What is Adobe Flash Media Interactive Server 3 and what does it do?

In a nutshell, Adobe Flash Media Server allows people to interact with your website in rich and unique ways. They can view high-quality videos delivered to them in the cleanest form possible. They can chat in real-time with their webcams, give live presentations, and view events live as they are being broadcasted. Of course, this is only the beginning of the limitless possibilities that Flash Media Server can provide you and your clientele.

With Flash Media Server, your website can transmit, receive and share audio, video, and other types of data in real-time. Data is delivered to your users through the Flash Player interface in smooth, streaming format. Flash Media Server applications are freely customizable, can be changed to match the look and feel of your website, and work across all platforms. The vast majority of internet enabled PCs have Macromedia Flash Player installed, making Flash streaming extremely accessible.

Does Influxis also offer web hosting?

No, we do not offer any web hosting. We specialize in Adobe Flash Media Server hosting. With Influxis, simply integrate any Flash application into your website and keep your current web host.

Can I have SFTP/FTP access to my Influxis account?

Yes, we can provide you with SFTP/FTP access to retrieve your files from our servers, just send a request to support for SFTP or FTP access. This can take 1-3 business days for setup.

How does Influxis allow me to utilize Flash Media Server?

At Influxis we offer shared and dedicated Adobe Flash Media Server 3 Hosting. For shared hosting, we provide clients with an RTMP connection path on one of our servers. Users will connect to your Influxis Account through the .swf file located on either your web server or one of our pre-built applications. After making your application web accessible, our Flash Media Servers will deliver your Flash Video/Audio which are located on our servers through the RTMP connection to the clients who are browsing your website.

Our Prebuilt Applications and our FLV Player Builder will automatically generate a .swf file with an .html file embedded. It will also automatically integrate the RTMP connection path for your account. All you need to do is upload the files that it gives you to your web server. We also offer an alternative feature which allows you to simply copy and paste the embed code into any web page, or simpler yet, we produce a URL for you with the pre-built application already in place and you can easily link to it.

There is absolutely no need to switch web hosting companies, change DNS information, or configure anything on your web server. You can utilize Flash Media Server technology from any website on the web.

Do I need to buy an Authoring tool or know how to use Flash?

No. When you download a Prebuilt Application from the Influxis Wizard, it will set everything up that is necessary and give you an already compiled and fully useable application to upload to your web server. This makes it easy and convenient to deploy Flash Media Server applications on your website. However, you can customize your applications using the Flash Authoring tool, as most of our Prebuilt Applications come with the source .fla files, but customization is not required.

What are the advantages of using Flash Media Server over other forms of streaming?

Flash Media Server allows you to deliver rich media content(like video) into your web page in the highly flexible Flash format. This means that your user interfaces can be customized, integrated with the rest of your website, and contain an endless number of features. Most other streaming services only allow you to stream video through a predetermined player that is not customizable at all. With flash, you can create custom, interactive interfaces.

The Flash Player is installed in over 90% of internet-enabled PCs, making it the most accessible format for streaming. Unlike other players, Flash is platform independent and compatibility issues are almost nonexistent.

The installation size of the Flash Player is extremely small when compared with other players, and is a simple, turnkey ActiveX control. There are no large, complicated installers for users to download. These are only a few of the reasons why Flash Media Server is superior to other forms of streaming.

What are Simultaneous Connections?

This setting determines how many simultaneous connections are allowed to be made to your Influxis account. When talking about connections it is usually one connection per user, although there can be several connections per user with multi-user applications. Basically if you have a limit of 10 connections, there can be up to 10 users connected to the account at the same time. For example, if I am running a CamChat application, I can have 10 people chatting at once and viewing video at the same time. However, if a user is connected to more than one instance of an application or connected to multiple applications, these connections each count toward the total number of simultaneous connections.

What is Streaming Bandwidth?

Streaming Bandwidth is the rate at which data is passed from the client to the server and the server to the client. Smooth video, clear sound, and delay time are all factors determined by your Streaming Bandwidth. For the most part, it is good to have a streaming bandwidth of 768 kbps if you are streaming video. A higher number also equals a higher quality stream.
 
 General bandwidth scale:
 
 56k modem = 33 kilobits per second up / 33 kbps down
 DSL = 128 kbps up / 256 kbps down
 T1 = 1.5 megabits per second up / 1.5 Mbps down

Why do I need Disk Space?

You mainly need disk space to store the media files to be streamed to your clients. The Flash Media Server also gives you the ability to store objects on the server, such as chat history, recorded audio streams, and recorded video streams. The sizes of these files vary depending on the length of the recorded stream or the amount of data contained within the shared objects folder. If you will be saving large and/or multiple flv files then you may want a plan that offers more disk space. Also if your applications permit heavy recording then this may also be a reason to need more disk space.

What is Bandwidth Transfer?

When there is any kind of data transfer from or to your Flash application such as streaming video and audio, the amount of bandwidth used by your account increases. Bandwidth Transfer is the amount of data transfer packaged into your account. When picking out your plan make sure you get a plan with enough Bandwidth Transfer to run your application since going over this amount costs $1.00 per gigabyte.

What is an RTMP connection? How do I use it?

RTMP (Real Time Media Protocol) is a specialized protocol that can only be used by Flash Media Server and accessed through Flash, as opposed to the HTTP protocol which regular web servers use. It establishes a persistent connection between the Flash Media Server and the end users which allows our servers to deliver audio, video, and other types of data in real time. Our Prebuilt Applications will integrate the connection into the application automatically when you download them, so there is no complicated setup required. If you would like to integrate your connection path into your actionscript code yourself, you can refer to the following example:
 
 client_nc.connect("rtmp://influxis_id.rtmphost.com/application_name/instance_name")

What is an application? How do I run a Flash Media Server application?

An application is a .swf file that is embedded into an .html file onto your website. Our Prebuilt Applications will provide you with an .html file premade, but you can find out more information on how to integrate your application into an existing page here: Using Object and Embed Syntax.

Flash applications are made with the Flash authoring tool, and you can customize your own to use with your account. Applications also require the proper files to be set up on your account so that an application can connect to our servers correctly. Our Prebuilt Applications will set up all your Flash Media Server side files automatically.

What is the difference between Flash Communication Server and Flash Media Interactive Server 3?

When Adobe took over Macromedia and released the new version of Flash Communication Server, they changed the name to Flash Media Server. They are essentially the same application, but the former is obsolete. We use the lastest edition - Flash Media Interactive Server 3.

How secure is Flash Media Server? Are my streams secure?

FMS (Flash Media Server) was built with security in mind so the server itself is very secure - users will not be able to "hack" into the data on your account. Streaming video is more secure than other types of delivery because the end user does not download the content to his or her computer. The end user only gets the bit of code necessary for that given moment of video that is on the screen at any given moment. This will guard your data since users will only have access to your videos through your website. Flash Media Server also offers secure (RTMPS) and encrypted delivery (RTMPE) which even further protects your content. Talk to our sales staff for more details.

How do I make sure nobody else uses my connection?

If you set a referring domain, only applications hosted on that domain will be able to utilize your Flash Media Server connection. Referring domains protect you from unauthorized use of your bandwidth. Say for example that your Referring Domain is set to "thisdomain.com". If someone tries to host a flash application on "thatdomain.com" all connections from the latter domain will be rejected.

What is an ASC file?

An ASC file is server-side actionscript file that relates to your Flash Media Server application. These files generally control or manage your persistent shared objects and communicate with the client side of your application.

What ports does Flash Media Server Use?

Flash Media server uses port 1935 as a default port to communicate with your application. If your users have this port disabled, Flash will automatically try to connect again through port 80. Port 80 is one of the main ports used for HTTP connections. This ensures that the vast majority of your users will be able to access your application without you having to tinker around with complicated compatibility settings.

How can you tell when port 1935 is being blocked?

If port 1935 is blocked then you will notice that most often a connection attempt will be rejected or the connection speed is very slow. This is because Flash is tunneling through port 80. If you suspect that your port is being blocked, you can find a port tester in the main Flashcomguru website.

How does Influxis Flash Media Server hosting work?

At Influxis we offer shared and dedicated Adobe Flash Media Server 3 Hosting. For shared hosting, we provide clients with an RTMP connection path on one of our servers. Users will connect to your Influxis Account through the .swf file located on either your web server or one of our pre-built applications. After making your application web accessible, our Flash Media Servers will deliver your Flash Video/Audio which are located on our servers through the RTMP connection to the clients who are browsing your website.

Our Prebuilt Applications and our FLV Player Builder will automatically generate a .swf file with an .html file embedded. It will also automatically integrate the RTMP connection path for your account. All you need to do is upload the files that it gives you to your web server. We also offer an alternative feature which allows you to simply copy and paste the embed code into any web page, or simpler yet, we produce a URL for you with the pre-built application already in place and you can easily link to it.

There is absolutely no need to switch web hosting companies, change DNS information, or configure anything on your web server. You can utilize Flash Media Server technology from any website on the web.

After I have signed up, how long will it take before my account is active?

Your account is active immediately. Within seconds you will receive a welcome letter via email with your login information which will allow you access to your account and file manager to get you started right away.

How do I upload my videos and other files to my Account?

You can upload your files using the File Manager system when you log in. This feature contains a plethora of options designed to make it as easy as possible to use your account. You can generate a stream path for your videos, or you can edit your main.asc files without having to download them first. Alternatively, we can set you up with an SFTP account. Please contact us at support@influxis.com.

Do I have to host or transfer my website to my Influxis account?

No. We do not provide web hosting. We only specialize in Flash Media Server to provide the best quality service and support.

How can I make sure nobody else uses my connection?

You can set up a referring domain list which will keep unauthorized users from using your account. You can do this from the "Permissions" tab of the Influxis Wizard.

Are number of connections available for each application or for the whole account?

Total amount of connections is counted for your whole account. Connections by any of your applications will count towards the maximum connection limit.

I am having a hard time signing up for your services. I keep getting an error when I try to submit my information. Why?

If you are having trouble with the signup sheet make sure:
 
  - You are not using special characters
  - Fill in all the areas of the document. If an area does not apply fill it in with "NA""
 - If all fails please contact us and we can set you up manually or over the phone.

Does Influxis work well internationally?

Yes, our service works from anywhere outside the U.S. We also have servers in the U.K. and Germany for European customers. You can choose which region you want when you sign up.

How do I upgrade my account? How long will this take? Are there any penalties?

You can make changes to your account anytime through the Influxis Wizard by clicking the "Upgrade Account" icon on the main page. You can also do this by sending an email to support@influxis.com. Your upgrade will take into affect instantly. There are no fees or service charges when upgrading your account. All you have to pay is the prorated difference to cover the change to your account.

How do I cancel service?

You can cancel your account anytime by accessing the Influxis wizard and going the "Account Settings" section. There you should find the "Change your plan" link which includes a guide for cancellation requests. You may also cancel service by sending an email containing your account information and reason for cancellation to support@influxis.com.

If I cancel or upgrade do I need to pay the setup fee again?

No, the setup fee is a one time fee that is issued when you sign up for an Influxis account.

What forms of payment does Influxis accept?

Influxis accepts Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. We also accept bank transfer payments - please contact us for terms and conditions.

Do I need to have a license to purchase one of your shared hosting plans?

No. Influxis FMS hosting includes all licensing required to commercially release your application. This is one of the benefits of our hosting service, as an out-of-the-box Flash Media Interactive Server 3 runs about $4500.

What if I just want to do some testing?

The Analysis Plan is mainly for test applications or for a simple text chat application. A good setup for those who want to learn what Flash Media Server is capable of doing. You can sign also sign up for the Voltage plan, which will allow you to test a little more comfortably. With 384 KBPS of Streaming Bandwidth, it will allow you to view videos and live feeds with reduced choppiness. Analysis comes with the following specs:
 
 10 Simultaneous Connections
 5 mbps burstable streaming bandwidth (Up to 256 kbps per connection)
 250 MB Disk Space
 5 GB transfer / month
 
 Price:
 
 Monthly: $9.95
 Quarterly: $25.00
 Annually: $100.00.

Voltage comes with the following specs:
 
 20 Simultaneous Connections
 10 mbps burstable streaming bandwidth (Up to 512 kbps per connection)
 500 MB Disk Space
 15 GB transfer / month
 
 Price:
 
 Monthly: $19.95
 Quarterly: $45.00
 Annually: $175.00

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I want to run a small multiplayer game, or stream audio. What plan is right for me?

The Voltage Plan is a step up from Analysis. If your application is a multiplayer game, and will primarily use graphics instead of video, you can probably go with the Voltage plan because you will probably use very little bandwidth. You need FMS mostly for processing and sharing data. If you are streaming music, you will need at most around 128 kbps of streaming bandwidth. To be safe, a Voltage plan gives you increased connections and more Monthly Transfer than an analysis plan. Voltage comes with the following specs:
 
 20 Connections
 10 mbps burstable Streaming Bandwidth (up to 512 kbps per connection)
 500 MB Disk Space
 15 GB Bandwidth Transfer/month
 
 Price:
 
 Monthly: $19.95
 Quarterly: $45.00
 Annually: $175.00

I want to stream prerecorded video on a mid-sized scale. What plan should I get?

Nitrous Plan is a step up from Voltage and is used for mid scale applications. It is commonly used for small video and audio chat sessions and mid scale streaming video. It's good to start out with and you can always increase your plan as you gain more users. Analysis or Voltage will not be sufficient for streaming video - you will need a plan like Nitrous to accommodate higher bandwidth usage. Nitrous comes with the following specs:
 
 40 Connections
 50 mbps burstable Streaming Bandwidth
 1 GB Disk Space
 40 GB Bandwidth Transfer/month
 
 Price:
 
 Monthly: $34.95
 Quarterly: $90.00
 Annually: $340.00

I want to run an audio/video chatroom or broadcast live video. Which plan is recommended?

The Rage Plan is for a hardcore application that needs a lot of resources. This is usually meant for full blown chat applications or applications or mid-sized broadcasts. Please note that live streaming requires a larger than prerecorded video because it is much more bandwidth intensive. Rage comes with the following specs:
 
 100 Simultaneous Connections
 100 mbps burstable Streaming Bandwidth (up to 1.5 mbps per connection)
 3 GB Disk Space
 100 GB Bandwidth Transfer/month
 
 Price:
 
 Monthly: $99.95
 Quarterly: $255.00

What if I want to run a large one-time event?

If you want to run a large event, we can set you up with a large account for several days for a one-time payment. You will be placed on your own dedicated server where you will have access to all of your own resources. If you are interested in putting on a dedicated event then feel free to contact Influxis Sales at sales@influxis.com for pricing and details.

I'm not sure how many users to expect! Also, I think my usage will increase in the future. What should I do?

Not to worry! It is usually recommended that you start off with a basic plan when you first start - say a Nitrous or Rage plan. Once your website is launched, you can find out how much bandwidth you are actually using. We provide bandwidth logs and live monitoring tools. You can tailor your plan to real-world usage; When it comes time to upgrade you can do so instantly and at any time through the Influxis Wizard when you log in.

There are no penalties to upgrade, and your settings will take into effect immediately. If you have any overages on your account, all you have to do is upgrade before your next billing cycle to an adequate plan, and you will not be charged for those overages. When you upgrade, you will only be charged the prorate amount or difference between the two plans.

What is the minimum signup period?

The minimum service agreement we accept is one month for new signups and 10 days for upgrades unless you are an existing customer running a dedicated event. Please note however that we are contract-free and you can upgrade at any time and only pay the difference- you are not locked into a plan with specific settings.

What are the Prebuilt Applications?

The Prebuilt Applications are ready-made turnkey applications that allow you to use the features of Flash Media Server. Popular applications include a tv station application which allows you to stream your own live or pre-recorded television station, an audio/video chatroom, an application for live presentations, a live video broadcast application, and more. Influxis is continually releasing new applications and/or updates every few weeks. For a full list with features, please visit The Prebuilt Applications Page

Does it cost anything to use the Prebuilt Applications?

No, the Prebuilt Applications are included absolutely free when you sign up for an account. There are no extra hidden charges. The Prebuilt Applications even include the source .fla files for custom modification.

Do you release updates for the Prebuilt Applications? I want more features!

Our developers frequently release updates and new features for all of our applications. When an update is released, you will be informed from within the Influxis Wizard.

Are there any features I don't know about? Can you help me customize my application?

You can obtain more detailed information on our applications by viewing the help files from within the Influxis Wizard, or by consulting the help documents included with each application. We can help guide you in the right direction if you have coding questions, and we do offer limited developmental support.