Looking for something extra that will make your website "jump out" at its audience? You may not know it yet, but that "something" is Flash video software.
The Flash Video Player: FLV Files Are Fantastic
You could view videos on your computer before Flash. You could even show videos over the Internet before Flash. However, what made Flash so great was that the format made it easy to stream videos over the web--meaning that average web users got to see the videos play as they loaded, second by second. They no longer had to wait for all 100 megabytes of video to load on their computers. They also no longer had to deal with the choppy, incomprehensible footage that came from bad streaming technology.
"FLV"--the file format associated with Flash video--stands for "Flash Video," but it might as well stand for "flavor," because that's what it will add to any site that incorporates it. The widespread availability of Flash players for browsers means that sites no longer have to be static and boring, ever. It means that site authors have no excuse not to be creative, and not to employ a multi-media approach.
Flash Video Software Lets You Put Video On Your Site
That's right. Flash video software that you can download or buy from many sources all over the Internet means that you can share your videos more easily than ever before.
Perhaps your wife just gave birth, and you want to share that beautiful experience with the rest of the world, on your own personal site that reflects your and your wife's tastes? Now, you can!
Perhaps, after 15 straight years of gameplay, you've mastered the notoriously difficult Ninja Gaiden II for the NES, and now you want to show everyone how you can beat the game on just one life? Now, you can--on your own ninja-themed site!
Or, maybe, you're thinking about filming Aquaman. You think DC comics isn't doing the character justice, and that you can do better, but you're wondering if you can find an audience? With streaming Flash video, you can do all of these things!
Finding The Right Flash Video Software
In order to be able to display Flash video on your site to everyone who sees it, you'll need to find the right software--or write your own. If you don't want to or can't write your own Flash player, you'll need to find one that has the robust features you want.
Think about how you would want your videos to appear on your site. Do you want your player to be fully customizable, with different colors and graphics on the buttons? Do you want your embedded player to be able to show thumbnail previews of other videos? How complicated do you want your Flash player / FLV to be? There are lots of Flash players out there, but finding the one that has the features you want may take some research and time. |
