Setting up Flash Media Server and Flash Media Live Encoder

This section explains which version of Flash Media Server you require and what live Flash video encoding options are available to you.

About Flash Media Server

To enable live Flash video streaming with live data events, you need one of the editions of Flash Media Server 3 (see Table 1). Because this sample application requires a server-side script, FMSS is not an option. The remaining options are FMIS or FMS Developer Edition in combination with FVSS (Flash Video Streaming Service). FMIS offers unlimited connections and bandwidth, and therefore is the best solution if you have your own data center and want to use your own servers. As an alternative, you can use Flash Media Server Developer Edition to inject the events into the stream and leverage an FVSS partner for the content distribution.

Table 1. Available Flash Media Server editions

	Flash Media Streaming Server (FMSS)	Flash Media Interactive Server (FMIS)	Flash Media Server Developer Edition
Live video support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Connections	Unlimited	Unlimited	10 concurrent
Server-side scripting	No	Yes	Yes
Price	$995	$4500	Free

For this tutorial, install the free Flash Media Server Developer Edition and create the folder liveevent in the application directory.

About Flash Media Live Encoder

Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder 2 offers high-quality live video encoding capabilities with the On2 video codec, and the MP3 audio codec (see Table 2). As an alternative, Adobe Flash Player has built-in encoding capabilities that you can leverage for browser-based live encoding. Unfortunately, Flash Player supports only the older Sorenson Spark codec, which is great for social media applications but doesn't provide the same quality that On2 VP6 offers.

Table 2. Comparing Flash Media Live Encoder with Flash Player–based encoding

Need	Examples	Solution
Real-time communications	Webcam chat, dating, video weblog, social media live webcast	SWF (Spark) capture app
Live event broadcasts	Live events with high-quality requirement	Flash Media Live Encoder
Webcasting	Investor relations, distance learning/training, symposiums	Flash Media Live Encoder

Besides user-operated encoding via a visual interface, Flash Media Live Encoder 2 supports 24/7 encoding environments by offering an optional command interface for remote access, an auto-restart feature, and timecode support.

A variety of encoding partners in the Flash Media Solution Provider Program also support live Flash video encoding. The data injection application I demonstrate in this article works with those third-party encoders. To learn more about the encoding partners, visit the Adobe Flash Media Solution Providers directory.

For this tutorial, install Flash Media Live Encoder on the same machine on which you've just installed Flash Media Server Developer Edition to minimize the delay between live video encoding and data injection. Please also make sure that you have an appropriate video source connected to the machine—for instance, a USB webcam, a DV camera, or a video capture card with a live video signal.

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