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Adobe caves... Flash for iOS devices?

Mac.World

Mac.World

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 9, 2011
1,819
1
In front of uranus
I must have missed this being posted?

Live-streaming Flash video coming to iPad:

http://www.mactrast.com/2011/04/14/live-streaming-flash-video-coming-to-ipad/

You read that headline correctly. Live Flash video will soon be available on the iPad as well as any other iOS device.
Adobe is bending to Apple's will by launching a new format known as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) supported in Flash Media Server that was demonstrated at this week's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference. Flash Media Live Encoder gives broadcasters the ability to "capture a live broadcast stream and publish out to multiple devices including Android, Apple iOS and Samsung TVs." It will push the appropriate video stream out to devices whether Flash is installed or not. If Flash is not installed, such as in Mobile Safari, the user will receive the HLS stream in HTML5. If Flash is installed, the user will just receive the stream via HTTP to Flash.

This is great news for iOS users who have been in the dark for live news and events. Presumably, this will work on the OS X version of Safari as well if the resource-intensive Flash is absent. Adobe's small admission of defeat is an epiphany that they had to innovate in order to serve the massive iOS and burgeoning connected media devices markets.
 
Wait, the new format is supported IN flash...? so wouldn't that mean all the problems that flash has (ravaging battery life, huge gaping security holes, etc, etc) come along with it?
 
Wait, the new format is supported IN flash...?
Click to expand...

It does not say, "in Flash," it says "in Flash Media Server." Assuming that's a server-side, not a client-side, device, then how would that imply that battery drain and stuff would be part of the import as well?
 
TheWheelMan said:
It does not say, "in Flash," it says "in Flash Media Server." Assuming that's a server-side, not a client-side, device, then how would that imply that battery drain and stuff would be part of the import as well?
Click to expand...

I agree. This could be potentially huge.
 
So Flash video content can now get to iOS devices, by being converted at the supply end? This is cool but it's not quite 'Flash for iOS devices'.

If it were I guess my VHS player also got Blu-Ray capability (I just copy the Blu-Ray film onto a VHS tape and then pop it in there - woah).
 
HTTP Live Streaming is Apple's newest QuickTime streaming protocol. Apple is trying to make it an "open standard."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Live_Streaming

This is good news, and may save Web developers from doing all the HTML 5 conversion work manually.

Jobs told Adobe they should get behind HTML 5. I guess they are in some ways.
 
I wonder what excuses Android fans are going to come up with next if they can't say iOS sucks because you can't view Flash? Well the 50 billion ads that make up Flash anyway.
 
Mac.World said:
I wonder what excuses Android fans are going to come up with next if they can't say iOS sucks because you can't view Flash? Well the 50 billion ads that make up Flash anyway.
Click to expand...

Ability to block ALL ads with one program? :p
 
Maybe I'm confused but isn't this basically what the Skyfire app in the App Store is doing? Flash isn't being played on the device itself. The flash video is being sent to a server first that converts and reencodes the video on the fly to a more compatible format. Correct? Although the video does seem to start and play much faster.
 
newagemac said:
Maybe I'm confused but isn't this basically what the Skyfire app in the App Store is doing? Flash isn't being played on the device itself. The flash video is being sent to a server first that converts and reencodes the video on the fly to a more compatible format. Correct? Although the video does seem to start and play much faster.
Click to expand...

There will be no need for any 3rd party app or web browser to see the content. From the way this reads, it will be just like Youtube video's that know you are viewing the page from an iOS device and route you to the H.264 format. No delay, no processing, just view the page like any other.

The end of Flash is coming. Adobe is making concessions, realizing that the iOS goliath is just to powerful to ignore.
 
Mac.World said:
There will be no need for any 3rd party app or web browser to see the content. From the way this reads, it will be just like Youtube video's that know you are viewing the page from an iOS device and route you to the H.264 format. No delay, no processing, just view the page like any other.

The end of Flash is coming. Adobe is making concessions, realizing that the iOS goliath is just to powerful to ignore.
Click to expand...

Web programmers have had the ability to do this since iOS came out. It's not that hard to have two video files, and have one automagically detect mobile devices and use the iOS-friendly one.

This only has bearing on video files, and not the actual entirety of Flash.
 
I think I must be the only person in the world who doesn't miss flash :p this is great news for the iOS platform though, and its great to see how much adobe are embracing iOS, first the photoshop etc iPad versions and now this - it's refreshing that a huge company are willing to go with it (eventually) instead of fighting it.

This does however sound a lot like what the skyfire browser app does.
 
Hermes Monster said:
I think I must be the only person in the world who doesn't miss flash :p this is great news for the iOS platform though, and its great to see how much adobe are embracing iOS, first the photoshop etc iPad versions and now this - it's refreshing that a huge company are willing to go with it (eventually) instead of fighting it.

This does however sound a lot like what the skyfire browser app does.
Click to expand...

No you are absolutely not alone. While I'm looking forward to Photoshop on my iPad I just can't work up much enthusiasm for Flash.
 
i never thought id see the day, everyone knew apple wound never cave but i give Kudos to Adobe for doing this. I have never really minded flashes weaknesses but just remember even flash works great on a mac. so this will be amazing!

ps does that mean hulu will work now?
 
It's a server-side solution. If a Flash player isn't detected on the client, the server pumps out an HTML5 compatible stream that is compatible with any HTML5 browser - such as mobileSafari.
 
So, they're not bringing flash to iOS or anything of the sort, they've just created something that sends flash to machines that can take flash and HTML5 to machines that can't. Sort of a misleading headline there.
 
porcupine8 said:
So, they're not bringing flash to iOS or anything of the sort, they've just created something that sends flash to machines that can take flash and HTML5 to machines that can't. Sort of a misleading headline there.
Click to expand...

I don't know if I would call it misleading. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I'd call it a duck. In the end, if the page or video displays, a lot of people will be happy.
 
Piggie said:
That's a rather selfish attitude.
Click to expand...

Frankly I think it`s about time companies stopped jumping through hoops to support Adobes poorly written, battery hungry mess.
Apples stand against Adobe is forcing them to come up with better soloutions, like, maybe making it far less of a resource hog than it currently is.

I can`t tell you how nice it is not having to use Adobe Reader anymore (for example).
And what am I missing through a lack of flash?
Oh, yeah about 52,456,219 annoying adverts and very little else.
Screw Adobe. (Not to be harsh, you understand ;))
 
The server solutions so far (Skyfire, iSwifter) are far from perfect. One major issue for example is that the servers are US based so internationally geoblocked coverage (like Channel 4 OD in the UK, or cbc.ca videos in Canada) can't be viewed even when you're actually in the country.

The quality also sucks compared to my old 97 Macbook. I don't expect flawless on a mobile device, but you can't deny built in support would be better (as demonstrated by the Playbook).

You can wish for Flash to be fully replaced by HTML5 all you want, but as long as content providers demand DRM it's not going to happen within Safari. There are also companies providing streaming video that may not have the extra cash needed for app development or HTML5 conversion. So yes, I agree it's a selfish attitude to not want people to have the choice.
 
You want choice and openness?
And you bought Apple?

Apple`s restrictive about what it allows on iOS to maintain the user experience (and also their profits ;))
Even youtubes moving over to HTML5.

OK, so jailbreak and put flash on your damn iPad, no-ones stopping you.
Enjoy the huge reduction in battery life, poor performance and buggy crash-happy experience that flash typically delivers.

As well as the 57, 279,980 adverts (and rising) that this will open you up to.
If that makes me selfish, so be it.
 
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