The advantages of streaming Flash Video from Flash Communication Server are numerous:

• Fast start: Streaming FLV files is the fastest way to start playing any video on the web.
• Advanced video control: Features such as bandwidth detection, quality-of-service monitoring, automatic thumbnail creation, and server-side playlists can only be found in streaming video.
• More efficient use of network resources: Customers who pay for their video hosting or bandwidth by the amount that is transferred benefit from streaming video because only the bits that the client views are transferred.
• Secure media delivery: Because the streamed media is not saved to the client's cache, users cannot rifle through their temporary Internet files folder to get the video or MP3 file. In addition, Flash Communication Server supports SSL encryption of streams, providing the tightest security possible.
• Minimal use of client resources: Streaming reduces memory and disk space significantly because the client does not need to download the entire file.
• Tracking, reporting, and logging capabilities: Because progressive download is just a "hit on a file," you cannot extract any statistics about video usage—for example, how long the video was viewed; whether the user navigated backward, forward, or paused the video; how many times the user played the video; whether the user left the web page before the video completed playing; and so on. Streaming enables you to capture these important statistics.
• Full seek and navigation: Viewers can immediately seek to any point in the video and have it start playing immediately. The streaming server immediately delivers the requested video and the user doesn't have to wait until the entire video is downloaded before navigating to a particular mark. This makes streaming a great solution for longer playing videos or applications such as video blogging, where you may want to jump into the video at a specific point rather than requiring the viewer to watch it from the beginning.
• Deep interactivity: The precise stream control found in streaming video enables developers to create extensive interaction in their videos. For example, streaming video provides the ability to switch camera angles, have one video spawn another video, or switch seamlessly to alternate endings.
• Live video: Streaming provides the ability to deliver live video and audio from any connected webcam or digital video camera.
• Video capture and record: In addition to live streaming, Flash Communication Server gives you the ability to record video either in conjunction with the live stream (for example, archiving an event) or on its own (for example, video messaging).
• Multiuser capabilities: In addition to live one-to-many streaming, Flash Communication Server enables multiuser streaming of audio and video for the creation of video communication applications.

Although streaming video may be perceived as being more difficult than progressive download, both methods are actually extremely similar: They both use the same components and the same ActionScript commands. The key difference is that streaming video helps developers enjoy greater control over the video stream.

The only potential drawback with streaming video is that it requires special server software. Just as a robust data application requires you to install an application server in addition to your web server, robust media delivery applications require a streaming server in addition to the web server. For streaming Flash Video you must use Flash Communication Server. It is the only software that can stream audio, video, and real-time data to Flash Player.

Customers who do not want the hassle and expense of buying and maintaining server hardware and Flash Communication Server software can get all the benefits of streaming Flash Video with Flash Video Streaming Service. This service is a load-balanced, redundant deployment of Flash Communication Server over a reliable content delivery network.

When to Use Streaming

Streaming video with Flash Communication Server should be used in any situation where you want or need to do the following:

• Deliver long files—for example, video clips over 10 minutes long
• Deliver video to many viewers—for example, a hundred or more simultaneous viewers
• Have advanced features such as bandwidth detection or quality-of-service monitoring for delivering the best possible experience
• Provide interactivity to your video experiences
• Stream live video
• Capture video

In short, if your website relies heavily on video for delivering your message you will want to present it in the best possible manner and use Flash Communication Server. To read the full article click here