Flv File: How To Open And Convert

flv file logo FLV file format from Adobe Systems is commonly used for online video on such websites as YouTube, Hulu, Vevo, and many other streaming resources. Almost any operating system (except iOS) can open and play FLV files using Adobe Flash Player.
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adobe flash player interface with flv file

What Is FLV File?

FLV file extension is commonly used for video and audio transmitting via Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Air on the net. For many years, this file format has been perceived as a standard video format used by almost all integrated videos on the web.

FLV is the abbreviation for Flash Video. But since Adobe Flash Professional has been renamed and is nowadays known as Animate, this file format may also be called Animate Video.

Pros+
  • Browser Penetration
  • Consistency & Compatibility
  • Advanced Features
Cons-
  • Less Maturity
  • Initial Difficulty
 

How to Open FLV File?

Web developers use FLV files when they need to embed animations or other types of interactive content into websites. To fulfill this task, specialists usually resort to programs having the Flash Video Exporter plug-in or those with FLV file support.

  • Broaden your knowledge about other file formats, for example, AVI file.

Free Software

FLV (meaning Flash Video) is a container file format created by Adobe Systems with the aim of transmitting audio and video data. The encoding process of .FLV is analogical to that of SWF files, with the former being supported by Adobe Flash Player.

Adobe Flash Player is a desktop program, which you can use to work with files created on the Adobe Flash platform. It is perfect for opening .FLV files, streaming audio and video, and executing online apps. Flash Player can be installed as a browser plug-in or be used on mobile devices.

There are also other efficient media players, which you can use to open Flash Video files.

VLC Media Player is very popular because it is distributed free of charge and can quickly cope with opening an .FLV file. This is a cross-platform program with open source that is also suitable if you need to play DVDs, VCDs, Audio CDs and many other files.

Web FLV Player is a go-to tool for people frequently managing and playing video with the .FLV extension. The program is available for free and it supports importing videos from various websites without buffering time. You can also use Web FLV Player to play videos by simply inserting the URL of a necessary clip.

PlayerXtreme is demanded among mobile users, who need a quick FLV player on their portable devices. In addition to FLV format, the app can effortlessly open a big range of other formats. While designing this application, developers wanted to cater to the needs of mobile users, who often suffer from a significantly smaller variety of suitable programs to work with and watch videos on the go.

Professional Software

If you ponder on creating an FLV file, you need to download and install the Flash Video Exporter plug-in in Adobe Animate.

Adobe Animate is another product by Adobe Systems, known as multimedia authoring and computer animation software. The scope of its application is rather broad including vector graphics and animation design, creation of TV programs, websites, online videos, web apps, video games and more. So, opening an FLV file in Adobe Animate won’t be a problem.

Adobe Premiere Pro is referred to as top-shelf video editing software, which you can use to produce content for TV and web usage. It has a set of creative tools, provides integration with third-party applications and platforms, while its Adobe Sensei technology enables turning average footage into videos and films that meet industry standards. Thanks to Premiere Rush feature, you can easily create and edit videos from different devices.

How To Convert FLV File?

How to convert an FLV file to another format if a device, video player or a platform doesn’t support this file extension? For instance, iOS devices come without Adobe Flash embedded, so there is no way to open and play FLVs on them.

Fortunately, there are many FLV file converters that are compatible with a broad range of video players and devices, so you can use a suitable option and convert FLV files to another format. Besides, you can easily find a website and upload an FLV file, which will be automatically converted and you will receive a link on your email to download the result. The most popular samples of such platforms are YouConvertIt and Zamzar.

Zamzar is an online file converter with more than 1200 conversion types supported. It offers a quick conversion process without the necessity to download a specialized soft on your PC. Use Zamzar to convert CAD files, e-Books, documents, audio, video, and compressed file formats.

YouConvertIt is praised for very accurate and precise FLV file conversion without quality loss. In general, most programs, both online and offline, provide basic file conversion, and the results of such a process may be far from perfect. With YouConvertIt, you can be sure about top-quality results, as developers have been constantly improving their product.

CloudConvert is a wonderful option for users, who can’t afford to buy paid software to convert FLV files. This one is user-friendly and allows exporting results in many formats.

However, mind that opening and processing large files or doing that offline may cause freezes. So, you’d better choose another variant from the list.

Any Video Converter. As the name implies, this is a universal program to convert FLV to MP4 online free no limit, or any other file format. You can upload files from the PC or the web.

Freemake Video Converter is a free video editing app targeted at beginner users. It was created by Ellora Assets Corporation, which may sound confusing concerning its name. The app may come in handy if you need to convert video formats, burn compatible video streams to DVD or Blu-ray Discs, create photo slideshows, music visualizations, upload your results directly to YouTube and rip video DVDs. The list of supported video formats is really impressive. To learn more details, visit the official website.

Video To MP3 Converter has proven to be super effective whenever you need to convert a video, be it an FLV file or any other format, to MP3.

Video Converter and Media File has gained popularity among users because of a vast variety of formats it works with. Just adjust the parameters (extension, export format), and click the button to start the conversion process. Using Video Converter and Media File, you can professionally create video folders and photo albums, compose several files and work with soundtracks.

  • Read the article to learn about the MPG file.

FLV File: FAQ

  • Does FLV use compression?

The FLV file typically contains material encoded with the help of codecs in accordance with the Sorenson Spark or VP6 video compression. Starting with 2010, Flash Player editions (the joint creation of Adobe Systems and MainConcept), support H. 264 video and HE-AAC audio.

  • What Should I use FLV for?

.FLV file extension is characterized by a short header, interleaved video, audio and metadata packets, and video and audio data stored in identical formats (.SWL). FLV files are commonly used to embed streams in Adobe apps and for work with a Flash plug-in.

  • Is FLV better than MP4?

Comparing these 2 file formats, namely their ability to be used as containers for video and audio codecs, I can state that the main difference isn’t the size, which is just a few percent, but the nature of a container, i.e. MP4 and FLV. They offer a different way of wrapping the content, which, by the way, is similar (H.264 for video and ACC for audio). FLV turned out to be more “verbose” as a container, which consequently affected the size.

  • What does a regular FLV file contain?

The content of a standard FLV file is made up of material that has undergone the encoding process following VP6 and Sorenson Spark video compression algorithm.

  • Is FLV still used?

Frankly speaking, FLV files have been replaced by other formats meant for browser-based video playback. But for outside-of-browser purposes, you can confidently use this file format. For example, live streaming still largely depends on the FLV wrapper over RTMP when it comes to publishing streams on media servers. The majority of media servers, such as Wowza Streaming Engine and Adobe Media Server, can be adjusted to record incoming streams either as MP4 or FLV.


Ann Young

Hi there, I'm Ann Young - a professional blogger, read more

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