LAS VEGAS, USA: Broadcom Corp. and Adobe Systems Inc. announced the integration of the Adobe Flash Platform into Broadcom's latest digital television (DTV) and set-top box (STB) system-on-a-chip (SoC) platforms. The collaboration paves the way for rich Flash based entertainment experiences on televisions that offer viewers new options for accessing web content on their TVs.

With Adobe Flash Lite 3 software supported in the Broadcom(R) BCM3549, BCM3556, BCM7400 and BCM7405 SoC solutions, TV viewers will be able to view Flash based content and applications from popular online providers and entertainment sites. Broadcom DTV and STB platforms with integrated Adobe Flash support are expected to be available to manufacturers in the first half of 2009. Broadcom will demonstrate Adobe Flash support on its BCM7405 and BCM3549 solutions at this week's 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show.

The technology collaboration between Broadcom and Adobe will further accelerate the transition to high definition (HD) web-based video on televisions, fortifying the TV as the main entertainment hub within the home. With Adobe Flash as the number one video format on the web, coupled with Broadcom's leadership position in digital television and set-top box platforms, the collaboration will enable a consistent viewing experience across TV screens, addressing format fragmentation and authoring challenges that exist today.

As online video viewing shifts from the PC to the TV, the number of worldwide viewers will reach nearly one billion by 2013, according to a study by ABI Research. The dramatic increase of free and premium online video content, and the emerging trend of watching web-based video on televisions, will help drive its overall adoption according to ABI.

"Consumers with broadband Internet access increasingly enjoy viewing the wide array of video content available to them and it is clear that they want to watch their favorite online video content on their televisions for the best viewing experience," said Dan Marotta, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Broadcom's Broadband Communications Group. "By integrating Adobe Flash support in our latest portfolio of digital television and set-top box solutions, Broadcom will pave the way for an exciting new entertainment experience in the home."

"Consumers want to experience rich and consistent applications and web content across devices and screens," said David Wadhwani, General Manager & Vice President, platform business unit at Adobe. "Broadcom's leadership in designing highly integrated and advanced TV and STB platforms provides an ideal stage for the over one million Flash developers to showcase their content. We look forward to our continued efforts with Broadcom to broaden the availability of great multi-screen experiences."

Broadcom is a recognized leader in the set-top box market with 161 million set-top box chipsets shipped to date. The company's recent acquisition of the AMD digital TV business expands the number of TV brands utilizing its highly integrated silicon solutions. Broadcom's ongoing commitment and significant contribution to connected home technologies, such as the Digital Living Network AllianceSM (DLNA), furthers the quest for seamless content distribution and connectivity, changing the way that consumers interact and share content in the next generation digital home.

Adobe Flash is the most widely distributed technology on the web, enabling virtually anyone to view and interact with a vast selection of rich content. With Adobe Flash Player supporting all major operating systems and browsers, Flash technology has become the number one video format on the web. Ninety-nine percent of Internet-connected desktops have Adobe Flash Player installed and more than 800 million mobile devices have shipped to date with Flash Lite, Adobe's Flash Player for mobile phones and devices.

Adobe Flash Player is a key component of the Adobe Flash Platform, a complete system of integrated tools, frameworks, clients and servers to develop Web applications, content and videos.