Author:
Joe Hakooz
Category:
Flash
Well this isn't breaking news, but some of you may have missed the April announcement that Flash Player will soon be available on TVs, set-top boxes, and Blu-Ray players. Many are expected to start shipping early 2010.
Some are worried that Flash enabled TVs will be abused by content providers introducing a new form of spam, but I'm not so sure about that.
Flash critics point out that most web ads today are Flash based. Would they prefer ads revert back to the animated GIF seizure inducing format? Ads are not going away so they might as well be slick and, at times, entertaining. The same holds true for TV advertising.
And let's give all of us Flash developers some credit. We did not learn this technology so we could become the greatest "ad-imators" the world has ever known. We want to create cutting-edge applications that push the envelope of user experience.
One of the first apps we'll see is the interactive "TV Guide" with neat little widgets built in, but that's only the beginning. Imagine toggling different camera angles for sporting events, or automatically tracking your favorite TV personalities using facial recognition applications.
I for one am very excited about the possibilities and look forward to learning more...