Adobe's new media player is very interesting for broadcasters who want to keep control of the context their content appears in, but without the disadvantages of clumsy Microsoft DRM or low-quality embedded flash video.

At the moment many broadcasters use embedded flash video. This just works for users, but is limited to the download speed of the connection. Viewers get a small video window or grainy full screen.

A few broadcasters, including their U.K.'s Channel 4, five and soon the BBC use systems based on downloading higher quality files that are encoded with Microsoft DRM. Most users of these systems are bombarded with a series of annoying messages and service interruptions, as Microsoft struggles to stop unauthorised access to content.

Adobe's new media player, out later this year, looks likely to combine the best of both worlds. It runs as a desktop application, and can download higher-quality files in the background. As with the current flash video player it should offer broadcasters enough control over their content, but without the complexity and pain of Microsoft DRM.