FLV or HTML5

[bushido]

Hello all.
I'm about to design and program an object.swf player for live web streaming of my episodes. I have flash media server and encoder ready to broadcast but people are telling me I'm using a dying protocol. While the Flash format seems to be the ticket for my level of broadcasting for the immediate future, what am I missing by ignoring HTML5 as a streaming option?

[andrewzarian]

Curious... Any reason why you wont be using services like JTV or Ustream?

[bushido]

Curious... Any reason why you wont be using services like JTV or Ustream?

it's more or less because of my personal need to have control over my broadcast environment. Character flaw if you will.
I rather pay the webhost the extra money for unlimited bandwidth than to embed a third party service.
So it's not that jtv,ustream or vn are bad, i'm just more secure when more of my infrastructure is under my direct control.

[BradShoemaker]

As to your initial question, yes it is a dying protocol. One that isn't fully dead yet, so you can still get use as most computers have flash installed; however, when it comes to the mobile world you are denying them access to your direct stream or web episodes. Now if you are still connected to iTunes, and other services like that, then mobile people will still have an avenue to get your content. Apple and Android have long ago dropped the flash platform (not sure about BB and Windows phones, but I'm guessing they have as well).

So use what you know now, but look to make the upgrade to HTML5 in the future.

[bushido]

Informative, I definitely don't want to alienate the mobile technology crowd. Only problem is that FME and I have grown to be old friends, and FME doesn't stream to HTML5.
One must always learn I guess, So it's time for me to learn HTML5.
Or at least learn what streams to that protocol. Does anyone have an idea about what client side software I can use to stream to HTML5?

[erictimmer]

Flowplayer will start in HTML5 mode and then switch to Flash if the client isn't HTML5 compatible.

[bushido]

Thanks, I'll look into that.