Software Simulation Output Contains both FLV and MP4

Aug 30, 2013

Chris Stadler
By Chris Stadler

Hello e-learning heroes community! I'm hoping that the collective wisdom here can help me understand a issue that I am experiencing when publishing software simulations to our LMS.

In the story_content directory of the output files are both FLV and MP4 files. It appears as if they are the same, but the FLVs are significantly larger and our IT department is concerned about potential bandwidth issues.

I have a few questions:

1. Why would the output contain both FLV and MP4?

2. When a learner takes the course, what dictates which version of the files they will see?

3. Are there negative consequences to deleting the FLVs and leaving only the MP4 versions?

4. Is there a way to "force" MP4 only output?

Here are the settings that I have used to publish the course:

  • Output = LMS
  • Mobile Options = Include HTML5, Use Articulate Mobile Player on iPad
  • Tracking = Results slide
  • SCORM 1.2
  • Track using quiz results = Results slide 

Thanks in advance for any insight that you can provide!

1 Reply
Justin Grenier
over 10 years ago08/30/13 at 1:10 pm (UTC)

Good Afternoon, Chris.

  • When you insert a screen recording as step-by-step slides, the screen recording assets are stored within your .story project file as .flv files (with alpha channel transparency).
  • Here is how Storyline encodes movies you insert into your courses, based on the file format of the videos and the publishing options you choose.  Since you are including HTML5 output, we encode both an .flv file (for viewing via your Flash output) and a .mp4 file (for viewing via your HTML5 output.
  • When a learner takes the course, here is how Storyline determines which version of your content to display.
  • If you delete the .flv files and leave only the .mp4 versions, your step-by-step screen recordings will not play in your Flash output.
  • There is not a way to force .mp4 only output.

Please let us know if you need anything else, and have a great weekend! 

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