Answers.Body: <p>You should get a SWF decompiler (perhaps one of the trails for: <a href="http://www.sothink.com/product/flashdecompiler/" rel="nofollow">Sothink SWF Decompiler</a>   or <a href="http://www.decompiler-swf.com/" rel="nofollow">Decompiler SWF</a>) and use that to find the nested movie file, and extract that.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-07-08T18:37:42.393Z
Answers.Text: Sadly, I think this is the only way out of my situation. Will confirm and let you know.
Answers.UserDisplayName: bchang
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-07-06T09:14:28.550Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2011-07-06T09:14:28.550Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Davy Landman
Answers.Body: <p>swfextract from SWF Tools looks like it does what you want: <a href="http://wiki.swftools.org/index.php/Swfextract" rel="nofollow">http://wiki.swftools.org/index.php/Swfextract</a></p>
  
  <p>It'll probably give you an FLV, but you can then use ffmpeg or similar to turn it into a better container format.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-07-06T14:32:06.413Z
Answers.Text: Of course having said that without trying it, I'm now struggling to get it to do that. Looks like you could build something to do this on top of it but it doesn't do it on its own.
Answers.UserDisplayName: DRMacIver
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-07-06T14:19:26.097Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2011-07-06T14:19:26.097Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: DRMacIver
Answers.Body: <p>If you're on a <strong>Mac</strong>, there's an app called <a href="http://www.macroplant.com/adapter/" rel="nofollow">Adapter</a> that is supposed to <a href="http://nofilmschool.com/2011/07/adapter-favorite-audio-video-image-converter/" rel="nofollow">handle SWFs</a>.</p>
  
  <p>If you're on <strong>Windows</strong>, you might try <a href="http://www.freeswfconverter.com/" rel="nofollow">Free SWF Convertor</a>.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-07-07T07:18:02.083Z
Answers.Text: Also tried Adapter with no luck. I suspect that it's choking on my “compressed” SWF
Answers.UserDisplayName: bchang
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-07-06T01:33:01.930Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2011-07-06T17:49:18.800Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2011-07-06T17:49:18.800Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Alex King
Answers.Body: <p>If your lucky, <a href="http://www.videolan.org/vlc/" rel="nofollow">VLC might be</a> able to play it. Then you can use its Convert/Save functionality to get it into a usable format. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-07-06T01:03:18.457Z
Answers.Text: No dice… `avformat error: av_open_input_stream failed`
Answers.UserDisplayName: bchang
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-07-06T00:30:34.270Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2011-07-06T00:30:34.270Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: TheLQ
Answers.Body: <p>Sony Vegas can read <em>some</em> SWF files and then you can render to any of its supported formats, including H.264. The free trial is at <a href="http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/vegaspro" rel="nofollow">http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/vegaspro</a></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-07-06T14:34:11.997Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2011-07-06T14:34:11.997Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Dithermaster
Body: <p>I have a client who has misplaced the original source video, only has an SWF, and would like to use it in a non-flash environment. </p>
  
  <p>Is there any way to do this?</p>
  
  <p>So far, I've tried <code>ffmpeg</code> but it's failed, complaining about the compressed SWF.</p>
  
  <p><code>[swf @ 0x101807c00] Compressed SWF format not supported</code></p>
  
  <p>Any help would be appreciated.</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-03-15T20:18:53.617Z
Comments.Text: This question seems more broadcast and compression specific than AV Production! Inviting experts to a new site proposal [Broadcast and Media Technologies](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/36807/broadcast-and-media-technologies) which aims to capture more architectural and theoretical views around subjects like this. Join and invite others.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Dipan Mehta
Tags: <file-formats><video>
Title: Is there a method (or tool) to convert video from a SWF container to another more portable format (e.g., H.264)
UserDisplayName: bchang
ThreadText: # Is there a method (or tool) to convert video from a SWF container to another more portable format (e.g., H.264)
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2011-07-05)
  
  I have a client who has misplaced the original source video, only has an SWF, and would like to use it in a non-flash environment.
  
  Is there any way to do this?
  
  So far, I've tried `ffmpeg` but it's failed, complaining about the compressed SWF.
  
  `[swf @ 0x101807c00] Compressed SWF format not supported`
  
  Any help would be appreciated.
  
  **Tags:** file-formats, video
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: This question seems more broadcast and compression specific than AV Production! Inviting experts to a new site proposal [Broadcast and Media Technologies](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/36807/broadcast-and-media-technologies) which aims to capture more architectural and theoretical views around subjects like this. Join and invite others.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 5 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2011-07-06. Score: 3
  
  You should get a SWF decompiler (perhaps one of the trails for: [Sothink SWF Decompiler](http://www.sothink.com/product/flashdecompiler/) or [Decompiler SWF](http://www.decompiler-swf.com/)) and use that to find the nested movie file, and extract that.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Sadly, I think this is the only way out of my situation. Will confirm and let you know.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2011-07-06. Score: 0
  
  swfextract from SWF Tools looks like it does what you want: <http://wiki.swftools.org/index.php/Swfextract>
  
  It'll probably give you an FLV, but you can then use ffmpeg or similar to turn it into a better container format.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_3**: Of course having said that without trying it, I'm now struggling to get it to do that. Looks like you could build something to do this on top of it but it doesn't do it on its own.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2011-07-06. Score: 0
  
  If you're on a **Mac**, there's an app called [Adapter](http://www.macroplant.com/adapter/) that is supposed to [handle SWFs](http://nofilmschool.com/2011/07/adapter-favorite-audio-video-image-converter/).
  
  If you're on **Windows**, you might try [Free SWF Convertor](http://www.freeswfconverter.com/).
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Also tried Adapter with no luck. I suspect that it's choking on my “compressed” SWF  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2011-07-06. Score: 0
  
  If your lucky, [VLC might be](http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) able to play it. Then you can use its Convert/Save functionality to get it into a usable format.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: No dice… `avformat error: av_open_input_stream failed`  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2011-07-06. Score: 0
  
  Sony Vegas can read *some* SWF files and then you can render to any of its supported formats, including H.264. The free trial is at <http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/vegaspro>
  
  
  ---
  
  