Las Vegas - Web and desktop publishing software developer Adobe on Monday introduced a new media player, essentially a standalone desktop version of its Flash Player browser plug-in.

The Adobe Media Player, which the company says will offer content publishers new abilities to distribute, track and build businesses around their media assets, will enter a beta testing phase later this year, with the final version slated for release by the end of 2007.

Users will get higher-quality and full-screen Flash format playback; the ability to download and view videos offline; viewer ratings; and podcast-type automatic downloads of new programs.

Adobe's announcement comes on the same day as Microsoft's introduction of Silverlight, an online media platform that aims to compete with Adobe's Flash player.

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