Flash Videos — SWF vs. FLV
Flash presentations come in two flavors: SWF and FLV. If you’ve been following the other thread on Streaming Video, you’ll recall the discussion between downloads vs. streaming. This distinction lies at the heart of this issue.
SWF files are intended to be downloaded from the server before being played. They’re actually downloaded in the background, and they can frequently start playing before they’re fully downloaded. But once they’ve played, you can’t replay them without re-downloading them. It’s just the nature of the critter. (The download file is saved as a temporary internet file. It’s still there in the cache, but browsers aren’t equipped to reuse cached files like this.)
FLV files are a relatively new format. They’re designed to allow interactive streaming, rather than downloading. This allows the Flash Player in your browser to have them start, stop, pause, rewind, and fast-forward, without having to worry about how much of the clip has actually been sent yet. This format is much more foregiving in may ways. It also represents the future of what to expect when it comes to working with Flash video technologies.
Sunday 17 Sep 2006 | ToolWiz | Flash Videos, Video