What is FLV?
An FLV (Flash Video) file is a format used for playing digital video content with Adobe Flash Player. It was a popular choice for embedding video streams on the internet, including on YouTube. Since Adobe discontinued support for the Flash Player in 2020, video platforms like YouTube are moving away from it and using HTML5 instead — reducing the need for FLV files.
You can play an FLV file using Adobe Animate, VLC, Winmap, MPC-HC and other popular video players. Compared to MP4 videos, FLV video files tend to be bigger. MP4s can also contain separate audio tracks and can have higher resolution than FLV video files.
What is MP4?
MP4 is one of the most widely used video file formats. You can upload MP4 videos to popular social media sites like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook. Media players like Windows Media Player, VLC, QuickTime, iPhone, iPad and Android are also compatible with MP4 video files.
MP4s are popular not only for their compatibility with most devices but also for their ability to hold high-resolution videos without taking up much storage space. MP4 stands for MPEG4, and an MP4 file can contain video, audio, images and subtitles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to convert FLV to MP4 online?
- Choose a FLV file from your computer or drag and drop it into Restream’s video converter.
- Select Convert and the converter will start processing.
- Download your MP4 file when it’s ready.
Will my file lose quality when I convert FLV to MP4?
Depending on which file type you’re starting with, you might lose a little bit of quality when converting to MP4, but it’s such a small amount that it’s not noticeable.
Is MP4 better than FLV?
FLV is good for playing videos online and other limited applications, but less so now that Adobe Flash Player has been discontinued. For most use cases, MP4 is better because it’s compatible with more players and devices and doesn’t lose as much quality when compressed as FLV does.