Flash Player Receives GPU Support

Nvidia and Adobe are combining forces as part of the Open Screen Project.

As a result, Adobe's Flash Player will finally receive GPU support, covering a "wide range of mobile Internet devices" that include netbooks, tablets, mobile phones, and other portable devices that would otherwise choke of Flash animation rendering without GPU acceleration. The support will span across a wide range of Nvidia GPUs, including Tegra, enabling full H.264 video playback, "uncompromised" Web browsing, and content derived from Adobe Flash.

According to Nvidia, the purpose of the Open Screen Project is to provide a consistent runtime environment across multiple devices. Spearheaded by Adobe, the OSP's collective includes twenty-five industry leaders (including NBC Universal, LG, and Samsung), and seeks to enable the use of Adobe's  Flash Platform as a foundation to provide web content and other applications on televisions, desktops, mobile devices, and other commonly used devices. With Nvidia GPU acceleration, portable devices will have the ability to render Flash graphics comparable to desktop PCs.

“NVIDIA and Adobe share precisely the same vision – visually compelling applications running on every device,” said Michael Rayfield, general manager, Handheld Business at NVIDIA. “Consumers don’t have to sacrifice streaming video performance on small inexpensive platforms such as netbooks. A Tegra-based platform enables the rich, smooth playback they expect from a desktop PC.”