What Is Internet 'Streaming'? Is It Like Downloading?
You've been told to visit a 'streaming' website to get your music or your Microsoft Office 2013. But what exactly is 'streaming', and how is it different from downloading?
Answer:
Streaming, sometimes known as 'background downloading', is the fast-track cousin of regular downloading. In a regular download, you make a duplicate of a large web file or a large software program, sometimes taking 30 minutes to 24 hours to complete the download and receive a working copy.
With streaming, two things are different: you are still downloading, but you start viewing or using the file while it is downloading. With streaming, you can afford to be impatient, and start reaping the benefits of the download within a few moments. Streaming is most valuable when the files in question are larger than 2 or 3 megabytes.
The second difference that separates streaming from downloading is that you do not actually keep a copy of a streamed file; you only view it or listen to it, and then it vanishes into the ether when you are done. That's why you don't have Youtube videos accumulating on your hard drive!
In 2015, streaming is most commonly associated with music and movie files. YouTube and Netflix are two perfect examples of streaming websites: you can begin viewing your YouTube video or Netflix movie while they are still transferring to your computer. Instead of waiting 4 or 5 minutes to see a video, you can start watching it within 4 or 5 seconds.
Internet-based radio is another strong example of streaming: instead of waiting for the entire song to transfer to your computer before it can be played, you can listen to the song during the streaming process. Examples of streaming radio include Spotify, Pandora, and Google Play Music.
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Streaming is a technology used to deliver content—usually audio and video, but increasingly other kinds as well—to computers and mobile devices over the internet. Streaming transmits data as a continuous flow, which allows the recipients to begin to watch or listen almost immediately.
Streaming is the quickest way to access internet-based content, but it's not the only way. Progressive download is another option that was used for years before streaming was possible.
In order to understand what streaming is, where you use it, and why it's so helpful, you need to understand these two options.
The Two Kinds of Downloads
The key differences between these two options—progressive download and streaming—are when you can start using the content and what happens to it after you're done with it.
Progressive downloads are the traditional kind of download that anyone who's used the internet for any time is familiar with. When you download an app or game or buy music from the iTunes Store, you need to download the entire thing before you can use it. That's a progressive download.
Streaming is different. Streaming allows you to start using the content before the entire file is downloaded. Take music: When you stream a song from Apple Music or Spotify, you can click play and start listening almost immediately. You don't have to wait for the song to download before the music starts.
This is one of the major advantages of streaming. It delivers data to you as you need it.
The other major difference between streaming and downloads is what happens to the data after you use it. For downloads, the data is permanently stored on your device until you delete it. For streams, the data is automatically deleted after you use it.
