Adobe Flash CS4: Flash Video Development

Course Description:

This course focuses on creating custom video players, using pre-built components, encoding video, using media components, streaming video, progressively downloading video and using the Adobe Flash Video Streaming service.

The course also utilises ActionScript to access media classes and core streaming classes to deliver instant-on video, playlists and the types of enhanced visual effects and interaction that only Flash can deliver.

This course includes the following modules:

Introducing Flash Video

• Defining streaming
• Defining digital video
• Understanding key Flash Video concepts
• Viewing Flash Video market adoption statistics
• Examining the streaming video market
• Identifying key benefits of Flash Video over traditional media
• Introducing the Flash Communication Server

Building a component based Media Player

• Understanding the Flash video development workflow
• Using the Adobe Video Kit to embed Flash Video
• Building a Media Player with the media components
• Using behaviours to control media components
• Binding playback properties and components
• Building a playlist and video picker
• Masking videos

Reviewing ActionScript

• Reviewing ActionScript basics
• Using ActionScript to control the media components
• Handling component events
• Using the setInterval() method

Building a custom Media Player

• Using the ActionScript classes for streaming
• Connecting the Flash player to a server
• Using the embedded video object
• Controlling and displaying streams
• Using the Sound class to control audio streams
• Handling stream events

Encoding Flash Video

• Understanding the Flash Video (FLV) format
• Converting to FLV using the Flash Video Encoder
• Setting In/Out points
• Encoding Alpha Channel

Optimising video

• Adjusting digital video properties
• Getting the best video encoding
• Optimising encoder settings
• On2 VP6 vs Sorenson Spark
• Deinterlacing video
• Trimming and cropping

Delivering Flash Video

• Understanding video delivery options
• Using progressive download
• Using the Flash Video Streaming Service
• Streaming Flash video using the Flash Communication Server
• Tracking FLV?playback

Using Video Cue points

• Adding Cue Points
• Cue Point types
• Adding Cue Point parameters
• Detecting Cue Points with ActionScript
• Synchronising a slide presentation

Using live video

• Introducing live Flash Video
• Using the live video encoder
• Setting the live encoder
• Recording a live stream
• Playing a live stream
• Creating bandwidth strategies