BBC adopting Adobe AIR for platform-neutral iPlayer downloads

Just noticed that the BBC is adopting Adobe AIR to create a platform-neutral download client for iPlayer. Erik Huggers says:

Today, we are announcing that in partnership with Adobe we are building a platform-neutral download client.

Using Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), we intend to make BBC iPlayer download functionality available on Mac, Linux and Windows for the first time later this year. Whatever platform you use, you’ll now be able to download TV programmes from the BBC to watch later.

This follows much criticism of the BBC for its original Windows-only iPlayer.

Looks like Adobe has the BBC in its grip, technology wise, having ousted Microsoft from iPlayer completely – though I believe it is still experimenting with Silverlight’s Deep Zoom.

Related posts:

1. BBC to use Flash, Adobe streaming for iPlayer
2. BBC iPlayer AIR app brings downloads to Mac and Linux
3. BBC iPlayer supporting H.264 in Flash – what’s the point of downloading now?
4. Will Windows DRM spoil the BBC iPlayer party?
5. Adobe engineer: we gotta beat Silverlight