Apple Technical Note TN2267: an opening for GPU-accelerated Flash?

There couldn't possibly be any less fanfare from Apple on this, but the company's recently released Technical Note TN2267 for OS X 10.6.3 might just be the GPU-sized opening that Adobe and, consequently, Flash users have been waiting for. Here's the key bit:

The Video Decode Acceleration framework is a C programming interface providing low-level access to the H.264 decoding capabilities of compatible GPUs such as the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, GeForce 320M or GeForce GT 330M. It is intended for use by advanced developers who specifically need hardware accelerated decode of video frames.

Now, we're not exactly "advanced developers," but it seems pretty clear that this is designed to give developers access to some inner workings of OS X that have previously been restricted to Apple itself -- access that has been evident in Flash tests that show it performs much better in instances where it can access a computer's GPU. No word from Adobe on this just yet, but we've got to guess they've already taken notice.

[DoctarPeppar Posted Apr 22nd 2010 3:59PM]

Apple Technical Note TN6969:
Steve jobs is actually the flying spaghetti monster in disguise.
He knows all and sees all. Purchasing an iPad is like getting touched by his noodely appendage.

[RickJames Posted Apr 22nd 2010 4:05PM]

REALLY?! Just like so many programs have been doing since the 8000series Nvidia cards came out at the start of LAST year.
BTW if you haven't been using CoreAVC to decode H.264 video then your missing out
http://corecodec.com/products/coreavc

[joelaf Posted Apr 22nd 2010 4:16PM]

I don't really like the terms fanboi and hater, but when someone starts several replies with "hey, Dumbass" that goes beyond fanboi/hater/troll. I've actually learned things on here from folks who's opinions I don't agree with. But then, I take the time to google things I've seen referenced here.

[Jack Posted Apr 22nd 2010 4:21PM]

This isn't really going to help anything as long as flash continues to crash constantly. Make it not suck so much, then worry about hardware GPU acceleration.

[king_electric_warmonger Posted Apr 22nd 2010 4:31PM]

Ok, ok, let's clear some here.

For the smart asses out there- as well as the well informed- answer me this:

Why haven't adobe taken advantage of coreanimation and other "acceleration" API's built into mac os x? Even shareware devs have been using these for years.

come on folks, inquiring minds want to know!

[d0ug Posted Apr 22nd 2010 4:31PM]

after the whole iphone/ipad flash fiasco, if love to see adobe just give apple the middle finger with this.

[Drago Posted Apr 22nd 2010 4:34PM]

@d0ug Actually Apple is doing Adobe a favor, I don't really think they also want to loose the OSX marketshare.

[MisturSrs Posted Apr 22nd 2010 6:49PM]

So Apple is finally releasing the API's to let Flash Player access the GPU properly and let it go up to par with Windows?

Take out your copy machines Apple..

[Kwame Nkrumah Posted Apr 22nd 2010 8:50PM]

@ddddd

Is that you Adobe CEO?

[Dafrety Posted Apr 22nd 2010 11:00PM]

@Kwame Nkrumah
Is that you Apple CEO? Clearly anyone who has something positive to say about a product must work for the company. Since you have such a hard on for HTML 5 and such a strong hate for flash you're obviously Steve Jobs. Don't you have more important things to do?

[WhatsThatSmell Posted Apr 23rd 2010 3:02AM]

@Kwame Nkrumah

Srsly, STFU. I'm an Apple fan and i cringe every time i see another one of your damn posts. At least LAY gives his paranoid conspiracy theory comments some thought. All you do is troll around the comment sections fanning the flames.

[junkheap Posted Apr 23rd 2010 12:15PM]

I would like to point something out here:
"access to the H.264 decoding capabilities of compatible GPUs"

Know what that means? It means they're not allowing access to full GPU acceleration for just anything, it means they're letting developers get it ONLY for H.264 decoding, which is one specific video codec. That's it. Anything else they want acceleration for isn't getting it from this.

[Freddyroc Posted Apr 24th 2010 11:29AM]

I'm sorry but maybe i don't understand video encoding / decoding enough but i know that as a game developer i have no problem on the mac/iphone accessing opengl? Is direct rendering controle of opengl not enough for adobe?

On a side note; awesome maybe flash will not suck on the mac. However, i have a question for all those "flash sucks on mac because of apple" people. How come flash is terrible on linux? In linux adobe can even access the kernel. Every library in linux is a public library. Why does flash suck, more so then flash on mac, on linux?

I would love to hear adobes excuse on this one. I'll pre-write there response for you.

"The level of the public api's are not up to par with what adobe needs"
(Human language) We need someone else to build up supporting libraries. we again are lazy shitty developers.

[Freddyroc Posted Apr 24th 2010 11:35AM]

@ddddd

libTheora has been on linux for years. It is not the second coming of christ everyone makes it out to be. The major benefit it has over h.264 is that it will not have the licensing restrictions h.264 encoder has.

Also, it will be opened to html (as it has been under libtheora in linux) as to flash so it really is a mute point that flash will be getting it as well. I can tell you 3years ago watching redhat videos encoded on libtheora and it's nothing to write home about.

However, open formats are always welcome and that is what html5 is basically offering "non-commercial" formats that don't require you to purchase adobe products or use security nightmare products from adobe.