/ Open FLV Files

Open FLV Files

I can open .FLV files, but they start and stop about every second. Downloading takes a full day and then I usually only get part of the file. What can I do to fix this? Susan Keenan

The first question that comes to mind is to ask what type of Internet connection you have. If you have dial-up, then you are probably going to continue to have this problem. The slower that your Internet connection is, the more problems you will have when viewing FLV files. The problems that you are describing are relatively common ones related to .flv files. Fortunately, there are a few strategies that you can use to get your FLV files to work properly.

What Are FLV Files?

The .flv file extension is used for Flash video files. It is quickly becoming the preferred file type for Flash video clips, so they are quite common. Basically, a lot of data is stored in a compressed file so that lots of people can view them without waiting hours to download them.

How to Open FLV Files

FLV files are embedded in websites or in SWF files which allows them to be played by Flash Media Player or Flash Video Player. The SWF files are Shockwave Flash files. For the best results when playing FLV files, you need to make sure that you have updated your player to the latest version. Other media players that are capable of opening and playing .FLV files include Windows Media Player, Zoom Player, and Real Player.

Partial FLV Files

FLV files are designed in a way that allows them to begin playing before the entire download has been completed. They are referred to as streaming files because of this. If you begin to play the FLV file and it gets choppy, it is typically the result of the playing moving ahead of the download. You can simply stop play mode and allow more of the .flv file to download before continuing.

If you are downloading an FLV file overnight and only obtaining a partial file, it could be the result of a corrupt .flv file or problems that occurred when downloading. If you do not have enough resources on the computer when you are attempting the download, it will cause problems that often result in only a partial file download. The best strategy to use when downloading is to close out all other applications until the download is complete. Additionally, the presence of malware on the computer can interfere with the download.

Fixing Download Errors or Poorly Functioning FLV Files

A free program known as the FLV Meta Data Injector can be used to fix problematic .flv files. It inserts the proper meta data so that the file plays properly. This data can include video length, video size, the last key frame, etc. You can either use a GUI-style version or a command-line version of this tool. The GUI-style version does all of the work for you and it is supposed to be fast and easy to apply. Using this version requires that you place an FLVMDI.exe file in the folder along with the GUI file.

Once you have FLV Meta Data Injector installed on your computer, you can select the problematic FLV file. At this point, you need to choose a destination for the file that is created along with a new name for it. Also, you need to mark off the option that you want to inject and click the run button. You should try the option to “inject onlastsecond event” and “include keyframes” as these seem to have success in fixing .flv files that act choppily or seem to end too early.