Adobe's Flash 10.1 made some major changes to the formula by introducing hardware acceleration to many parts of the plugin for the first time. The new beta may not be quite as radical, but version 10.2 introduces a series of enhancements that should make the whole experience smoother, faster and a lot more efficient.
The biggest addition in the 10.2 beta is the Stage Video API. These tools build on the GPU-based decoding introduced in Flash 10.1 to allow the entire video-pipeline to be accelerated in hardware. The result is a drop in CPU usage of up to 85 per cent compared to the current stable release while simultaneously improving playback quality.
Unfortunately Flash content has to be created with the new API in mind, though SWFs can be updated without changing the underlying video file. Obviously, any content that does use Stage Video will still be compatible with older versions of the plugin.
This release will also be able to run full screen content on a multi-monitor system while working on a secondary display and will make use of the full range of hardware accelerated rending tools in Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 beta to improve graphics performance.
Lastly, as shown in the preview of Stage Video from the Adobe MAX conference embedded below, OS X support has been greatly improved, massively reducing CPU utilisation.
Unfortunately, this beta is only available for 32-bit browsers, meaning that you'll have to stick with the Square preview if you're intent on using a 64-bit browser.
Full details on the changes in this release are available from Adobe, as well as download links for Windows, OS X and Linux. For anyone not interested in trying out the beta, the final version of Flash 10.2 should be released sometime next year.
