If you're interested in recording and streaming media using Flash Media Server 3 (FMS3) and Adobe's Real-Time Messaging Protocol, this unique 267-page PDF-only book is the perfect primer. It is not a reference, but a systematic guide to developing FMS3 applications using ActionScript 3.0, with chapters that focus on specific aspects of the server and how they work.

FMS3 is very different from regular web servers. Because its open-socket server technology stays connected until users quit the application, you can stream audio, video, text, and other media in real time. FMS3 is also quite different from previous versions, a fact that web developers familiar with Flash Media Server 2 or Flash Communication Server 1.5 will quickly discover.

Don't worry. With Learning Flash Media Server 3 and a little experience with Flash CS3 and ActionScript 3.0, anyone can get up to speed in no time. You'll learn how to install FMS3, organize your development environment with Apache web server, and use the management console before diving into the whys and hows of:

• Recording and playing back streaming audio and video in VP6 and H.264 formats
• Using the new Flash Media Encoder to stream and record video
• Camera and microphone settings
• Non-persistent client-side remote shared objects
• Two-way audio-video communications
• Broadcasting and server-side bandwidth control
• Working with server-side files: the file class
• Server-side shared objects
• Server-side streams
• Setting up a software load handler using FMS3's new server-side NetStream
• Bringing in data and working with configuration files

At the heart of every chapter is a core set of code that shows the minimum requirements needed for different procedures. Beyond that, Learning Flash Media Server 3 provides you with plenty of options for using FMS3's different versions -- the full-feature server, the streaming-only server, and the limited-user development server. It's a whole new world of media, and this book puts you right at the doorstep. Ready to enter?