User Comments

1. 

   5/27/09

   rsenecal

   What is the advantage of using .swf over .flv ? My website uses a lot of video and they are all in .flv . I think Youtube uses .flv too.
   
   Richard
   www.filmhaiti.com

   [reply]
   1. 

      5/27/09

      bladeaxe4

      Embedded video (SWF)
      
      Flash Video content (FLV file) is imported into a Flash document (FLA file) & published as a Flash movie (SWF file). Some Flash Video encoder tools automatically embed Flash Video content in a SWF file. This option is backward-compatible with Flash Player 6 or higher, & u need to keep track of only one media file. However, your Flash Video content significantly increases file size of SWF file, & you can't replace Flash Video content without republishing Flash movie.
      
      For most Flash Video projects produced by interactive agencies, embedded video isn't preferred approach for deployment. Most Flash Video content used by Web sites such as Google or YouTube is distributed as FLV files.
      
      External video (FLV)
      
      Flash Video content (FLV file) is loaded as a separate asset into SWF file at runtime when Web page loads. FLV file can be loaded with your own custom programming in ActionScript, scripting language for Flash platform, or with a prebuilt Flash component.
      
      TIP
      
      * To send a Flash Video file to someone who is inexperienced with Flash authoring & development, use an embedded video in a Flash movie to enable easier playback of Flash Video. Unfortunately, most computers aren't set up to play FLV files natively—you can't drag an FLV file into a Web browser window to play. However, with a SWF file, you can either drag file into a Web browser window or play it with a st&alone Flash Player or projector.
      
      There are advantages to using an external video file. For example, FLV file can be preloaded into Flash movie shell. You can also more easily swap out video content with a new FLV file if necessary. In addition, you have much more control over your Flash Video when you load & control video with ActionScript. Publishing times are drastically reduced when Flash Video isn't embedded in Flash document.
      
      disadvantage of using an external video file in FLV format is that you must use Flash Media Server to stream playback if you need Flash Player 6 compatibility with your Flash Video content. (I talk more about Flash Media Server later in this chapter & throughout book.) FLV files can be uploaded to a Web server, a Flash Media Server, or a Flash Video Streaming Service provider.
   2. 

      5/27/09

      bladeaxe4

      .swf files are mainly used for menu creation and a steady base flash stuffs while .flv is used mainly for video streaming !
2. 

   5/27/09

   rsenecal

   Thanks for the input although a bit technical. I did some optimization for my blog since I am targeting users with slow or bad internet connections. I was able to keep my FLV files very small although quality is not premium. My encoder is also outdated and does not use the latest encoding codecs.
   
   Richard
   www.filmhaiti.com

   [reply]
   1. 

      5/27/09

      bladeaxe4

      how about you try magic video converter !
   2. 

      5/27/09

      bladeaxe4

      well, u knw examples of flv... swf example is the flash ads that you see, embeded !
3. 

   5/27/09

   rsenecal

   I'm using either software made by Aimersoft or ffmpegX. The advantage of using the Aimersoft Total Media Converter is that I can easily embed my logo at encoding. But I find it buggy and it does not work well with all kinds of file. Plus I'm on a Mac and there are less available options.
   
   Richard
   www.filmhaiti.com

   [reply]