In what was the next logical step for Adobe, the American computer software company headquartered in San Jose, California, has released Adobe Media Player, an application that works with Adobe AIR Runtime. Adobe Media Player 1.0 is a free download. The package also includes Adobe AIR, for those who do not have Adobe AIR installed on their Mac.

"The fusion of TV and the Internet"- this is how Adobe describes its just-released Adobe Media Player. John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe, describes it as "a merger of TV Guide and DVR for Internet video content." The cross-platform player makes great use of the existing Adobe Flash technology and supports downloaded and streamed media of up to full-screen HD resolution.

The company also announced Adobe TV, an integrated network sporting a series of shows, complete with instructions to use. All you need to do is pick the episodes you want to watch and Adobe Media Player software will track new episodes and download them so you can watch whenever you want.

You can subscribe to all sorts of online video content which you will automatically receive as new episodes become available. Initially, content available on Adobe Media Player includes: CSI: New York, CSI: Miami, Big Brother, Star Trek, Melrose Place, Hawaii Five-O, The Twilight Zone and MacGyver from CBS; The Hills, MTV News and Yo! MTV Raps from MTV Networks; select shows on HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network and Fine Living Network from Scripps Networks; Epicurious.com, Style.com and Wired.com from CondéNet; PBS programming and music videos from Universal Music Group. Additional content from MTV Networks' brands including MTV, Nickeloedon, COMEDY CENTRAL, VH1, CMT, Logo, Spike, The N, GameTrailers and more. Atom Films will be made available over the next several months, according to macsimumnews.com.

There's more to Adobe's player though. It enables viewers to subscribe to free content, and offers next-gen offline monetization and branding options. Viewer-centric dynamic advertising for targeted marketing campaigns is a good example of that. Users even have the ability to customize the look and feel of the player to match the brand or theme of the content they are playing.

Adobe's website offers tutorials for getting started (of course), using the catalog, viewing your videos and setting your Adobe Media Player options. Click HERE to download Adobe Media Player 1.0 and start watching "what you want, when you want" right on your Mac.