Progressive Download Video and Flash 8
by Russell Chun

Progressive Download
When you want to display video that is longer than about 2 minutes and you do not need your video to be timed with other animated elements, then use progressive download. ActionScript is required to tell Flash to playback the video. However, in Flash MX04 Professional and Flash 8, media components are provided for ready-made playback interfaces or "skins". If you are authoring for the latest Flash player (Flash player 8), you have several choices of playback interfaces.

Progressive download requires that the video be converted to the FLV format ("Flash video") and kept external to your Flash movie. How do you create a FLV file? You have three ways to do so, the first of which you'll most likely follow:

1. Use Flash to convert your video to an FLV automatically during the import process.
2. Use the Flash 8 Video Encoder, a standalone application that comes with Flash 8 Professional.
3. Use the export options in Final Cut Pro or Quicktime Pro (available only through Flash 8 Professional).

Progressive Download
BENEFITS
RESTRICTIONS
Can display video that is longer than 2 minutes and still preserve audio synchronization. Video cannot be timed with other Flash animated elements.
Video can be at a different frame rate than your Flash movie. Flash Player 7 or 8 only. Flash Player 7 uses the "MediaPlayback component". Flash Player 8 uses the "FLVPlayback component".
Your Flash project does not increase in filesize so initial download times and authoring sessions are faster. The video must be in the FLV format and is kept external to your Flash project. The FLV must accomany your SWF (or your SWF must be given the correct path to find the FLV).
Ready-made interfaces, or "skins", are available to control the playback of the video. Flash player 8 skins are small SWF files that are also kept external to your main Flash movie and must accompany your SWF.
Video can be edited and converted to an FLV without having to open up and monkey with your Flash file.  
Video streams, which means it begins playing without having to download all the data. While Flash, in general, does this automatically, it only does so only on the main Timeline and not with movie clip symbols.  

 

To Progressively Download Video into Flash:

1 Choose File > Import > Import to Stage (Cmd-R/Ctrl-R)
2 The Import Video Dialogue box appears, which will guide you through the video import process.  
3 In the first screen, verify the path and filename of the video clip you want to import. Click Continue.
4

DEPLOYMENT

In the next screen, "Deployment", you will choose how you want your video to appear in Flash. Choose the first option, Progressive download from web server.

5

ENCODING

In the next screen, "Encoding", you will choose the compression settings to determine the quality of your video and audio. If you want to publish your Flash movie for a previous Flash player version, choose Flash Player 7-High Quality. If you want to publish your Flash movie for the latest Flash player version, choose Flash Player 8 - High Quality. Higher quality results in a better picture, but a larger filesize. Lower quality results in a more degraded picture but a smaller filesize.
6

SKINNING: FOR THE FLASH 8 PLAYER

In the next screen, you can choose a "skin", or a pre-made interface to control the playback of your video.

If you are publishing for Flash Player 8, then you can choose a variety of different skins in the pulldown menu, including "None" at the very top, as shown here.

The different skins provide alternative designs as well as different combinations of buttons.

 
  Some skins appear at the bottom of the video while others can appear within the video area, as shown here.
7

SKINNING: FOR THE FLASH 7 PLAYER

If you intend to publish your movie for the Flash 7 player, then you will not be able to choose a skin from the pulldown menu. Flash will use an older version of a playback component (not listed on the pulldown menu) which has only one appearance, as shown here.

8 Click "Continue" to finish the guided process. Flash encodes the video, which may take a few minutes, depending on your video size.  
9

KEEP TRACK OF EXTERNAL FILES

Flash encodes your video and saves the FLV file in the same place where your Flash movie is saved. If you chose a Flash player 8 skin, then a SWF file for that interface is also created.

In this example on the right, the video "rocketlaunch.flv" and the skin "ClearExternalAll.swf" has been created.

10 Flash places the required component in your Library and an instance on the Stage. This is required to playback your video.
11

ADD A STOP ACTION

Your video is not tied to your Timeline and will play independently of other elements, so you should stop the Timeline when your video appears.

Insert a new Layer and insert a new keyframe at the same point in time when your video appears. Open the Actions panel (Window>Actions) and insert a stop() action.

12

PLAYBACK SETTINGS

You can change the playback settings for your video component. Open the Component Inspector (Windows>Component Inspector) and click on the Parameters tab.

 
13

FLASH 8 COMPONENT

If you are publishing for Flash 8, you will see the "FLVPlayback" component. You can change the parameters listed under the "Name" column by clicking on the entries under the "Value" column.

•AutoPlay determines whether your video will automatically start
•AutoRewind determines whether your video will go back to the beginning after it finishes
•ContentPath is the path to your video file.
•SkinAutoHide determines whether the interface is always visible (true), or only visible when the user passes their mouse over the video (false).

14

FLASH 7 COMPONENT

If you are publishing for Flash 7, you will see the "MediaPlayback" component.

•URL is the path to your video file.
•Automatically Play determines whether your video will automatically start
•Control Placement determines where the controller is placed
•Control Visibility determines whether the interface is always visible (on), no visible (off), or only visible when the user passes their mouse over the video (Auto).

15 Choose Control>Test to export a SWF and see your video.