CBS suits up, promises iPad-friendly HTML5 video for all content by this Fall

Visit CBS.com from your iPad right now and all you'll get is a full episode of Survivor and clips from various other shows. By the start of the Fall season, however, CBS Interactive SVP Anthony Soohoo is promising content parity between its Flash-based website and HTML5-compliant iPad portal. While on the subject, he also notes that the video strategy will be entirely web-based, with no plans for an app à la ABC Player. Flash isn't being subjected to a veritable slapsgiving, however, as it'll remain the desktop technology of choice. Soohoo notes HTML5's toolset for measurement and encryption isn't quite at the same level yet. Full video interview after the break, and iPad users? This fall, expect something quite legen -- oh, you know where we're going with this, but still we'll pause for dramatic effect -- dary.

[justinpe Posted May 7th 2010 9:00PM]

@Johnny Rockets
But, they ARE coming, no? Native development will always result in a best user experience, plain and simple. Hulu's desktop app for OSX and Windows is a great example. On the mobile side, you have apps like MLB At Bat, which are far superior to their flash counterparts.

I'm not sure why there are so many users that are pro flash. It basically makes programming across multiple platforms easier, but results in a sub-standard user experience because the developer has to code for the lowest common denominator.

[skyblaze Posted May 7th 2010 9:38PM]

@TheLondonExchange

Don't really feel like getting caught up in this but... hey, its whatever. Personally, I'm not necessarily pro flash... I feel like Adobe needs to get their act together and fix... well... a lot. But concerning these filler apps (and this is just one out of many points I feel like stressing at the moment) you have to pay for a lot of them. Not all... but a good many. and PAYING for an experience that you can get absolutely free through your desktop/laptop/netbook is to me... absurd. Remember the Engadget article? http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/05/editorial-ipad-prices-are-out-of-control-and-will-kill-us-all/

Just that pic alone speaks volumes in what a lot of people are in for if they plan on replacing some (if not all) of their favorite flash based websites with their iPad/iPhone counterparts. Its ludicrous... and I for one have no intention of falling for it. Just my two cents =)

[David Bailey Posted May 7th 2010 10:10PM]

@TheLondonExchange Get used to ads because HTML5 pop up ads are starting to surface. If HTML5 is truly an alternative to Flash it is just going to get used in the same ways.

[Niazac Posted May 8th 2010 1:29AM]

@TheLondonExchange

As an iPhone user, I feel I am missing out on a lot of advanced web content that could be delivered specifically for the devices from Flash. This is always why I am making the change to an Android device.

And please retire the battery argument. They are redesigning Flash specifically for the mobile platform so this won't happen. Just because Steve Jobs says that it will reduce battery life, doesn't mean it will. Even then, with your logic Apple should block games because they are more hardware intensive and take a toll on your battery.

[Dafrety Posted May 8th 2010 12:42PM]

@justinpe
You do know that Hulu Desktop is built off of Flash right? On Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
Scroll down and read the requirements yourself.
http://www.hulu.com/labs/hulu-desktop

[Hazdaz Posted May 7th 2010 8:44PM]

Ha ha. Screw you Adobe.

This is a win for everyone.

[furquanatique Posted May 7th 2010 8:57PM]

@Hazdaz
Indeed, this a win for all 1,000,000 of you... while the rest of humanity continues to use Flash.

[TheLondonExchange Posted May 7th 2010 9:06PM]

@furquanatique

Lol clearly though CBS and ABC think the rest of humanity is less important than us poor Apple Supporters and buyers of Apple products....

So I wouldn't be bragging about anything. Instead you should be worried. Cuz they made an app JUST for us whats next?

[furquanatique Posted May 7th 2010 9:53PM]

@TheLondonExchange
My point exactly. I don't understand why you guys need an app for ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING when we can do all that in a browser with Flash. ;) We really aren't worried, unlike yourself, as you are locked down under Apple DRM. The moment Apple finds out HTML5 is affecting its iTunes sales, you can kiss HTML5 goodbye as Apple will lock it under DRM too. Freedom, I tell you, tastes sweet.

[furquanatique Posted May 7th 2010 10:03PM]

@TheLondonExchange
Oh, and we'll be enjoying HTML5 too.

[Adamv Posted May 7th 2010 10:56PM]

@TheLondonExchange

Lol you would be a poor Apple buyer because of those high prices!

[icase81 Posted May 7th 2010 11:12PM]

@Adamv
Yeah cuz all those competing tablets are so much cheaper... oh wait. There are no competing tablets in the marketplace. The JooJoo? C'mon.

[ipaladin Posted May 8th 2010 1:40AM]

@furquanatique 60% of humanity continues to use IE, so I wouldn't use humanity as your measure of what's good technology here.

[Dafrety Posted May 8th 2010 12:48PM]

@ipaladin
So that means the iPods aren't anything special, what with them owning 73.8% market share?
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2009/09/09/ipod_market_share_at_73_8_percent_225_million_ipods_sold_more_games_for_touch_than_psp_nds_apple

[furquanatique Posted May 8th 2010 2:20PM]

@ipaladin
60% of humanity uses IE, but have you considered Chrome? Firefox? Opera? All these browser's bring Flash to Netbooks, Laptop's, Desktops, Tablets, and very soon, the smartphone market around the WORLD, not just the United States. Flash penetration is increasing at an incredible speed on Windows computers and soon on Android, WebOS, RIM, Symbian^3, Meego, and more, oh and they'll run HTML 5 fine too, thanks to Microsoft with Windows, and all the open source mobile OS's. Apple... well... will continue to dominate what you can and cannot do.

For apple:
No USB port = Customers wont be expanding their iPad capacities with external drives but will purchase the larger capacity iPad from Apple. They wont be able to connect their own webcams and video chat on skype, and many more things.
No SD Card slot = (Same as above)
No Flash = Customers will not visit www.grooveshark.com for their music, will not visit http://www.movies-links.tv/ for their movies, and will not be able to use Firefox with DownloadHelper to download HD Flash videos straight off of Youtube, (among other many things too numerous to mention here).

Yes its true that a sad minority of you is under a state of complete lock down and you still support it, good for you! :D

[kyphem Posted May 7th 2010 8:56PM]

Thats right Adobe.

[meatball Posted May 7th 2010 9:03PM]

wow huge picture.

[iPaul Posted May 7th 2010 9:12PM]

and yet this video is flash :) and you cant see this on an iPad

[darksharpie Posted May 7th 2010 9:57PM]

@iPaul And yet you are wrong :) It plays fine on the iPad.

[furquanatique Posted May 7th 2010 10:04PM]

@darksharpie
Omg the iPhone OS has Flash?
*head explodes*

[darksharpie Posted May 7th 2010 10:30PM]

@furquanatique OMG it's possible to offer an h.264 or html5 video *and* flash on the same page?
*head explodes*

[Robert Jordan Posted May 7th 2010 9:13PM]

@ddddd waahhh? I cannot stream flash onto the most revolutionary device ever, so therefore the argument stands that flash is un-revolutionary "WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH"

[Firehazel Posted May 7th 2010 9:31PM]

@Robert Jordan yay for Big Steve. not.

[ghostdog Posted May 7th 2010 9:53PM]

by then I'll have my own.

[Apple561 Posted May 7th 2010 9:55PM]

down with Flash up with HTML5

[Apple561 Posted May 7th 2010 9:58PM]

@ddddd
the only reason why that HTML5 doesn't have HD like Flash is Because the technology isnt getting enough attention if everyone switched flash will die and HTML5 will get better and better.

[Anatidae Posted May 7th 2010 10:30PM]

This will make it easy to save your favorite shows to your hard drive. The DRM tools in HTML5 are weak at best. Wheee!

[NodNarb012 Posted May 7th 2010 10:47PM]

@ddddd http://jilion.com/sublime/video

[Goaliegeek Posted May 7th 2010 11:10PM]

Wish I could set html5 to default for playback in safari or chrome on my mbp. Why does the ipad get all the fun

[larrysyr Posted May 7th 2010 11:31PM]

Has anyone noticed that you can't use the regular iPhone browser on the Engadget site anymore without it crashing? I have to use the app now...the regular site is not compatible with the iPhone/iPod touch anymore. Why?....

[Limech Posted May 7th 2010 11:58PM]

How about letting people in Canada see the videos from CBS.com?

Otherwise, I have to rely on crappy Canadian companies like Global/CTV to switch to HTML5... :(

[ldeliu Posted May 8th 2010 12:22AM]

Have an option to change background to black and text to white, while keeping pictures same. Currently you can reverse background and foreground color in Accessibility settings, but pictures become negatives and unwatchable. Reading on white background causes a lot of eye fatigue. I read on my Amazon Kindle for hours, but already feel eye strains after reading 10 minutes on ipad.

[cdf74dc9 Posted May 8th 2010 12:59AM]

They still have their flash support browser. This doesn't mean that they completely switch to html5. They will loose a huge amount of audience if they have just 1 version of html5 (html5 currently is not widely support in web browser, even the new one). So what's up with the hate? Only big company has the funds to make another version of their website to be compatible with that 1 device.

[S60 Posted May 8th 2010 1:08AM]

Who says full Flash 10 doesn't run perfectly fine on a smartphone?

http://dailymobile.se/2009/10/26/flash-player-10-1-running-on-nokia-n900/

It runs great on mine without battery drains or lag!

[S60 Posted May 8th 2010 1:10AM]

... forgot to add ... ads can be easily blocked, just download the Firefox plug-in. ;)

[blinddance Posted May 8th 2010 1:31AM]

I like to see this development, I'm sick of flash. Even on my macbook unibody, youtube (and other flash plug-ins) freezes the pictures for a few seconds, waay too often!

[TJAngle Posted May 8th 2010 1:31AM]

I've got a very special video message for Steve Jobs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62emi8Z341U

[furquanatique Posted May 8th 2010 2:11AM]

@TJAngle
Video is set as private.

[gbhil Posted May 8th 2010 4:30AM]

If you can't watch some shitty CBS.com video content until the fall, you blew it.

[Springdiggity Posted May 8th 2010 4:42AM]

I don't know who's right here - Apple or Adobe - but it looks like Apple is winning the war against flash at the moment. As long as I an view most, if not all, web content from my iPad/iPhone, I'll be a happy camper. I just hope I'm supporting the right team here, you know?

J

[frederick52785 Posted May 8th 2010 7:12AM]

Ummm......I have an ipad, don't have flash, hasn't bothered me one bit.
However I do understand that wont be the case for everyone. Thnx.

[ngsm13 Posted May 8th 2010 7:19AM]

+1 for HIMYM...

[malexandria1 Posted May 8th 2010 9:09AM]

I like their strategy of not making an App. I'm getting tired of the "Applification" of the web. The whole point of the iPad is supposed to be "the web in your hands" why do I have to get a separate App just to browse a "web page?" I understood it for the iPhone because Safari SUCKS generally, but especially so on the iPhone.

[Dafrety Posted May 8th 2010 12:49PM]

@Apple561
.... Your stupid makes my brain hurt.