Adobe Pass to push multidevice video rights

From CNET News.com: Adobe Systems today announced a service it hopes will give TV companies a way to let people watch their video where they want--for example, cable TV subscribers who'd like to see a show on their computer, tablet, or mobile phone.

Such sharing has been difficult because of rights management issues: those who create premium video content are leery of seeing it spread willy-nilly, and supporting a multitude of devices is complex and expensive.

The Adobe Pass service--key to an "industry movement known as TV Everywhere," Adobe says--is designed to smooth over these issues using a combination of Adobe's Flash software and HTML5 Web technology. Users need only log in to the service; no "additional" downloads are required beyond, presumably, Flash or a browser that's up to snuff.

"The Adobe Pass solution enables content providers and programmers to adjust to a changing market- allowing consumers to watch pay TV outside of their living room, while staying committed to a single provider," Adobe said in a statement.

The service works on Windows, Mac OS, Android, iOS, Blackberry OS, and Google TV, Adobe said. And it's won over a few partners in the pay-TV business, both content creators and distributors: Turner Broadcasting System, MTV Networks, Comcast, and Synacor. Those who want to use the service have to contact Adobe for pricing.

The move shows Adobe's gradual move from lower-level technology to higher-level services. The company has a big business selling programming tools that let people create Flash content and applications, but Adobe Pass bridges to a future where Flash Player can't be expected to be installed--on Apple's iPhone and iPad, for example.

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