Adobe has released a new version of its Flash Player 9 Update 3, including the Linux version which thus leaves the beta stage. It now supports the H.264 video format and fullscreen operations with accelerated graphics.
The new version can replay video material using hardware acceleration and has improved support for multicore processors. This gives a real boost to fullscreen replaying on large displays which is now far smoother. According to Adobe a cache is used to store libraries that multiple Web applications rely on. This speeds up application launches for complex applications. At the same time, the new Flash Player supports X-Embed browser protocol making it compatible with Opera.
Support is available for the Advanced Video Coding MPEG-4 Part 10, video format, aka H.264, which is widely considered to be the next-generation standard for video transmissions on the Internet. HD-DVD, Blu-ray and high-resolution, digital satellite TV (DVB-S2) use the standard. The player also supports the High Efficieny AAC (HE-AAC) audio codec.
Version 9.0.115.0 (Linux) of the player is available for downloading from the vendor website, in a 32 bit version as previously. There are still no details on the publication of a 64 bit variant. Details and further information are available in the Adobe release notes.
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