Adobe Unveils Flash Player 10 Beta

Adobe gave users a sneak peak at the next version of its venerable Flash platform with the beta release of Flash Player 10 on Thursday. The hopped-up player includes extra features to accommodate for 3D graphics, text, video, and more.

Native 3D effects will enable animators to rotate and move 2D objects in 3D space more easily, while a load of new text layout options to aid developers who want to use Flash for eBooks. To improve streaming video, one of Flash’s most recently found uses, Adobe has added variable-bitrate streaming, which will tone down video quality when bandwidth dips to provide constant streaming video without buffering.

Support for custom filters and effects will be another of Flash 10’s main selling points for developers. Users can now make use of Adobe Pixel Bender filters, the same technology powering Adobe After Effects CS3. Besides downloading premade filters for free directly from Adobe Labs, Flash producers will also be able to create their own using the free Adobe Pixel Bender Toolkit.

Flash Player 10 is available for download immediately from Adobe. Since none of the new effects are yet in widespread use, Adobe has also provided a demo page to preview some of the new features.