Adobe Tuesday announced an update to its Flash Player multimedia player, now in beta testing, that will support higher quality audio and video than previous versions via standard H.264 video -- used in cable boxes and high definition DVDs -- and High Efficiency AAC audio.

The update, code-named Moviestar, is a likely welcomed step toward better performance by Flash Player, especially in the wake of Microsoft's announcement earlier this year that its Silverlight technology would support high definition by using the VC-1 codec used by Windows Media. Also supporting H.264 and High Efficiency AAC going forward are Adobe's AIR rich Internet application runtime and Adobe Media Player, the company's new desktop multimedia player.

The H.264 standard also is used by Blu-Ray and HD DVD discs, a number of set-top cable boxes, and by Apple QuickTime. The use of H.264 enables hardware acceleration in most video cards. Though Adobe's support of higher definition video comes after Microsoft's announcements, Mark Randall, chief strategist for Adobe Dynamic Media, said in an interview that Adobe had been working on H.264 support before the company was even aware of Silverlight, doing research into codec support more than a year ago. "This isn't as much about competition as about delivering a better experience for users online through Flash," Randall said. "That there was great momentum in the industry was the big driver behind this."

High Efficiency AAC, a standard audio technology developed by the creators of MP3, also will add to the increased quality of Flash Player media capabilities. That's because even at a lower bitrate, it will bring better audio quality than the technology Flash Player currently uses. That frees up space for higher bitrate video and thus better quality there as well as in audio.

There's also already support for Adobe's moves. "Adobe's support of H.264 will ensure that we continue to deliver high-quality video to our diverse audiences who expect it," Nick Rockwell, senior VP and chief technology officer for MTV Networks, said in a statement on Adobe's Web site.