HELP !!! Capturing "linked videos" from Flash - I'm Stumped
Ken
thing is contained within the swf file. I have a couple of Flash
capture utilities -and they work fine for games, animations, etc. But
I am talking about a tiny swf file that "references" a video clip
somewhere else on the web and plays it within a window. First, here
is how I capture other types (or NOT capture, depending on the
format). The "last" type is the one I need help with:
1) WMV embedded Files - I use "WMrecorder" ($29) and it works
perfectly. I do not know of a free method.
2) Real Video - I use notepad to look in the "ram" file to find the
link. Then I make a temporary web page with just one line in it -
the link to the rm file, open the web page I created, right-click on
the link and save the file. BUT now most sites use SMIL files instead
of RAM and/or they use Helix servers to host the clips, with all sorts
of protections built-in to prevent you from getting the files.
3) Quicktime - I have never tried to figure out how to save these, so
I can't and don;t know of any utility to do it either. Fortunately
very few sites use Quicktime.
4a) Flash "Embedded Video" - where the entire video is contained
within the swf file - no problem, just use any SWF capture utility
such as Flash Scout (costs money now - but was formerly called Flash
Pilot and was free) or Sothink SWF Catcher
4b) Flash Linked Video - there are tons of these out there and I am
stumped !!! Here is an example - all the video clips on www.break.com
- I love these kinds of clips and there are tons of new sites that
host them. All the flash capture utilities will save the swf file to
your hard drive, but it is nothing more than a tiny 10 to 15k "stub"
file that links to the embedded flash video. But then what? If you
capture the swf file to your hard drive and you have Macromedia's
Flash Player - you can run the swf file and it will open a window and
it will play the video inside the window. But you have not captured
the video to your hard drive. Any ideas?