How to convert FLV files?
What to Know
- A Flash Video file is an FLV file.
- You can open one using VLC, Winamp.
- Convert MP4, MOV and GIF. With CloudConvert and AnyVideo Converter.
This article will explain what FLV files are and how you can play them on all platforms. It also explains how to convert FLV files to another video format to ensure that they work on your device.
What is an FLV file?
FlashVideo is a file that uses Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Air to send video or audio over the Internet.
Flash Video has been used for embedded video on the internet since the beginning. This includes videos on YouTube, Hulu and many other sites. Flash has been officially retired by Adobe. Streaming services and software developers have switched to HTML5 and various other formats.
The F4V format file is similar to FLV. Some FLV files can be embedded in a SWF file.
FLV files are commonly known as files. Adobe Flash Professional is now known as Animate. However, files in this format may also be called Animate Videos.
How to Play an FLV file
Flash Video Exporter is a plug-in that can be used to create files in this format. It’s usually included with Adobe Animate. This program should be able to open FLV files.
VLC and Winamp are other FLV players. The format is also supported by other media players.
PlayerXtreme Media Player is a free program that plays FLV files from your tablet or phone. You can also open many other file types. This app can be used to open FLV files via Google Play Android and iTunes for iOS.
Many programs can edit and export to this format including DVDVideoSoft’s Video Editor .
How to Convert an FLV file
If a specific device, video player or website doesn’t support FLV, you can convert the FLV file to another format. Flash has never been supported by iOS, so FLV files won’t be played on it.
Many file converters can convert FLV files to formats that are compatible with a variety of players and devices. Freemake and AnyVideo Converter convert FLV files to MP4 , AVI and WMV.
Upload a small FLV file to Zamzar for a free online converter. You can save it to a number of formats, including MOV, and MP4 FLAC and AC3, AVI and GIF. There are also a few video presets, such as PSP, iPhone and Kindle Fire, Apple TV and DVD.
CloudConvert works, too. You can save MKV and WAV to MP3, as well as WEBM, WAV, MP3, AAC, and other formats.
27 Video Converter Softwares and Online Services
Flash Video File Formats: More Information
FLV is not the only Flash Video format. Flash Video files can also be identified by other applications using the F4V or F4B file extensions.
Many websites that offer streaming content such as Netflix, YouTube and Hulu used Flash as their default video format. However, they have now completely removed Flash video files from favor of the HTML5 format. Flash is no longer supported by Adobe.
Still Can’t Open It?
Double-check that the file extension is correctly read by the programs you have tried. The software you see on this page may not be able to open your file. It might just look like a.FLV file, but it is using a different suffix.
You might discover that your FLP file is actually a FL Studio Project, Floppy Disk Image or FruityLoops Project file. The FLV players listed above won’t open the file in any of these cases.
Flash Project files might be FLP files. In this case, Adobe Animate should open it.
FLS files can be similar to Flash Lite Sound Bundle files, but they could also be Flash Lite Sound Bundle Flash files that work with Adobe Animate. However, they could be ArcView GIS Windows Help Supporting file and used by ESRI’s ArcGIS Pro software.
Another example is LVF. Although the file belongs in the Logitech Video Effects format, the file extension closely resembles FLV. The file would not open with a video player, but with Logitech’s webcam software.
This should give you an idea of what to do. First, check the file extension. If it is not “.FLV”, then research the letter/number combination. Then search for the correct file format. Finally, find the program responsible for opening and converting the file.
- What is Flash?
Adobe Flash allows you to view and create multimedia content. It is usually used in web browsers. Sometimes, it’s also known as Macromedia Flash or Shockwave Flash. - How do you download embedded Flash videos?
Use Google Chrome to go to the site with the video you are interested in. To open the source code of the page, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+U. Save the file with the .swf extension to your hard disk. - How can you uninstall Adobe Flash Player
Adobe might ask you to uninstall the player if you open it. You can manually uninstall it using the uninstaller ( Windows or Mac OS 10.1 and 10.3, Mac OS 10.4 and later), and then run it. Follow the instructions on screen to uninstall Flash Player. - Flash was shut down for what?
Adobe has decided to stop supporting Flash because it is no longer necessary. There are many viable alternatives available, including HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly. These alternatives are being integrated into web browsers by tech companies, rendering Flash obsolete.
