14 DAY TRIAL // The first Google Chrome OS Cr-48 devices have started shipping and, while this is 'beta' hardware and software, one issue in particular seems to be popping up more often than others, abysmal Flash performance. In fact, Adobe has even put up a post explaining that support for things like hardware acceleration on Chrome OS, or Linux for that matter, is a work in progress.
"In terms of Chrome notebooks specifically, as with many aspects of the device, Flash Player 10.1 support remains a work in progress. Video performance in particular is the primary area for improvement and we are actively working with the engineers at Google to address this," Adobe explained.
Users that have received a Cr-48 netbook so far described that online video was pretty much a no-go. YouTube videos were watchable on standard definition, albeit far from smooth, but on sites like Vimeo or Hulu were more like slideshows than video.
This is because there is little support for hardware video decoding on Linux in Flash. Since Chrome OS is based on Linux, the issue has been carried over. Without hardware acceleration, the decoding is left to the Intel Atom processor powering Chrome OS netbooks which is just not up to the job.
"Enabling video acceleration will deliver a more seamless experience on these devices. Because Flash Player is integrated directly into Chrome Notebooks, users will automatically benefit from the latest features and improvements as new versions of the software are pushed out," Adobe says.
And it shouldn't be long now actually. The latest Flash Player 10.2 Beta brings better support for hardware acceleration to Linux-powered devices which should mean that Chrome OS users will be benefiting soon.
The final Flash Player 10.2 should be landing way before Chrome OS is ready to ship in consumer devices, six months from now. And, since the Flash Player is bundled with the Chrome browser and with Chrome OS and automatically updated, existing Chrome OS users just have to wait a little longer.