Guide on benefits and kinds of Video Streaming

Since the earliest days of computers attempts, have been made to display media but little progress was achieved until recently due to the costs involved and the limitations of the available hardware. It wasn't until the late 1980s that consumer-grade computers gained sufficient power to display various media and then primarily over non-streaming venues like CD-ROMs.

In the late 1990s networks with greater bandwidth evolved as did increased consumer access to the Internet. These capabilities married to even more powerful home computers and refined operating systems made streaming media both practical and affordable. One of the first applications was free streaming music over Internet "radio" stations but increasingly video streams are available all over the web. Due to the fact that the media files themselves are large, storage and transmissions costs are still a factor, so media is generally compressed to offset this complication.

Kinds of Streaming

Real time live streaming is exactly what the name implies, video that is available only at the time the event is in progress, such as a sporting match. "On demand" files are stored on a server and are transmitted at the viewer's request. A hybrid streaming method is the progressive download in which the clip is downloaded but begins to play as soon as a sufficient portion of the file has been received.

How can People View Streamed Files?

There are a number of popular software packages routinely used for viewing streamed media files. These include Apple QuickTime, Macromedia Flash, Microsoft Windows Media Player, and the Real viewer from RealNetworks. Normally when a user attempts to view or listen to a stream and does not have the appropriate software a message to that effect will appear with directions to a free download.

Benefits of Streaming

Streaming media allows for the secure use of audio and video files since it is possible to block downloads or to make recording of the stream difficult. (There is some controversy over the right to record streaming video that has yet to be resolved.)

Better technology now allows for the use of lengthier files so that substantial and thus more useful amounts of video delivered for a variety of purposes from simple entertainment to corporate training - or for the kind of observation or security measures often seen with streaming webcams.

There are numerous online experiments with applications of streaming video. CNN, for instance, now offers a subscription service featuring four simultaneous video feeds for news junkies. Many popular television series allow fans to view deleted scenes or supporting material such as interviews with cast members or behind-the-scenes features. In addition, sports fans can often view events that would not normally be televised in their area. (This type of content tends to be free real time streaming.)

Continue to: Technologies Available as Live Streaming Webcams

Streaming Video Web Casts - What Are They?
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Advanced Technologies - Today's Streaming Media Is Incomplete Without Them!

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Video Streaming - A Complete Guide

Kinds of Streaming

How can People View Streamed Files?

Benefits of Streaming

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