I am planning to open a video streaming website and I was turned on to FlashCom
by a developer. If you don't mind, I have a few questions relating to
FlashCom...

Is streaming video with FlashCom better than traditional streaming video
methods such as the embedded windows media player?

How do file sizes & bandwidth usages stack up to say streaming a WMV and
streaming the same video through FlashCom? Two of my main concerns are storage
space and bandwidth usage.

How do loading speeds compare? Does FlashCom generally load and stream a video
faster than other streaming methods?

How compatible is streaming with FlashCom? What version of Flash player is
required?

I am also wondering if there are any controls to convert common media file
types to FlashCom? For example is it possible to have an upload form where
users could upload any common media file (WMV, AVI, MOV, MPG, etc) and the
control would convert it to a streaming FlashCom file. Can that be done?

I am also wondering about the hosting aspect of it. Is it okay to rent a
dedicated server from any web host and install the FlashCom software after
purchasing it from Macromedia? Does that restrict regular use of your server in
any way? Also does it still interface with mySQL DB's?

And finally, how customizable is the visual aspect of the FlashCom player? Can
it be customized and branded?

I appreciate your help!

Thanks
Tom