of their workflow (as in, the majority of online video publishers) will be able to stream that video to iPads, iPod touches, and iPhones without first needing to re-encode it. In other words, in the not too distant future, you should be able to watch a lot more Web video on your iOS device or Flash-free Mac.
About a year ago, Steve Jobs famously shared his thoughts on Flash, in which he defended Apple's choice not to support the technology on iOS devices. Flash, Jobs wrote, was a battery drain, and a poor mobile performer to boot: "We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it."
Unsurprisingly, Adobe didn't share that assessment. Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen responded to Jobs's letter, calling it "patently false" and adding that "for every one of these accusations made, there is proprietary lock-in" preventing Adobe from addressing any issues.
Adobe's embracing of HLS, then, marks a significant shift in the landscape for both companies. Adobe, for its part, has publicly and loudly bemoaned iOS's lack of Flash support since before it was even called iOS. By announcing support for HLS, Adobe seems to invalidate some of its own past complaints--chiefly, that Adobe needed further support from Apple to make Flash video work better on its devices.
