How do FLV and 3GPcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Flash Video
FLV was the dominant web video format during the Flash era. While Flash is dead, FLV files still exist in archives and legacy systems. Converting FLV to MP4 is one of the most common conversion needs.
3rd Generation Partnership Project
3GP is a video format designed for 3G mobile phones. While modern smartphones use MP4, 3GP is still used in feature phones and developing markets where bandwidth and storage are limited.
| Specification | FLV | 3GP |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Flash Video | 3rd Generation Partnership Project |
| Extension | .flv | .3gp |
| MIME type | video/x-flv | video/3gpp |
| Category | Video | Video |
| Developer | Adobe (Macromedia) | 3rd Generation Partnership Project |
| Year introduced | 2003 | 2003 |
FLV and 3GP target different use cases. FLV is ideal for converting old web videos, while 3GP works best for feature phone video playback.
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