Audio/video recording using flash

Question

I want my users to record audio/video and post that to other users.

1. Is it possible to record video through Flash's and receive encoded video on server side without any further processing (ie just saving the stream to a file)? I did some Google search and found that it's possible with new microphone API (http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/flex/articles/using_mic_api.html) Did anyone tried that already?

2. How easy is to use Red5 server for recording? How can i get the recorded video/audio file(s) from it? DO i've to write some logic for this?

Answer 1

1. It is possible to record video, simply using your camera. There you can store your frames one by one and put them into .flv file. The operation (especially when encoded) is a bit hard and resource heavy. But it's not impossible. Search for 'as3 flv recorder' - there are a few out there, even with sound.

2. Using streaming server as Red5 is better option when talking about big videos, because otherwise the entire movie must stay in the memory, and then encoded and sent as file, which is a lot. Sure you will need to write some logic for that, and it's not that simple as just saving a file and sending it - it's a streaming process and you will need server-side knowledge in order to complete it.

My advise would be to use the first method if you've got small videos (< 10 sec) and search for ready solutions (maybe even paid) for the second.

Answer 2

Not really an answer, but I do know of a plugin called Phidgets that you can use to control usb devices (including camera's and microphones). I'd suggest you check it out! http://www.phidgets.com/programming_resources.php