What is FLV file? How to open FLV file on computer?

You often download videos from the Internet to watch offline and often see FLV files. Are you "struggling" not knowing how to open them? Today, we will provide information about FLV video files for you in the article below.

Learn about FLV (Flash Video) format

• 1. FLV file concept
• 2. How to open FLV files on computer?
• 3. How to convert FLV files
• 4. More information about Flash Video file format
• 5. What if I still can't open the file?
• 6. Some frequently asked questions

1. FLV file concept

Short for Flash Video, a file with the .FLV extension is a file that uses Adobe Flash Player or Adobe Air to stream video or audio over the Internet.

Flash Video has long been the standard video format used by nearly all embedded videos on the Internet , including those found on YouTube , Hulu, and many other websites. However, since Adobe officially discontinued Flash, streaming services and many software developers have abandoned Flash in favor of HTML5 and other formats.

The F4V file format is a Flash Video file similar to FLV. Some FLV files are embedded in SWF files.

Note : FLV files are commonly referred to as Flash Video files. However, since Adobe Flash Professional is now called Animate, files in this format may also be referred to as Animate Video files.

2. How to open FLV files on computer?

Files in this format are typically created using the Flash Video Exporter plug-in included with Adobe Animate . That program should therefore be able to open FLV files.

Other FLV players include VLC , Winamp , and MPC-HC . Many other popular media players may also support this format.

PlayerXtreme Media Player is free to play FLV files on your phone or tablet. It also supports many other file formats. Download this app to open FLV files through Google Play on Android or the App Store on iOS .

Several programs edit and export to this format, including DVDVideoSoft's Free Video Editor .

3. How to convert FLV files

Convert FLV files to another format if a particular device, video player, website, etc., does not support FLV. For example, iOS does not use Adobe Flash and therefore will not play FLV files.

Many free file converters convert FLV files to other formats that can be recognized by a wide range of devices and players. Freemake Video Converter and Any Video Converter convert FLV to MP4, AVI, WMV, and MP3, among many other file formats.

To convert a small FLV file, upload it to Zamzar.com , a free online file converter. FLV files can not only be converted to many formats such as MOV, 3GP, MP4, FLAC, AC3, AVI and GIF, etc., but also to a number of video presets such as PSP, iPhone, Kindle Fire, BlackBerry, Apple TV, DVD, etc.

CloudConvert.com is another free online FLV converter that is really easy to use and supports saving FLV files to a number of different formats, like SWF, MKV, and RM.

4. More information about Flash Video file format

FLV is not the only Flash Video file format. Other applications may use the F4V, F4A, F4B, or F4P file extensions to represent Flash Video.

Several streaming content sites, such as Facebook, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, etc., used to support Flash as their default video file format, but have since switched or removed it altogether. All Flash Video files have been migrated to the newer HTML5 format.

This change is driven by the fact that Adobe will no longer support Flash after 2020. Additionally, since Flash is not supported on some devices, a browser plugin must be installed in order for Flash content to play on a website. Updating Flash content takes longer than other formats like HTML5.

5. What if I still can't open the file?

If the programs mentioned above don't open your file, double check that you're reading the file extension correctly. If the software on this page doesn't open your file, it may be because it looks like a .FLV file but is actually using a different suffix.

For example, you may find that you actually have an FLP file, which may belong to the FL Studio Project, Floppy Disk Image, ActivPrimary Flipchart, or FruityLoops Project format. In any case, the FLV players above are not suitable to open the file.

In the case of FLP files, you might actually have a Flash Project file, and thus it will open with Adobe Animate.

FLS files are similar in that while they may be Flash Lite Sound Bundle files that work with Adobe Animate, they are also likely to be ArcView GIS Windows Help Supporting files and are used by ESRI's ArcGIS Pro software.

LVF is another example where the file is in Logitech's Logitech Video Effects format, but the file extension is closer to FLV. In this case, the file will not open in a video player, but in Logitech's webcam software.

Check the file extension and if it is not ".FLV" then you should research the actual letter/number combination to determine the file format and ultimately the program responsible for opening or converting it.

6. Some frequently asked questions

What is Flash?

Adobe Flash is a platform used to create and view multimedia content. It typically runs in web browsers. It is sometimes called Shockwave Flash or Macromedia Flash.

How can you download embedded Flash videos?

Using Google Chrome, go to the website that contains the video you want and use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+U to open the page's source code. Look for the file with the .swf extension, then save it to your hard drive.

How do I uninstall Adobe Flash Player?

If you open the player, Adobe may automatically ask you to uninstall it because it is no longer supported. Otherwise, you can remove it manually by downloading the uninstaller (Windows, Mac OS 10.1 to 10.3, Mac OS 10.4 or later) and running it. Follow the on-screen instructions to remove Flash Player from your computer.

Why is Flash being discontinued?

Adobe decided to stop supporting Flash because it was no longer needed. There are now many viable alternatives, such as HTML5, WebGL, and WebAssembly. Technology companies are integrating them into their web browsers, making Flash obsolete.

Hope this article is useful to you!

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