Dynamic bit rate switching is a pretty important concept to get right when your business hinges on delivering high-quality video to paying customers.
David Hassoun (plus his team at RealEyes Media) provides an overview of the concepts involved in dynamic stream switching of Flash video using Flash Media Server 3. Use this technique to take into account varying network conditions that your users may encounter while viewing streaming content.
Back in the day, Noah Zilberberg created two dozen samples for Macromedia Flash MX. Some of these files were complete applications, games, or other types of content -- while others were simple movies intended to introduce a concept from which Flash users could build their own movies.
People loved them. But then Flash 8 came, and then Flash CS3 replaced it. Those samples were still online but woefully outdated. Dan Carr has updated the most interesting ones and added a few of his own. These Flash ActionScript 3.0 samples demonstrate various features common in Flash development.
Here's one in particular that's fun to play with:
Which sample do you like best? Would you like to send us one of your own to add to the site?
Mike Chambers and Frog Design have done an excellent job compiling an alphabetical reference for all native ActionScript APIs for the Adobe technology platform runtimes: Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR, as well as the Adobe Flex framework APIs.
Use this guide both as an API reference and a tool to learn about the ActionScript APIs available within the runtimes. Mike says that this document is released under a Creative Commons license (people can redistribute, edit, and print). You could probably even have the source Adobe InDesign file if you wanted it. It'll definitely be handed out at conferences -- and maybe even the on AIR Tour now crisscrossing Europe.
The Flash video templates have remained popular downloads in the Flash Developer Center. This "spokesperson presentation with synchronized graphics" template features video, labeled content keyframes that synchronize text and graphics to the video, and navigation buttons along the bottom. While the video plays, the keyframes appear at preset times and the navigation buttons highlight the relevant topic. When the user clicks one of the buttons, the video and content update themselves to that topic automatically.
Regulars of the Flash Developer Center will recognize this template from way back when it was first released with Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004. (Note that the presentation example talks about "Macromedia On-Demand" -- hey, anything to keep fans of Mike Downey happy.) Anyway, Dan Carr updated it a couple of years ago for Flash Professional 8 and now it's all ready for Flash CS3 -- and ActionScript 3.0. Enjoy!
Since October 2007, Colin Moock has traveled to several cities around the world on Adobe's dime to promote the wonderful world of ActionScript 3.0. Appearing in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Tokyo so far, Colin has given a free, intensive day of AS3 training to hundreds of developers. He covers the fundamental skills developers need to program for Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR.
Now you can grab a PDF of the notes he hands out in person at these events.
Lee Brimelow posted a video of Colin's appearance in San Francisco. Charlie Griefer from the Fusion Authority was also pretty impressed with Colin's SF appearance too.
Anyway, the ActionScript 3.0 From the Ground Up Tour continues to other locations in Europe (Munich, Amsterdam, London) as well as Bangalore and Sydney. Sign up to attend in a city near you. As Charlie put it, "I don't know ActionScript, and I don't know Colin Moock, but I figured for the free admission, I'd risk it. Now that it's all said and done, I'd say the session was easily worth twice the price."