A good match in size
FLV and 3GP come from the same period and share a goal: small video for limited devices. FLV was made for slow internet connections in the browser, and 3GP for the first mobile phones that could play video. Many old FLV clips are already low resolution, often 320x240, which suits a phone screen well. That makes it easy to convert FLV to 3GP and still get a picture that looks right on a small display.
Who needs 3GP today
- Owners of push-button phones and basic phones, including models made for older people or children.
- People who keep an older phone as an MP3 and video player.
- Some simple media players, dash cameras and toys that list 3GP as a supported format.
A modern smartphone plays MP4 better than 3GP. For iPhone or a current Android phone, use FLV to MP4.
Settings that work on old phones
Simple phones have weak processors. A file that is too large or too detailed will stutter or refuse to play. Choose the lowest resolution preset and a low quality. Speech stays clear, and the picture looks fine on a screen of two or three inches. A frame rate of 15 to 25 fps is enough. The files end up very small, so even a phone with little memory can hold many clips.
About the conversion
The video is always re-encoded, because Flash codecs are not used in 3GP. FLV is read and 3GP is written by the built-in converter engine, which runs inside the browser. With small target settings it is usually quick. You can add many files and download them as a single ZIP.
If the phone does not show the video
Copy the file into the folder the phone uses for videos, often called Video or My Videos, and check the extension is .3gp. Try an even lower resolution if the phone shows an error. Some phones limit the length of a clip, so long recordings may need to be cut first with Split Video. To make an existing 3GP smaller, use the 3GP compressor. The reverse direction is 3GP to FLV. Nothing is uploaded at any point.