What is a FLASH VIDEO and how to find and download the best FLV player?
We`ll do more than just help you find and download the best flash video player. First, we`ll explain what is a flv file. Then, we`ll guide you on the players you can use for it`s playback. We`ll show you how to convert it to other types.
What is flash video? Container file with .flv, .f4v, .f4p, .f4a, .f4b extension is a media file which contains both audio and video. This container file format was developed by Adobe Systems(originally Macromedia) and it is mainly used as an embedded video on a webpage. It was the de facto standart for streaming video from the late 90s until around 2010. To play such videos on your Windows PC, a specific media player or codecs are required.
How to find and download the best flv player?
Choosing an adequate and free media player, capable of playing this old, but still used video format won`t be much of a issue for you anymore. We tried to sum up the different alternatives that you have and provided links to their respective websites.
The main difference between the players is whether they require additional codecs to be installed on your computer. It`s an important consideration to make if you`re not using an admin account and can`t modify system files. E.ex. if you choose a player like VLC, you can opt fot it`s portable version, without the need of an installation. It will come prepacked with a pleiad of codecses. Another key point is whether they can directly play a remote file without downloading it first. F.ex. a flv file located on a network device or a remote location. Lastly, you should consider whether you want to be able to use the respective player to visualize other video formats.
That`s why we`ve divided the proposed players in three types. First ones were developed especially for Flash video playback and don`t support any other containers and media files. Second type are generic media players, capable of playing many other video, audio, and media files. Last type of these players are ones, allowing the users to perform other tasks apart from playing FLV, such as: online media streaming, video converting, taking snapshot, etc.
Let see these players one by one.
How to open or play them?
The FLV format is not a standard one for any modern PC. In order to play such file you will need an additional player like:
VLC Media Player
VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. You can use it to play remote files without downloading them locally and if needed - convert from one format to another. That`s definitely one of our top picks. FLV player - find the best flash video player. We`ll explain what is a flv file and guide you on players you can use for it`s playback.
MPC-HC Media Player
MPC-HC is an extremely light-weight, open source media player for Windows. It supports most common video and audio file formats and containers. It`s free of Potentially unwanted applications (PUA) , there are no advertisements or toolbars at the time of wring of this article.
Winamp Media Player
That`s the classic one in our list. One of the first mp3 players for Windows. If you had listened to music on a PC during the early 2000s you`ve definitely used it. Nowadays it`s a media player for Windows that supports a huge variety of audio and video formats. It also includes thousands of Internet radio and video streams. The app it has been sold as freemium and supports extensibility with plug-ins and skins. It features music visualization, playlist and a media library, supported by a large online community.
FLV Media Player
The free FLV-Media-Player is a standalone Flash Video Player which allows you to watch any downloaded flash videos. It can come in handy when viewing many FLV and / or H.264 files, as it doesn’t require a pre-installed Adobe Flash OCX Plugin or any other codec. The player has an easy and intuitive interface with many options.
TONEC Free FLV Player
TONEC is a free player that not only plays but also converts media from famous streaming services like Youtube, Google, MySpace, etc. The installation of a 9.0MB file is easy and automatically adjusts the playing of .flv .webm files (as well as MP3, MP4, and AVI output).
Moyea FLV Player
Moyea FLV Player is easy-to-use and free. It is especially designed for playing FLV files on your local hard disk or online via an URL / URI pointing the Flash video. It can visualize FLV videos and various kinds of Flash Video containers including F4V, M4V, encoded with H.264, H.263, On2 VP6 and Nellymoser.
Can`t find and download the best flv player?
If you were unable to find a player that suits you – we have one last option for you. Instead of playing this fileformat, you can simply try to convert it to something different. There are other popular players that support the format or can support it providing you can add the necessary codec.
On mobile devices you can try PlayerXtreme Media Player which is available through Google Play for Android or iTunes for iOS.
There are multiple free file converters for FLV to other formats that are easier to play on most if not all platforms. Again, we`re happy to propose an option that doesn`t require you to install anything in your computer. It can be either a cloud or local solution. Don`t forget to check the site you`re uploading the file, especially if it contains sensitive information – you never know whether the converter provider won`t store and keep your files.
Here are few options that we recommend:
- CloudConvert – converts from FLV to MP4, AVI, MP3 and other
- Any Video Converter – converts from FLV to MP4, AVI, SWF and more….
- VLC – converts and plays literally all video containers