[Windows Mobile Apps and Games] hilaireg:
Been doing some testing with this throughout the day while preparing my OEM for Opera 9.5 b16983 from a source Rhodium ROM.

First, some background.

Opera requires Java to process code in BROWSER.JS/USER.JS. HTML, URL, and XML parsers are additionally required to handles .CSS and .XML forms. For multimedia playback, Opera requires that the registry be correctly configured to point to media playback and streaming engines that are installed on the device - typically, this has been Windows Media Player, FlashLite. Other media content includes .XLS, .DOC, and .PDF.

In most cases that I have seen, a missing/incompatible version of Java, parsers, or missing media engines (such as FlashLite) will often cause Opera to not function on some devices. Incidentally, if Opera displays the Splash screen but fails to load, verify the following: OPERA.INI is UTF-8 and doesn't contain settings that are invalid, Opera9 folder contents are not Read Only, invalid Opera9 Registry entry, invalid skin controls, altered .JS file.

Early Opera Versions

Early versions of Opera were coded to support Flash 7.x for PPC. One would place the FLASH.DLL in the .\Windows\Macromedia folder and place the NPFL3PPC.DLL in the Opera plugin folder. register the FLASH.DLL in the Windows registry and make a few adjustments to a few Opera .INI files the content would be enabled.

The Flash (NPFL3PPC) plugin essentially announces Opera to Flash enabled websites as being capable of full flash playback. One can observe this by navigating to the HTC Website home page, which is Flash 10, and seeing the content. If one navigates to the YouTube website to play a video however, the behavior is unpredictable: the video may play, a blue box may be displayed where the video should be, the browser may crash, or a Flash related memory error message may appear.

Current Opera Versions

Newer Opera versions contain registry settings to ensure compatibility with FlashLite 3.1.9.1##.### packages. The following matrix highlights the difference between the versions of Flash.

http://www.adobe.com/products/flashlite/version/

The new version of Flash contains an ActiveX component (IEACTIVEX.DLL) which is intended to supercede the FLASH (NPFL3PPC) component. As with FLASH (NPFL3PPC), some entries are required in the AXOBJECTS.INI file for Opera to recognize the plug-in correctly. When the IEACTIVEX.DLL component (which is part of FlashLite 3.1) is registered however, the browser no longer announces itself as capable of supporting full flash playback.

One can observe this by navigating once again to the HTC website home page and observing that a black box will appear where the flash content should be. If the NPFL3PPC.DLL is present in the plugin folder, the box may be discarded and the web page appears as mostly empty or the web page appears as graphically distorted.

When the IEACTIVEX.DLL component is registered and the NPFL3PPC.DLL

is not present

in the plugin folder, one can navigate to the YouTube website and play video content as expected as most videos are still in Flash 9.

Is There An Ideal Scenario?

Maybe; but I haven't discovered it. Ideally, all Flash related content should appear correctly ... in others words, the HTC website home page should display correctly and YouTube content should playback correctly.

As of this post, I've observed the following:

1) FLASH.DLL, NPFL3PPC.DLL, .INI configuration, Registry changes

The HTC Home page displays as I would like. However, YouTube videos will not play - launching a video crashes the browser 50% of the time. Additional anomalies include, the SIP popping up when focus is set to Flash related content, very poor browser response/performance, and a white box in the Top Left corner of Opera in Landscape.

2) Adobe FlashLite v3.1.9.111.134, v3.1.9.122.74, & v3.1.9.122.90

The HTC Home page displays a black box where the Flash 10 content should be. YouTube videos will play without issues in Portrait or Landscape. Web sites with newer Shockwave specific content may not display.

After a bit of Googling, I also learned that Adobe intends to release an updated version of FlashLite sometime in October that will permit Flash 10+ content to be viewed.

HTH,