Understanding FLV and SWF – The Basics of Flash Video

If there are any non-technical folks out there that have been wondering what the heck the difference is between FLV (Flash Video) and SWF (Shockwave Flash) file formats, you are in luck.  In this short video from Sorenson Media, Technical Support Specialist Jeff Udall provides a quick overview and helps to explain how FLV and SWF formats work together to create the Adobe Flash online video experience.

Flash, uses 2 types of files to deliver video, a player file, and a video file.  The video file, a flv mp4 or f4v is played back by the player, a swf file, with the flash web browser plugin.  The SWF file contains the frame and player controls that the viewer interacts with.  You can think of the swf as the player you typically see embedded on web pages, while the flv, mp4 or f4v is the actual video file that is loaded and plays.

About the Author - Mark R Robertson
Mark Robertson is the Founder and Creator of ReelSEO.com. Mark has had extensive experience in online marketing, particularly in Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Local Search, Video Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You can follow Mark on Twitter @markrrobertson

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