Technical Articles

 Converting Video to Flash

Using Sorenson Squeeze, digital video clips can be converted into Macromedia Flash for playback directly on the Aavelin system. Supported input formats include MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AVI, WMV, MOV, and more. This article specifically references Sorenson Squeeze 4.5.

Considerations and Expectations

• Versions 2.80-2.95 of Aavelin Composer support the Sorenson Spark codec. The On2 VP6 codec is not supported presently.
• All output files must have the extension of SWF. Output files with the extension "FLV" are not supported presently.
• Converted clips to be played back on the Aavelin are ideally no longer than 60 seconds, due to resource consumption. There is no limitation imposed, but playback will begin to suffer if the limits are stretched.
• This is not a replacement our Adtec MPEG playback option. Full-screen playback of converted digital media is not practical on the Aavelin. Typically, video can be played back at sizes up to 1/4 of the screen (320x240 resolution in a 640x480 Aavelin project).

The Conversion Process

We begin by assuming that Sorenson Squeeze has been installed and is currently running. From the main screen, click on the Import File button in the upper left.

Select a valid video in the file browser

In the section marked Format and Compression Settings, click on the Macromedia Flash Movie (.swf) entry to select it, and click on the + sign below (circled).

We will now create a template of compression settings we can save and use in the future. These settings are subject to change as needed for various source clips and depending on the type of results needed. What follows are suggestions for common settings that should work well.

• Change the Method to Sorenson 2-Pass VBR
• Change the Fram Size (both fields) to match the height and width of the source video clip. If you are unsure of the source dimensions, you can often tell by viewing the properties of the file, or within a media player (such as Quicktime) that has a "File Information" dialog.
• Change the Frame Rate field to 1:1 (1 frame out for every frame in).
• Give the template a Name (upper left) and click on OK

Expand the Macromedia Flash Movie (.swf) section by click on the + sign next to it. Click on your newly saved template, and click on Apply just below.

Click on the plus sign next to the newly applied setting, and double-click on the Player Options field.

Select the Embedded Video option to ensure the resulting file has an extension of SWF rather than FLV, and select OK.

Click on the Squeeze It! button on the bottom right of the program. The operating is performed, and the resulting .SWF file is placed on your desktop.