Before adding a video clip to your website, you must convert it into FLV/Flash video format (.flv file extension). This will allow it to stream from within your website instead of opening an external player, and will allow any viewer to see the video, regardless of whether or not they have Quicktime/Windows Media Player/Real Player etc. installed. FLV format is also what YouTube uses for their videos.
You can either download one of a several free programs to convert your files, listed below, or use Zamzar, which is an online file conversion site. Zamzar is the fastest way to convert to .flv, but does not offer the flexibility and control of the other programs.
Mac users can use ffmpegX to convert video from Quicktime and other formats into FLV. This is a free, open-source program that is simple to use. See Troubleshooting ffmpegX if you are having problems. Or try VisualHub, which is free to try out and cheap to buy.
PC users can use Riva Encoder to convert to FLV format. This program is free to download and simple to use. OJO FLV converter is another option, the program is free to try and cheap to purchase.
When converting your video with either of these programs, the following settings are suggested:
The maximum file size of your video should be 48MB --- which translates to being about 25 minutes, at the bitrate we suggest. You can up the bitrate if you want, in order to get higher quality videos, as long as the file size remains under 48MB.