Issue with flash file

[Cary F]

I am trying to embed a .flv file into my page using insert/we
component/advanced controls. It inserts the file but does not play it - get a
white box.
If I convert the .flv file to .swf, it works fine, however, quality not as
good.
Does FP not accept .flv? Or does anyone have any suggestions as to what
I am doing wrong?
I searched this discussion group prior to asking, but could not find this
exact issue.
Thanks for the assist!
Cary

 

[Mark Fitzpatrick]

No, FP doesn't accept an FLV because the web browser won't actually. The FLV
file is not the same as a flash animation. It's just the video file and
doesn't have any information needed to embed it within a page.. You still
need an SWF file that acts as a player for the FLV. The SWF player will know
how to start and stop the FLV as well as how to load it.

There are a number of players out there and you can even make one with Flash
if you're comfortable enough. One of the most commonly used players is the
JW FLV player (http://www.jeroenwijering.com/?item=JW_FLV_Media_Player).
It's a good price for commercial and free for non-commercial (if I remember
correctly). You can see it on some really big sites including IMDB (the
internet movie database).

Hope this helps,
Mark Fitzpatrick

 

[Cary F]

Thanks for the info Mark.
No wonder it didn't work!
So does this mean that in order to play the .flv format,
I need to embed a flash player in my page/site itself?

Appreciate your help.
Cary

 

[Mark Fitzpatrick]

Correct. You need a flash video player which is itself an swf file that
contains all the controls necessary to load and play the flv video. So,
you'll embed this player and then direct it to load the flv file. Usually
this is done by passing some flash parameter to the swf file so it knows
where the video is located.

Hope this helps,
Mark Fitzpatrick

 

[Cary F]

Mark,
Thanks for directing me to the JW FLV player.
You are correct, it is free for non-comm and need to purchase a license for
commercial use.

Now am I off to try to figure out how to make it work in my site!
Just wanted to thank you for your assistance.

Regards,
Cary