At the 2009 NAB Show, Adobe highlighted advances in video and dynamic media software technologies that improve the creation and delivery of content across personal computers, televisions and mobile devices. The show saw the debut of the Adobe Flash Platform for the Digital Home, Adobe Strobe, Adobe Story and Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 version 4.1.

Adobe Flash Platform for the Digital Home
Adobe Flash Platform for the Digital Home is an optimized implementation of Flash technology that brings HD video, interactive applications and services, new user interfaces and online content to Internet-connected televisions, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and other devices.

SoC vendors, OEMs, cable operators and content providers including Atlantic Records, Broadcom, Comcast, Disney Interactive Media Group, Intel, Netflix, STMicroelectronics, the New York Times Company, NXP Semiconductors and Sigma Designs announced support for the optimized Flash technology at NAB. The Adobe Flash Platform for the Digital Home is available immediately to OEMs. The first devices and SoC platforms with support for the optimized Flash technology are expected to ship in the second half of 2009.

Adobe Strobe
Adobe unveiled a software framework for building media players, code-named "Strobe," that extends the capabilities of the Adobe Flash Platform. The framework will help establish an open industry standard for media players and offer production-ready software components to streamline the development of custom media players, reducing the time content publishers spend creating their own playback technologies. The framework will enable developers using Flash technologies to quickly and easily add rich functionality—such as advertising, user measurement and tracking, and social network integration—into new custom players that can be branded for individual content owners. Strobe is expected to be available, at no charge, in the second half of 2009.

Adobe Story
Adobe Story is an online and offline software application for collaborative scriptwriting, aimed at the film and broadcast markets. Currently in the early stages of development, Adobe Story ties into the pre-production phase of video workflows and will be integrated with other Adobe products, as part of the Creative Suite product family.

“Adobe’s customers and partners continue to stretch and reinvent the boundaries of storytelling and are looking for technologies that expand audiences, help build businesses and showcase content in new and compelling ways,” said Jim Guerard, vice president and general manager of Dynamic Media at Adobe. “Adobe continues to shape the future of media by providing creative tools that streamline rich media workflows so broadcasters and media companies can create and deliver consistent and engaging experiences on screen, online and on device.”

Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 v4.1
Adobe also announced Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 version 4.1, a free update for existing customers of Adobe Premiere Pro CS4. The update improves compatibility with RED cameras, offering more control over RAW settings when used in conjunction with an updated RED plug-in, available in May from RED.com.

In addition, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 4.1 provides interoperability with Avid Media Composer software through a number of software fixes, enabling Adobe Premiere Pro to import Avid projects without recapturing media files.

Finally, the update includes software fixes to enable full HD workflows on leading postproduction hardware—including AJA, Blackmagic Design and Matrox video cards—and many other important fixes.

Adobe Premiere Pro 4.1 is expected to be available in late May via the Adobe updater and from Adobe's Web site.

Adobe Premiere Pro 4.1 offers several important updates, which are detailed below.

More Efficient Tapeless Workflows—with No Transcoding or Rewrapping

• RED camera compatibility. Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 version 4.1 supports changes in an updated RED plug-in (soon available at RED.com to provide improved compatibility in native RED postproduction workflows and more control over RAW settings:
• Better compatibility with native R3D content using fractional resolutions to support editing and finishing workflows on lower-powered systems, including laptops.
• R3D file format support in the Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Media Browser panel, allowing customers to view RED clips directly without having to navigate through multiple folders.

• Both Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 version 4.1 and Adobe After Effects CS4 version 9.0.2 provide a true file-based workflow for RED R3D files, without transcoding or rewrapping, when used in conjunction with RED’s beta plug-in available at RED.com. Native handling of RED R3D augments Adobe’s existing support of Sony XDCAM EX and HD, Panasonic P2 and AVCHD tapeless formats, providing users with software-only HD workflows from capture to output.

• RED has made a number of changes to its plug-in to coincide with the release of the updates to the Adobe products. These changes include:
• Ability to adjust white balance and color matrix settings on RED R3D clips, enabling users to create the right look and feel for viewing and editing native RED content.

• In addition to downloading the RED plug-in, customers must update their software to Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 version 4.1 and Adobe After Effects CS4 version 9.0.2, accessible for free through the Adobe update manager in the Help menu of the applications.

Interoperability with Avid Media Composer Software

• Import Avid sequences and media—Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 4.1 provides improved interoperability with Avid Media Composer software through AAF bug fixes and compatibility with content in the commonly-used MXF-wrapped IMX format. The changes in the 4.1 update allow editors to import Avid projects without recapturing media files. This builds upon Adobe Premiere Pro's open, flexible workflow with 3rd party software. Editors who are using Final Cut Pro, Digidesign Pro Tools and Avid solutions can now more easily tap the high level of integration and unique features offered in Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium. In addition to the additional AAF project interchange options, Final Cut Pro users can transfer projects directly to Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 version 4.1 without conversions or re-rendering, preserving commonly-used effects and transitions.

• Once files are in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, features such as Adobe Dynamic Link provide tighter-than-ever integration when moving assets among Adobe After Effects CS4, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and Soundbooth CS4, saving time that would otherwise be spent in intermediate rendering. To help users manage footage, Speech Search in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 turns spoken dialogue into text-based metadata that makes video searchable. Project output can be delivered virtually anywhere, including exporting through Adobe Encore CS4 to Blu-ray, DVD and the Web. Customers can also streamline audio editing by exporting audio in OMF for interchange with audio workstations, and then importing the final mix back into Adobe Premiere Pro CS4.

Better Support for Leading Postproduction Hardware

• More options to accelerate and extend the postproduction workflow. Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 version 4.1 includes software fixes for a number of compatibility issues, which enables full HD workflows on leading postproduction hardware—including AJA, Blackmagic Design and Matrox video cards. These products allow customers to extend the capabilities of Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 software to handle any postproduction workflow. As an open, customizable system with broad support for leading postproduction hardware, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 gives you more options to accelerate and extend your editing workflow.
• Customers can add uncompressed SD and HD acquisition with a choice of hardware cards from third-party vendors (such as AJA, Blackmagic Design and Matrox.)
• Faster performance and responsiveness with full support for 64-bit computing platforms to accelerate compute-intensive postproduction tasks. Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 is architected to take advantage of the additional memory available in 64-bit systems. Version 4.1 includes numerous bug fixes in all areas of the workflow, including a number of changes to address slow project load times. For more information about using Production Premium applications on 64-bit systems, please refer to the whitepaper.