Adobe Media Player (AMP) is an AIR application filled with TV shows and videos clips (see our review here). The app, first launched as a beta last September then as version 1.0 in February, includes content from MTV, Comedy Central, Universal Music, PBS, Fine Living, Food Network, CondeNet, and they keep introducing new shows all the time. This week, Adobe added additional programming from CBS and MTV Networks, but the real fun to be had with AMP is in importing your favorite feeds to make AMP your own, personalized AIR app for TV viewing.
The new shows that were introduced this week to AMP include more clips from CBS as well as their new summer shows Million Dollar Password, Greatest American Dog and Flashpoint. MTVN also added clips from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report.
However, instead of limiting yourself to the content provided by Adobe, you can customize this AIR app with your own feeds. To add an RSS feed to AMP, click the "My Favorites" option then click "Add RSS Feed" at the bottom of the screen. A box will pop up where you can enter in the RSS feed you want to subscribe to.
Here's a tip - to find an RSS feed for one of your iTunes video podcasts, right-click on it in iTunes and choose "Show Description." The feed URL with be at the top of the window that appears. After you enter that into AMP, you can then use AMP to keep up with your favorite video podcasts.
Diggnation in AMP
There are a few other places to get good RSS feeds for videos, too. You can expand AMP's default selection of Comedy Central programming by adding feeds provided on Comedy Central's own web site, for example, and you can grab RSS feeds from YouTube as well.
Of course, the ability to import an OPML file into AMP would be nice, but at least the RSS option makes the service more useful than other desktop apps like Joost where you're locked into only viewing what they're offering.
The benefit to watching shows in an AIR app instead of online is, like with any desktop app, the episodes are available offline. If you haven't tried Adobe Media Player yet, you can download it from here (direct link to .air app install).
Comments
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First, why is the RSS feed entry for this post different from the actual article? In the RSS entry, you suggest Hulu, which I cannot get working in AMP. Is there a reason for this? Maybe you all found out it doesn't work and modified the actual article but not your feed? I dunno.
Posted by: Josh | June 20, 2008 7:31 AM
I removed the Hulu mention because their RSS feeds don't actually contain the videos (Lame!) The RSS feed will update shortly with the new info.
Posted by: Sarah Perez
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June 20, 2008 7:56 AM
Sarah,
Hulu does have media files in their feed, however its probably not in the format AMP understands. In order to get media files attached (and you can actually watch episodes in, say google reader) you just add ?enclosures=1 to any given feed. For example here is Colbert Report with FLVs attached: http://www.hulu.com/feed/show/903/episodes?enclosures=1
I hope AMP will be able to recognize this soon.
Posted by: Stepan Mazurov | June 20, 2008 8:10 AM
Stepan: You are my new best friend! :) That is an excellent tip.
Posted by: Sarah Perez
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June 20, 2008 8:14 AM
The enclosures are SWF players, not FLV files.
And for those without AIR yet, or even with AIR, the "Install Now" seamless badge installer is the best experience to get the app on your machine.
You can do that here:
http://get.adobe.com/amp/
Posted by: enefekt | June 20, 2008 8:28 AM
how does this compare with miro, i wonder?
Posted by: marshall | June 20, 2008 9:03 AM
So then would it stand to reason that these should be subscribable in iTunes as a "podcast"? IE in iTunes, selecting Subscribe to Podcast and then entering the RSS feed's link? Or no, because iTunes doesn't support FLV/SWF? Basically trying to figure out how to get Heroes and BSG back in my iTunes without having to resort to directly Hulu or AMP.
Posted by: Josh | June 20, 2008 9:08 AM
@marshall - Oh, miro's really cool, I agree. Much more feature rich, too. What's exciting to me is how quickly the AIR platform is catching up with full-on desktop software applications. It's really becoming a contender. I feel AIR nicely bridges the gap between web apps and software, so I like following developments here. AIR fangirl? Perhaps. I've been called worse. ;)
Posted by: Sarah Perez
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June 20, 2008 9:34 AM
@Josh iTunes does not support swf or flv, they are very picky about the format of accepted podcast.
@enefekt. You are right they are full fledged Hulu players so they can thrown it the ads.
Posted by: Stepan Mazurov | June 20, 2008 10:26 AM
To see Hulu videos in Adobe Air check this out: http://www.paulyanez.com/labs/mymediaplayer/
Posted by: Paul | June 20, 2008 11:11 AM
Snore. It's probably just clips and useless cooking shows.
Posted by: web design company | June 21, 2008 6:53 AM