Streaming Live Video with Flash Media Server

Having thought of using Webcam and compile it as part of Flash project? Student of Tom Green do. In fact, you should come and see what he doing to make it happened.

What we need, just do the following:

- Use a webcam and Flash Media Encoder 2.5 to create a stream.
- Use the FLVPlayback component and one line of ActionScript to feed that stream into a browser.

There are 6 articles for this :

Part 1: Installing Flash Media Server 3
Part 2: Streaming video with Flash Media Server 3
Part 3: Using ActionScript 3.0 with Flash Media Server 3
Part 4: Streaming audio through Flash Media Server 3
Part 5: Security features in Flash Media Server 3
Part 6: Streaming live video with Flash Media Server 3

Interesting huh? go and get it via Adobe Developer Center.

Flash Lite UI Component Examples

Here are some nice and lightweight components directly from the Experience Design team at Adobe Mobile and Devices.

What will you get from them:

* Discover how to create low memory yet rich components
* List, Slider, Tile, NavModel and Gapper components for Flash Lite 2.x/3.x
* Carousel, Menu, Story and scroll bars in Flash Lite 1.1
* Key Handling for Flash Lite 1.1 and Flash Lite 2.x/3.x
* Image Handling, loading and unloading etc (TileMenu)
* Creating device UI and multi-screen applications (NavModel)


Grab this here.

Bvlgari Stop Watch Timer

Today, i just realized that some analog watch use smallest hand just for stop watch guide. It is different than other watch, which use 3 kind of hands for pointing hour, minute and second.

Please check Bvlgari with Calibro 303 series. It has 3 small circles on it. The lower one is pointing second hand. So it will be little hard to create small Flash Lite screensaver with different purpose as usual.

So, we need to create small stop watch function as part of watch working. To help, we need to use function GetTimer().

time1=getTimer();

Also we need to put 3 buttons on the stage, start, stop and reset. In layer called action script, we add this code : stop() on frame 1, /:time2=getTimer();/out=/:time2-/:time1; (on second frame), and gotoAndPlay("count"); (on third frame).

On Start Button, add this code :

on(keyPress "1"){
/:time1=getTimer();
gotoAndPlay("count");
}

On Stop Button:

on(keyPress "2"){
gotoAndStop("full");
/:time2=getTimer();
/:duration = /:time2 - /:time1;
/:output = "Elapsed Time: " add /:duration;
}

On Reset Button:

on(keyPress "3"){
/:output="0";
gotoAndPlay("Stopped");
}

Thanks for Phillip Lam for great tutorial articles.

C905 : First S/E with Project Capuchin support

In todays newsletter of Sony Ericsson they have announced/mentioned the first mobile phone which supports the Project Capuchin API. It's the SE C905 phone with Flash Lite 2.0, FM tuner and a 8.1 megapixel camera.



What is Project Capuchin?

Sony Ericsson's Project Capuchin technology is a Java ME API and associated tools that define a bridge between the Java ME and Adobe Flash Lite programming environments.

This API and soon-to-be-available tools makes it possible to use Flash as the presentation layer and Java as the application logic, meaning that Flash tools can be used for UI design while still having access to all the phone services available to Java ME.

The tool packages the Flash content together with the Java application logic into a Java Archive, JAR file, hence allowing the resulting application and package to be treated and managed as a Java application re-using all of the existing Java infrastructure available on the phone and provisioning backend.

Project Capuchin takes advantage of Flash's strengths in fast UI deployment and well established designer tools, meanwhile Java's strengths are in services, security and a well developed distribution infrastructure.

Device Profile Update #6

Flash are listening to their user. Based on community feedback and data from their partners, they just released the Device Profile Update #6 for Adobe Device Central CS3.


Picture taken from : http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/devicecentral/features/.


There 63 new device profiles, it would be great option to publish flash lite application. Not just the profiles, it also includes important improvements to existing profiles.

So how many devices profiles you can select? almost 460 over!. And what would a Nokia N95 8GB user love to hear is, it now allocating 4mb heap memory. Get here for update.

Acrobat 9 with Full Flash Player Built In

Acrobat, a genuine name all people known as Adobe product, now has a full Flash Player built in. I think it just about time, when Adobe acquire Macromedia, many Adobe product support what Macromedia's offer.

And so is Adobe Acrobat with latest version, Acrobat 9. Let's say if I working on project with several document, like word document, PDF, Flash file, you can combine it all together as a single PDF portfolio. Thanks to PDF Portfolios feature, that make it all happened.

While you working with Microsoft Office Word 2007, with Adobe Buzzworld all be possibleto be online word processor that can read and write in the new docx format.

I believe the upcoming Adobe Reader 9 will be intgrated with Acrobat so you can share PDF files on web with easily.

Fully Hosted and Free Multiplayer API

This post title sound really good. But it is true, you may host and use free multiplayer API without any cost.

Thanks to Nonoba.com informed me by email about their feature. They have been working with multiplayer flash games on their own server technology for a long time, and during that time a lot of flash developers and companies have approached them for access or licensing of that technology.

The API supports the full range of multiplayer games, from simple turn based games to more complicated real-time games. To show these capabilities, they have released a new, and in their opinion, awesome game called Nonoba Racer. They have also ported some of our old creations to act as examples in the SDK, such as Fridge Magnets, Multiplayer Asteroids and DrawPad.

They are announcing their first big game competition with $20.000 USD in prices and a first price of $15.000 USD, for the best game to be built on the Multiplayer API.

Sign up for beta access at: http://nonoba.com/developers/multiplayerapi/signup, and get more info at:

http://nonoba.com/developers/multiplayerapi/overview

Astro, Adobe® Flash® Player 10

I have not lucky yet to give Adobe Flash 10 a try. I do believe it has more power to present better application. It come to be great experience to see its new expressive features.



It even have a code-name for it, Astro. From what I have heard from official site, some of the key features is easily transform and animate any display object through 3D, the ability to Create and share your own portable filters, blend modes, and fills using Adobe Pixel Bender™. Maybe you have heard Pixel Bender as Hydra, which can use as a filter factory, a way to create effects just in time. The combination of using the graphics card to do the calculations and not the processor come as great aspect.


You can check the release note for more information.

Opera Mobile 8.65 Support Flash Lite 2.1

Opera Opera Mobile 8.65 comes out with Flash Lite. The newest version, 2.1. It would help not just cell phones, but also portable media players and game consoles to run Flash Lite application on their devices.

New Features for Opera Mobile 8.65

* Support for Macromedia Flash Player 7 for Pocket PC
* FlashLite 2.1
* Text Wrap in Desktop Mode
* Grab and Scroll (only applicable to Pocket PC)
* Web search in address bar
* Save image
* Copy text
* Send link as email, SMS or MMS
* Import Bookmarks from Pocket Internet Explorer
* Desktop Mode as default viewing mode

For download Opera Mobile 8.65, you can access their offical site at http://www.opera.com/products/mobile/products/.

Get Updated With Flashmagazine on Twitter

I do enjoy my life by Twitter. It's a micro-blogging platform that let's you stay in touch with your friends and colleagues. And it is true, you can keep update what your friend doing recently.

And now I also can read Flashmagazine, my favourite website through it. Thanks to Flashmagazine that allow reader like me to see any new information. You can check this URL : http://twitter.com/flashmagazine.

Mine, http://twitter.com/edittag, now following many interesting twitter's account. Yesterday, mybloglog also follow me story via my twitter. What a nice to know each other through it.

Adobe Photoshop Express is Alive

I used to open Adobe Photoshop for editing bitmap image for my application in Flash Lite. Sometime I was not so lucky to have better computer specifications to open both applications. So I have to close my Flash software just to open Adobe Photosop.

But now the good news is coming. Adobe Photoshop now is going online! So I think it will be easier for my to continue my work. I dont have to worry about my computer spesificatian anymore. Or just looking for another PC, because I can do it on same PC.

To run Adobe Photoshop online, you can click https://www.photoshop.com/express/index.html. They provide provides 2GB of free storage space for yous photos. Other great news is you can also edit photos from your Facebook, Google Picasa or Photobucket galleries directly with Photoshop Express.

How I Love this tools! Thank you Adobe!

Nokia Announced The First Flash Lite 3.0 phones

I should say goodbye to my lovely 6120 classic. Nokia just released a newest information about the latest version of 6120. It call Nokia 6120 Navigator.

What a point to check out is the latest version of Flash Lite it use on. It has Flash Lite 3.0!, the newest one. Even on the official Nokia forum it says has Flash Lite 2.1, Nokia announced new handsets at the Mobile World Congress, among them the first Flash Lite 3.0 phones.

So it has the same version just like Nokia N96, N78, and 6220 Classic.

For further Nokia 6120 Navigator, you can check here.

Text And Fonts on Flash

Flash affords two main types of fonts : TrueType and pixel fonts. Both are easily find on Properties panel, and both are embedded in the exported SWF. Also, Flash Lite enable to specify other type of font : device fonts.

True Type : were created to fill the needed of accurately representing a printed font for onscreen viewing. Some examples of popular TrueType fonts included Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman and Courier.

Pixel fonts : essentially a trueType font, but designed for use at a specific point size by constructing the font from a series of sequares on whole pixel coordinates.Also,it has rasterized look.

Device fonts : This option can be checked on of off in the properties panel when editing a text field. This type of font is perfect to large areas of text that might need scrolling.

Google Reader Drive Me to Flash lite Feed

Today i checked my google reader for reading some feeds. Then i just realized that a tiny link are displayed very bold on the right side. It is says : FLASH LITE and Flash devices on Top Recommended section. It a little bit rare, because i haven't subscribe to any flash lite feed this time.

So it is time to see if any information from this new feed that google reader recommend. It take my to http://flashlite.wordpress.com./feed. Well,if you checked this blog,you may found the new article posted on Feb, 12 2008. Before this post, it published on Aug, 23 2007!. So new article are posted on 2008 are just 9 days ago. Im sure it has nice article that why my google reader are recommnd to check this feed.

You can check the newest article about Flash on Iphone. Really interesting one.

Flash Application's Book

Thanks for my friends in Japan who sent me a great Flash Application's Book. About one year ago I told my friend about this great book. Its written by Richard Leggett, Weyert de Boer and Scott Janousek. Three names which very popular in Flash Lite forum.

In this book we can learn :
- The essentials of Flash Lite 1.1 and 2.x
- How to create mobile applications and games
- Best practise for structuring your mobile aplications
- Integrate graphics, sound and video into your mobile content
- How to consume live data over HTTP and socket connections and make use of phone-specific features.



I haven't read all of this book, but what surprising me is on page 137. I found RAMBUTAN which is Indonesian name for special fruit that listed as one of three answers on Quizz Master 9000. What a familiar name for me in Indonesia to guess the right answer.

I Love to Have My Flashlite on Nokia 6120 classic

What I love most of having my new Nokia 6120 classic is the animation effect. It so smooth and seems so right. I like to see my wallpapers file is running smoothly. Thanks to processor ARM 11, 369 MHz CPU that make it happen.

You may store many flash lite application in its memory which can hold more than 35 MB (built in memory), and expandable to 2 GB. I saw 3 samples file of animation wallpaper on this handset. It just look nice.

For you, specially resident in Indonesia, you can check the specification on :

http://www.nokia.co.id/A4614354

Check this feature :

- Symbian OS v9.2, S60 rel. 3.1
- Flash Lite 2.0
- Java MIDP 2.0
- FM stereo radio
- Push to talk
- MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player
- Office applications (Excel, PDF, Powerpoint, Word, Zip)
- Voice memo
- T9
- Calculator
- Built-in handsfree

Web : FL 2.1 Developer Edition Installer

For some reason, you would like to have Flash Lite 2.1 developer installer. But you may get lost when you going to :

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/devices/

If so, you can grab them at :

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/devices/flashlite.html

With many links of it. You can also get many resources on how to creating SIS file, or extending Flash Lite 2.1 features with flyer.

Racing Tour Golf - New sources available at http://ptm.fi

Work hard, play hard.

See what a Flash Lite developer, Pasi Manninen, do when he create a nice application Racing Golf Tour. With his friend, he play golf in summer times and they have one major tournament at the end of July yearly. They drive then around Finland one week and they play about 18-36 holes in each day.

Why the need to do that? Because they needed a system what stores our scorecards and maybe gives somekind of analyses of playing. So he decided to do a application for that purpose.


Great news is, you can see his application with full resources to check this application out.

Feel free to go to his website : http://ptm.fi/blog/

New build of Adobe Media Player on Adobe Labs

Adobe yesterday posted a new build of Adobe Media Player on Adobe Labs. User Interface is about the same. Only Adobe Media player now can play videos that are encoded using H.264 codec.


Picture taken from : http://plod.popoever.com/archives/001286.html

What i love most about this is the capability to play Flash video (flv), podcasts and QuickTime movies.

As I mentioned before, this software are suitable for your desktop media player.

You can try new version right here : http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/mediaplayer/install/

AS3 and How to Convert any photo into a talking character

What can do by AS3 for your lovely photo?

You should check what PQ DVD guys do. They create a nice widget for your weblog, photo album, myspace, facebook, iPod, iPhone, PSP, Zune, and Mobile Phone.

For short, you may check what new on my sidebar's blog to see. What a great design. I combine photo, sound and animation. And you may get the software by free. Just blog it, and send mail to dina@pqdvd.com.

Go on, you only could grab this software before Xmas!.

For you which really want to know more about AS3, you should go here.