Flash is Dead: In Adobe Media Encoder CC at Least

Jan Ozer April 3, 2014 Blogs Leave a comment 718 Views

Let’s test your observational powers. On the left are the web presets from Adobe Media Encoder prior to the April 2014 reveal. On the right is the same group of presets after the April refresh. What’s missing? AMECC2014.png

Well, in case the title didn’t clue you in, I’m sure you figured out by now that it’s Flash; Adobe Media Encoder no longer has presets for F4V or FLV files. You can’t even copy presets over from previous versions; you get a “Preset could not be imported. No exporter found for this preset.” error message. 

At one level, leaving these formats behind is a good decision; FLV files using the old VP6 codec have many disadvantages compared to H.264, and no advantages, and it’s definitely time to leave that codec/format behind. The F4V container lost any real utility two to three years ago, as you can read about in my 2012 blog post, I’m Saying Adios to F4V. The ClffNotes version is that the MP4 container format can deliver everything the F4V could plus universal compatibility. So I’m not going to miss either format. 

At another level, if you built your workflow around either format, you’ll have to make a change when you update your system to the latest reveal. Change is a bitch, and all that, but you probably should have switched to MP4 long, long ago. 

What does Adobe giveth after taking these formats away? Here’s a blurb from Adobe.tv and a video from Patrick Palmer, Adobe Media Encoder product manager. 

Join Adobe Media Encoder product manager Patrick Palmer for a sneak peek of the new features coming soon to Adobe Media Encoder. Along with support for a huge range of formats, the new Adobe Media Encoder CC update can create DCPs for playback on Digital Cinema systems, and AS-11 content packages for creating broadcast deliverables. New fault-tolerant rendering auto-heals red and black frame issues without holding up your render queue.

Here’s the video.