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 WEBM?
WEBM is an open, royalty-free video file format designed as an alternative to HTML5 video and audio elements. As you can probably guess from the name, WEBM files are primarily intended for use on the web. It’s highly compatible with most modern web browsers — but not as compatible with as many devices as MP4 is.
WEBM is the ideal format for streaming videos online because it has high-quality playback even on devices with lower technical capabilities. The quality of a WEBM video isn’t as high as the quality of an MP4 video, though.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to convert FLV to WEBM 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 WEBM file when it’s ready.
Will my file lose quality when I convert FLV to WEBM?
Depending on which file type you’re starting with, you might lose some quality when converting to WEBM, since it’s a lossy file format. Lossy files lose some data during compression, which can decrease the overall audio quality.
Is WEBM 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, WEBM is better because it’s compatible with HTML5 players, which are the successors to Adobe Flash Player.