Flash Media Server for streaming and interactive video experiences

The first step is to encode your media, making it web ready. Adobe provides several tools that make encoding into the proper formats easy. Adobe Media Encoder ships with the Adobe Creative Suite® products and enables you to encode your files easily and efficiently, either individually or in batches. For live video, you can encode directly from your webcam using just Flash Player in your browser, or for high-quality broadcasts, you can use free Flash Media Live Encoder software.

Adobe Flash Access™ software allows content owners, distributors, and advertisers to combine robust, persistent content protection with the rich interactivity and flexibility of the Adobe Flash Platform. By specifying usage rules that determine how and when premium content is viewed and who can view it, a wide range of business models such as video on demand, rentals, and downloads can be supported across the Flash Platform — including Flash Player and the Adobe AIR® runtime.

Once your files are encoded into the proper format, Flash Media Server software enables you to stream them online to your viewers. It also supports multiway communication, as well as advanced interactive media experiences such as quick start times, trick modes, and quick seeking. Flash Media Server is available in two editions: Flash Media Interactive Server for advanced and scalable streaming applications with real-time, multiway communication and edge caching, and Flash Media Streaming Server for simple streaming applications. Both editions enable the delivery of protected, high-quality live and on-demand video with encrypted streaming support and no file caching. With built-in live and video on demand services, it's easy to get started streaming right out of the box.

An additional way to deliver video is with HTTP Dynamic Streaming, which enables high-quality (H.264 or VP6), network-efficient HTTP streaming for media delivery that is tightly integrated with Flash Access for robust content protection in Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2. HTTP Dynamic Streaming supports quality of service (QoS) monitoring, adaptive bitrate streaming, and DVR functionality, continuing to make the Adobe Flash Platform the choice for reliable delivery of protected, high-quality playback experiences.

Your progressive or streaming media can be viewed via a SWF file using Flash Player in the browser, Adobe Flash Lite® software on devices, or Adobe AIR on the desktop. Open Source Media Framework enables developers to easily assemble pluggable components to create high-quality, full-featured playback experiences, lowering development costs, providing quicker turnaround, and providing a more efficient workflow. Flash Media Playback can get video up and running in minutes on your web site.