Adobe made a serious move into the web video space today as it released its Adobe Media Player 1.0 software as a free download.

The cross-platform Adobe Media Player uses technology based on the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) software, and will allow users to subscribe to different video webcasts.

Adobe has already signed deals with publishers such as MTV, CBS and Universal who will provide content.

"We're bringing viewers and content owners closer together, with an experience that doesn't constrain them by platform or proprietary software application," said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe.

The player will provide playback of streamed, downloaded or locally-stored video in the Adobe Flash format, and will mean that it will be possible to download video for the first time outside the browser. The 1.0 version will only display Flash, but it could support other formats in the future.

This is Adobe's attempt to take a piece of the video player market, which has websites such as Youtube as well as standalone players such as Windows Media Player, Winamp and Quicktime all competing against each other.

Adobe said it was different to its competition in that its player would allow users to subscribe to free content and give them the chance to watch shows online and offline.

It also offered what it called next-generation offline monetising and branding options, which included 'viewer-centric dynamic advertising' for targeted marketing campaigns.

"As the internet has matured and video has become more and more popular, content owners are looking for new ways to connect with their audiences, both offline and online," said Melissa Webster, vice president at IDC Content and Digital Media Technologies.

"At the same time, content owners need to protect and monetise their content via premium services or advertising. This is the opportunity that Adobe is addressing with Adobe Media Player," she added.

Privacy could be an issue with the player, as Adobe also revealed that it was possible to provide content publishers with anonymous usage data included about when and how a video was viewed.

Adobe also said that it would provide content providers with protection options such as protected streaming, advertising protection and video DRM protection.