FLV vs. h.264

 Why use FLV when h.264 encoded video is playable in the last two versions (if I'm correct) of the Flash Player and h.264 offers better quality and smaller file size?

I know the stat... 98% of PC's have Flash installed.. but if 80% (not sure the exact %) have Quicktime and now Flash plays mov and m4v h.264 encoded content, what's the sense?

Any thoughts?

I use FLVs for upload to realtor.com

Actual date is December 2007 that the Flash Player could play h.264.  This was version number 9.0.115.0. 

We have used h.264 on over 1000 videos.  H.264 delivers higher quality at a lower bitrate which results of course in faster transfer times and less bandwidth usage on your servers.  I have included an example from last nights uploads to WM and HDhat servers below that shows a comparison.

NOTE: The example below is the same tour encoded from the same orginal file. 
 

Wellcomemat is using FLV so here is the tour and stats for that file after encoding on WM.

http://www.wellcomemat.com/video/CE52C9D6F2 
Bitrate is: 768kbs
File size of this WM FLV: 17 megs.
View Size:  640x360

HDhat is using MP4/H.264 so here is the same tour and stats after encoding on HDhat. 

http://www.hdhathomes.com/tours/776_tourb.html
Bitrate is: 610kbs
File size of this HDHat MP4/H.264: 15.38 megs
View Size: 640x360

You can be the judge .

Realtor.com accepts mp4/h.264

Flash Player Penetration History: http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/version_penetration.html

Mark Passerby

 So the question remains... WHY are most sites adamant about using FLV, to me it don't make much sense?

WM... why not convert to h.264?

Matti,

Perhaps it is licensing......

But what I understand is the "little guys" advantages of h.264 as my example shows but the big picture may be more complex than just pick the best format and run with it especially from a content deliverers perspective going forward.

Some interesting read here that may explain much of the concerns moving into late 2010 with h.264 licensing and

http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/07/decoding-the-html-5-video-codec-debate.ars

http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=10900

http://www.dailymotion.com/openvideodemo  Not flash...but Ogg Theora

then there is this interesting recent conversation that bares out this particular fact about h.264 "the big unknown with h.264 right now is what the licensing costs will be." 
The Full discussion is here: http://getsatisfaction.com/bliptv/topics/allow_native_video_playing_for_ogg_theora

My bet is on H.264 but it seems to be more complex than which one is better or worse when viewed from the "big picture" side. 

Apple seems to have disminssed Ogg Theora which is not a good sign for its widespread adoption in my mind. 

Mark

 Ahhh them politics again:)