What is FLV
FLV stands for "Flash Live Video".
It is a format designed for web video playback that offers
high rates of compression and produces high quality video.
Several products convert video files to FLV format, including
our FLV Converter, Sorenson Squeeze, and
the On2 (Wildform Flix).
Notable users of the FLV file include Google
Video, Reuters.com and YouTube.
Most FLV converters use H.263, H.264 or On2
VP6 codecs to encode the video. The audio in FLV files is
encoded in PCM, ADPCM, or MP3 format.
In other words, if you have a video file in MPG or AVI format,
you can convert it to FLV through an
FLV converter
and easily put that video on your website.
FLV Streaming - Progressive and Server Based
There are two techniques used to stream an FLV file from
a website, Progessive and Flash Comm Server. While this may
confuse most end users, the 2 techniques depend on a few parameters
that we will outline below.
Progressive Streaming - Introduced in
Flash 7.0, this method is a low cost yet effective one for
the user. An interface or video player in SWF (Flash File
Format) is embedded in the HTML/Php/ASP page. This video
player contains the required code to playback a FLV file
from a server location. Obviously the FLV file is externally
placed. The video plays as the file is downloaded and the
user doesn't have to wait until the whole file is downloaded.
Pros -
1. Easy to set-up and maintain
2. Consistent high quality playback at all connection
speeds
3. No streaming servers required normally based on monthly
fees
4. Limited technical support required
Cons -
1. The video needs to be downloaded completely before
you can navigate to any particular part of it
2. As the file is downloaded, it will reside on the viewer's
computer. Savvy users will be able to access their browser
cache or temporary internet files to retrieve the video.
This is not necessarily harmful if you have no concerns
about rights management for the video. But in case you
want to protect your video, then this method of streaming
is definitely not for you!
Flash Comm Server - Also known as Flash
Media Server, this method is more professional way of serving
streaming video on web. While in progressive download the
file is downloaded to the viewer's machine and played back
at the same time, in this method the file resides on the
streaming server and is not downloaded while it is played.
Apart from that there is no apparent difference between
progressive download. The advantage of using Flash Comm
Server are twofold. First, your media is protected from
thieves. Secondly viewers can seek to any portion of the
video to view that portion. This is particularly helpful
if you have long hours of training material on your website.
Pros -
1. Ability to handle huge user load.
2. Immediate random access to different parts of a movie.
3. Video remains on server (cannot be saved by viewers).
Cons -
1. Not easy to setup for the average person.
2. Monthly Fees and much costly than progressive download.
Which one should you choose?
If you are looking for a low cost effective solution to put
videos on your website and you have a low to moderate traffic
then progressive download technique is your best option. If
you have a pretty heavy user load BBC or CNN and you are concerned
about your media rights then you definitely need a streaming
server setup.
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