Adobe unveils new technology to insert video ads

The new tools are part of Project Primetime, Adobe's service for distributing video on computers, smartphones and other Internet-connected devices. A new ad-insertion tool called MediaWeaver "mirrors broadcast TV" in the way it inserts ads into programming, Adobe said Thursday.

For broadcasters and other content providers, that's an improvement from the way a lot of online ads work now - concentrated at the start of the programming, or repeated over and over. MediaWeaver can get the latest ads inserted into video, whether it's live, recorded or played back on demand.

Adobe said the service lets content providers target and track their audience, too, depending on what information they already have on them.

Another offering, called Primetime Media Player, helps content providers offer a "more robust viewing experience on desktops and mobile devices within apps," the company said in a blog post. To do this, it lets devices load videos faster, offers closed-captioning and works with Adobe's SiteCatalyst advertising and marketing analytics service to analyze customers' viewing habits.