Term of the Moment
communications protocol
Definition: Flash video
A once very popular video format on the Web from Adobe. Using the .FLV file extension, Flash videos are played with Adobe's latest Flash media player as well as other FLV players. A large amount of video content on the Web used to be available in this format, including YouTube, Google Video and Flickr. Most Flash video is downloaded using the progressive method (see progressive download).
From FLV to HTML5
Watching a Flash video from a website requires a Flash plug-in for the browser, which was routinely updated by Adobe and an inconvenience for the user. When HTML5 was introduced, which natively supports video, it quickly superseded the Flash format. FLV-to-HTML5 video converters are also available. Adobe support for Flash Player ended on December 31, 2021. See HTML5 and Flash Player.
Within a Flash Animation
A video can also be embedded within the Flash animation format that is authored in a timeline and published as an .SWF file for playback. However, the timeline supports a maximum number of frames, which limits the length of videos to only a few minutes. See Flash.
Updating the Flash Player
From FLV to HTML5
Watching a Flash video from a website requires a Flash plug-in for the browser, which was routinely updated by Adobe and an inconvenience for the user. When HTML5 was introduced, which natively supports video, it quickly superseded the Flash format. FLV-to-HTML5 video converters are also available. Adobe support for Flash Player ended on December 31, 2021. See HTML5 and Flash Player.
Within a Flash Animation
A video can also be embedded within the Flash animation format that is authored in a timeline and published as an .SWF file for playback. However, the timeline supports a maximum number of frames, which limits the length of videos to only a few minutes. See Flash.
Periodically, the Flash player is updated by Adobe, and the user has to comply in order to stay current.