FLV File Extension
Have a problem opening a .FLV file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what FLV files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.
Have a problem opening a .FLV file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what FLV files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.
The .flv extension belongs to the 'Flash Video' (FLV) file type. FLV is not a distinct file format by itself but rather a media container format. FLV was developed by Macromedia (later Adobe Systems, Inc.) as a bit-stream container for compressed video and audio. FLV uses several patented codecs that are optimized for streaming, use resource-intensive compression but provide good quality, especially at low bitrates.
The .flv extension is used with such FLV content that has been saved into a file rather than viewed in a streaming mode. Inside a FLV container, a video stream would be encoded with H.263, VP6 or H.264, while an audio stream can come uncompressed, ADPCM-, MP3- or AAC-encoded.
When integrated into web pages, FLV media will be played by Adobe Flash Player, a proprietary media plugin from Adobe available for web browser on many platforms and operating systems. Standalone FLV files can be played with a number of software media players.
FLV media are used by a number of popular media hosting sites like YouTube, Google Video and others.