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What is streaming video/audio?

Internet Filmmakers' FAQ

One of the biggest drawbacks of digitising audio-visual material is the size of the files created. Large files are Public Enemy Number One from an Internet point of view because they take serious amounts of time to download before anything can be done with them, and in the case of audio-visual files, you would have to wait for the whole thing to download before you could start watching or listening to it.

Streaming media was developed a few years ago in an attempt to allow users to watch video/listen to audio over the Internet without having to incur a lengthy download. The idea was that you should be able to watch/listen to the media file while it is downloading. In order to achieve this, the data stored in the media file needs to be reordered and compressed, firstly to allow the "play as you download" function, and secondly to ensure that a constant data rate can be maintained to provide smooth playback. This smooth playback is achieved through buffering the data stream (i.e. playing the stream several seconds behind the actual download position). Buffering also allows the stream to remain consistent even if there are small interruptions to the download. Obviously, this only works to a point and a large interruption will most likely cause a pause in the stream while the buffer is reloaded.

To view streaming media, you need three things: a streaming media file, a streaming server to serve it from, and a streaming client to view it with. In most cases, uses install the streaming client on their own computers and use it to connect with a streaming server. The server deals with controlling the speed and buffering of the stream to the client, and can allow multiple users to watch a single stream, thereby reducing bandwidth requirements.

Streaming media was pioneered by RealNetworks in the early 1990s, but since then many other companies, including Microsoft and Apple have released competing products. Most people who provide streaming video on their web sites do so in several formats to ensure maximum audience potential.

Answer by Benjamin Craig  |  Last updated 18-Nov-2004

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