Brightcove converts Time, NYT Flash video to HTML5 for iPad

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Brightcove's partnerships with The New York Times and Time magazine will allow HTML5 to seamlessly replace Adobe Flash video content on the publications' Web sites for compatibility with Apple's iPad.



The Cambridge, Mass.-based online video platform announced Monday its new Brightcove Experience for HTML5, a framework for publishing and delivering interactive and advertising-supported Web video. The platform is available free to the more than 1,000 Brightcove customers in 42 countries.



Two major clients of Brightcove are The New York Times and Time magazine, both of which are reportedly already using the product. The platform provides support for intelligent device detection, playlist rendering, and playback of H.264 encoded video content.



Monday's announcement means it's possible that video in the Adobe Flash format could be converted to HTML5 automatically for high-profile Web sites, perhaps as soon as the device's April 3 U.S. launch. The company said its clients can now use the tool to build iPad-ready Web sites, and in the next year the platform will be expanded to support customization and branding of the player environment, advertising, analytics, social sharing and other capabilities.



"Our customers want to be able to deliver their video content to every screen without sacrificing the quality, interactivity and monetization capabilities they have come to expect from the Brightcove platform," Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove chairman and chief executive officer, said in a press release. "The Brightcove Experience for HTML5 fills the gap between the current playback capabilities of the emerging standard and what our customers need to operate successful online video businesses."







Last week it was revealed that U.S. TV network CBS is testing HTML5 for video playback on the iPad. The network is just the latest in a number of Web sites looking for an alternative to the Adobe format, which has come under increased scrutiny since it was revealed the iPad, like the iPhone and iPod touch, would not support Flash.



In January, Google added HTML5 support for YouTube, the Internet's most popular streaming video destination. Virgin America also abandoned Flash for its new mobile Web site, in order to allow iPhone users to check in for flights.



Allegedly labeled a "CPU hog" by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Flash has been a target of the iPad maker, which has not allowed the Web format on its iPhone OS powering the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Though Jobs reportedly said it would be "trivial" for Web developers to switch from Flash, some employees of leading publishers recently said they believe such a move wouldn't be so simple.



For more on Apple and Flash, and why the Web format will likely never be available on the iPhone OS, read AppleInsider's three-part Flash Wars series.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 94
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Other than some export function on the back end of Adobe Flash itself I wonder how long before wisiwig development software for interactive, motion capable iPad web site / app development based on HTML5 hits the shelves. Apple should be at the forefront with such an application and for once not leave such things to Adobe. Maybe iWeb Pro?
  • Reply 2 of 94
    allblueallblue Posts: 393member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    Other than some export function on the back end of Adobe Flash itself I wonder how long before wisiwig development software for interactive, motion capable iPad web site / app development based on HTML5 hits the shelves. Apple should be at the forefront with such an application and for once not leave such things to Adobe. Maybe iWeb Pro?



    I'm surprised they did not release at least a beta at the same time as the iPhone 3.2 SDK. They're in danger of missing a trick here Apple, which is not like them.
  • Reply 3 of 94
    dluxdlux Posts: 666member
    From the article:

    Quote:

    Though Jobs reportedly said it would be "trivial" for Web developers to switch to Flash



    Shouldn't that read, "switch from Flash"?



    (or "switch to HTML5"?)
  • Reply 4 of 94
    The iPad is going to be a game-changing device but like most of Apple's recent product releases, the extent to which their products change the overall experience at the consumer level is not immediately apparent looking at specs alone.



    Apple will sell these devices as quickly as they can crank them out which in turn means that Apple gets to make the rules. If Jobs wants Flash to go away, Flash is history. It's not going to happen instantly but within a couple of years, Flash will not be required to fully experience the Internet.



    Certainly it's understandable why Jobs wants to shut down software that weakens the performance of portable devices. Over the long haul only Adobe is hurt by this change. It's the price you pay for failing to see the big picture.
  • Reply 5 of 94
    ilogicilogic Posts: 298member
    The opportunities are multiplying with the iPad.



    Eventually the whole iLife suite will be on it perfectly synchronized with your mac.



    I think Apple does right by not focusing on iWeb right now and leaving it as a noobie tool.
  • Reply 6 of 94
    dagamer34dagamer34 Posts: 494member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Carmissimo View Post


    The iPad is going to be a game-changing device but like most of Apple's recent product releases, the extent to which their products change the overall experience at the consumer level is not immediately apparent looking at specs alone.



    Apple will sell these devices as quickly as they can crank them out which in turn means that Apple gets to make the rules. If Jobs wants Flash to go away, Flash is history. It's not going to happen instantly but within a couple of years, Flash will not be required to fully experience the Internet.



    Certainly it's understandable why Jobs wants to shut down software that weakens the performance of portable devices. Over the long haul only Adobe is hurt by this change. It's the price you pay for failing to see the big picture.



    Flash for video, yes. Flash for everything else? No. And anyone who thinks Flash is used only for video is being naive.
  • Reply 7 of 94
    damn_its_hotdamn_its_hot Posts: 1,209member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ilogic View Post


    Eventually the whole iLife suite will be on it perfectly...



    Glad you at least qualified that with eventually. I think some folx do not recognize the massive effort Apple undertook to convert the iWork suite. I have my doubts about the entire iLife suite - I for one cannot see developing a web site on the iPad.



    Generally to do development you like to be able to see everything in you app/site and then have your inspector, debugger, etc. available off to one side so you do not generate update events etc. when uncovering a window. It makes more sense than developing on the iPhone but not a whole lot AFAICT.
  • Reply 8 of 94
    Looks like it didn't take that much, isn't it?
  • Reply 9 of 94
    jb510jb510 Posts: 129member
    Quote:

    Though Jobs reportedly said it would be "trivial" for Web developers to switch to Flash, some employees of leading publishers recently said they believe such a move wouldn't be so simple.



    That makes no sense. Was this supposed to read "switch to HTML5"?



    It seems to me not to be trival however. HTML5 is really brand new and not consitently supported across browsers. While I support apple pushing the web forward and away from flash for streaming video, flash does much for that just streaming video... As does HTML5, however they are not 1:1 replacements. Has anyone seen an interactive file uploader implemented in HTML5?
  • Reply 10 of 94
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    So long as I can't tell a difference, I could care less if they use flash or not.



    Youtube's html5 left me unimpressed, however.
  • Reply 11 of 94
    damn_its_hotdamn_its_hot Posts: 1,209member
    Does anyone know the specifics about this product - I could not tell if it was a live conversion or preprocessed.



    Brightcove may be a name to remember (if they do it correctly they stand to make boodles - if not...). Lets hope this is a well done product generally available. It at least could solve video delivery issues.
  • Reply 12 of 94
    This is a very very good news!!! Countdown for Flash is started!
  • Reply 13 of 94
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by allblue View Post


    I'm surprised they did not release at least a beta at the same time as the iPhone 3.2 SDK. They're in danger of missing a trick here Apple, which is not like them.



    Agreed, perhaps it is coming soon. I would think with the ability to take from Motion, Pages and iWeb, etc. Apple could make both a consumer and professional development suite for iPad and future products from that stable.
  • Reply 14 of 94
    msanttimsantti Posts: 1,377member
    It has begun.



    Looks like it will take the iPad to push HTML 5.
  • Reply 15 of 94
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Damn_Its_Hot View Post


    Glad you at least qualified that with eventually. I think some folx do not recognize the massive effort Apple undertook to convert the iWork suite. I have my doubts about the entire iLife suite - I for one cannot see developing a web site on the iPad.



    Generally to do development you like to be able to see everything in you app/site and then have your inspector, debugger, etc. available off to one side so you do not generate update events etc. when uncovering a window. It makes more sense than developing on the iPhone but not a whole lot AFAICT.



    Agreed the iPad isn't a platform to develop on, rather for. It's the need for Mac apps to develop iPad web sites that's needed asap. With the ability to duel develop iPhone and iPad sites simply and to harness all that is in HTML5 and multi-touch. I drool at the thought!
  • Reply 16 of 94
    galleygalley Posts: 971member
    Dear Adobe Flash,



    Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out,



    Sincerely HTML5
  • Reply 17 of 94
    Quote:

    some employees of leading publishers recently said they believe such a move wouldn't be so simple.



    Yes, I think they were designers



    Quote:

    And anyone who thinks Flash is used only for video is being naive.



    Anyone relying heavily on Flash should not be so naive as to think that they have made the right business investment in the long run. The web is going mobile. HTML5 is the future.
  • Reply 18 of 94
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chronster View Post


    So long as I can't tell a difference, I could care less if they use flash or not.



    Youtube's html5 left me unimpressed, however.



    Exactly, ultimately end users won't care less. H264 is H264 why would the container delivering it matter to them? Granted, the interface is still young on the HTML5 side and needs to have more user features such as full screen etc. but I am confident that is all coming. YouTube's implementation so far hasn't addressed all those things last time i checked but it does a wonderful job of taking my uploaded 720P footage and delivering a stunning, stutter free, high quality video to an iPhone.
  • Reply 19 of 94
    chronsterchronster Posts: 1,894member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Carmissimo View Post


    The iPad is going to be a game-changing device but like most of Apple's recent product releases, the extent to which their products change the overall experience at the consumer level is not immediately apparent looking at specs alone.



    Apple will sell these devices as quickly as they can crank them out which in turn means that Apple gets to make the rules. If Jobs wants Flash to go away, Flash is history. It's not going to happen instantly but within a couple of years, Flash will not be required to fully experience the Internet.



    Certainly it's understandable why Jobs wants to shut down software that weakens the performance of portable devices. Over the long haul only Adobe is hurt by this change. It's the price you pay for failing to see the big picture.



    http://tv.adobe.com/en/watch/flash-p...ilt-with-flash





    Why are people around here so absolutely oblivious to the fact that Flash on the iphone is not only possible, but it's also not a cpu hogging battery drain???



    It's Apple that's keeping flash from it's portable devices, and nobody else. The reasoning is basically because they are assholes, plain and simple. What else can Adobe do about it?



    But yeah, lets all bend over and take it. Can you imagine everyone's reaction around here if Microsoft said quicktime was a battery draining cpu hog and it should be replaced?



    Someone made a good point the other day. If apps which are the equivalent of what you see on the iphone can be delivered over the web via flash, then Apple loses it's control of distributing everything over the app store. Suddenly games can be had in the web browser.
  • Reply 20 of 94
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Damn_Its_Hot View Post


    Glad you at least qualified that with eventually. I think some folx do not recognize the massive effort Apple undertook to convert the iWork suite. I have my doubts about the entire iLife suite - I for one cannot see developing a web site on the iPad.



    Generally to do development you like to be able to see everything in you app/site and then have your inspector, debugger, etc. available off to one side so you do not generate update events etc. when uncovering a window. It makes more sense than developing on the iPhone but not a whole lot AFAICT.



    The iPad is not meant to replace a full-function laptop or desktop. That's not the point of this device. The point, as I see it, is that for millions of customers, laptops are overkill for what they in fact wind up doing on their portable devices. They sacrifice battery life, portability, etc. when all they want to do is maybe email, some surfing, media playback, play games, etc. Meanwhile portable devices like the iPhone and the Touch just don't have enough screen real estate for a truly enjoyable web browsing experience. That's where the iPad comes in. It will do certain things exceptionally well and others, well, if there are people intent on using the device for something to which it's not suited, the fault lies with the consumer not the product manufacturer. It would be akin to someone complaining that their steak knife does a lousy job of trimming hedges. It's the main reason, I suspect, that the iPad will not, at least to start, run a full version of OS X.



    That said, as the processing power of the iPad and memory increases with each new generation, the list of activities it will be able to properly handle will increase. I just don't think that treating the iPad like a laptop minus the physical keyboard is what Apple is aiming for or what most iPad owners will be doing. Apple doesn't want folks replacing their Macbook Pros, iMacs or iPhones with the iPad. They want the iPad to be regarded as a compliment to those devices and a good alternative for some to a netbook for not much more money.
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