Hi,
Uploading videos should not be a problem if they are in the following formats:
3GP, .AVI, .DV, h.264, MPEG2, MPEG4, Quicktime, WMV
When Brightcove asks you to download Flashplayer 9, it is simply because it is the latest version that works for uploads.
To play videos, you need flash player 8 or higher. Version 8 is sufficient when it comes to DRTV, YouTube, etc.
Flash Player 9 is simply an upgrade from #8 and when you are asked to download #9, your current flash player will be automatically upgraded from the Adobe web site.